# shark vs shear

> English confusable word pair

## The two words

### shark
*noun · IPA /ʃɑːk/ · frequency rank #6,098*
Any predatory fish of the superorder Selachimorpha, with a cartilaginous skeleton and 5 to 7 gill slits on each side of its head.

### shear
*verb · IPA /ʃɪə(ɹ)/ · frequency rank #17,239*
To remove the fleece from (a sheep, llama, etc.) by clipping.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/vs/shark-vs-shear