9 English Word Pairs That Confuse Absolutely Everyone - Part 7

7. Bear and Bare

Bear — as a verb — has several meanings, including to hold up or support a heavy weight and to suffer or endure difficulties. We’re not talking about big hairy bears that live in forests.

• Don’t stand on that old chair, it cannot bear your weight.

• I cannot bear to see my son in pain.

Bare, meanwhile, is an adjective that means naked or uncovered, or a verb which means to uncover or reveal.

• Visitors to the temple must not have bare arms or legs, so wear long pants and a jacket (adjective).

• I bared my arm to show them my new tattoo (verb).