# tear vs tern

> English confusable word pair

## The two words

### tear
*verb · IPA /tɛə/ · frequency rank #3,985*
To rend (a solid material) by holding or restraining in two places and pulling apart, whether intentionally or not; to destroy or separate.

### tern
*noun · IPA /tɜːn/ · frequency rank #40,923*
Any of various seabirds of the subfamily Sterninae (of the family Laridae) that are similar to gulls but are smaller and have a forked tail.

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