# shears vs smear

> English confusable word pair

## The two words

### shears
*noun · IPA /ʃɪə(ɹ)z/ · frequency rank #33,016*
plural of shear

### smear
*verb · IPA /smɪə(ɹ)/ · frequency rank #15,912*
To spread (a substance, especially one that colours or is dirty) across a surface by rubbing.

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