Which to use
“bear” and “bra” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #21,180
- “bear” frequency rank
- #38,655
- “bra” frequency rank
- 59835
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | bear | bra |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Bär (Tierart) | paariger Körperteil zwischen Rumpf und Hand; Arm |
Where the eye mixes bear and bra
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between bear and bra
A purely visual mix-up. bear ([ˈbɛə(ɹ)]) and bra ([bɣa]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 59835, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
bear is recorded at frequency rank #21,180, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈbɛə(ɹ)]. bra is at rank #38,655, tagged as anoun, pronounced [bɣa].
Glosses for this pair are partially populated in our dataset, but the full side-by-side definitions above should still guide you to the right choice.
With a confusion score of 59835, this pair ranks #809,535 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of bear vs bra
Shared letters: abr. Private to "bear": e. Private to "bra": -.
"bear" · 4 letters · shape CVVC · "bra" · 3 letters · shape CCV
Known mistypes of this pair
- bear ← bbear · bearr · bera · ebar
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "bear" and "bra" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "bear" or "bra"?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "bear" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "bra" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #809,535 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "bear" and "bra" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "bic vs bra". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #809,535 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.