bare

/bɛə/

//bɛə// adj

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"bare" is a 4-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“bare” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #5,293 in English word frequency and used as an adjective.

#5,293
frequency rank, English
4
letters
3
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Minimal; that is or are just sufficient.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

bare vs be
50% similar
bare vs br
50% similar
bare vs bay
50% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for bare
PropertyValue
Headwordbare
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/bɛə/
Letters4
Frequency rank#5,293
Misspellings tracked3
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “bare” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). bare lands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for bare is 4 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /bɛə/. Corpus data places it at rank #5,293 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 11 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 3 likely wrong-spelling variants for bare, with forms such as "abre", "bbare", and "brae". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "be", "br", "bay", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English bare, bar, from Old English bær (“bare, naked, open”), from Proto-West Germanic *baʀ, from Proto-Germanic *bazaz (“bare, naked”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰosós, from *bʰos- (“bare, barefoot”). Cognate with Scots bare, bair (“bare”), S… The correct English form is bare, spelled B-A-R-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Minimal; that is or are just sufficient.
  2. 2
    Naked, uncovered.
  3. 3
    Having no supplies.
  4. 4
    Having no decoration.
  5. 5
    Having had what usually covers (something) removed.
  6. 6
    A lot or lots of.
  7. 7
    With head uncovered; bareheaded.
  8. 8
    Without anything to cover up or conceal one's thoughts or actions; open to view; exposed.
  9. 9
    Mere; without embellishment.
  10. 10
    Threadbare, very worn.
  11. 11
    Not insured.

Etymology

From Middle English bare, bar, from Old English bær (“bare, naked, open”), from Proto-West Germanic *baʀ, from Proto-Germanic *bazaz (“bare, naked”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰosós, from *bʰos- (“bare, barefoot”). Cognate with Scots bare, bair (“bare”), Saterland Frisian bar (“bare”), West Frisian baar (“bare”), Dutch bar (“bare”), German bar (“bare”), Swedish bar (“bare”), Icelandic ber (“bare”), Lithuanian basas (“barefoot, bare”), Polish bosy (“barefoot”).

This word in other languages

mínimo(Español)minimal(Français)bar(Deutsch)nu(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: abre,bbare,brae

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of bare - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

abre2bbare1brae2
Edit distance from "bare"

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "bare"?
"bare" is spelled B-A-R-E. The IPA pronunciation is /bɛə/.
What does "bare" mean?
As an adjective, "bare" means: Minimal; that is or are just sufficient.
What words are commonly confused with "bare"?
"bare" is commonly confused with "be", "br", "bay". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "bare"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "bare" is /bɛə/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "bare"?
From Middle English bare, bar, from Old English bær (“bare, naked, open”), from Proto-West Germanic *baʀ, from Proto-Germanic *bazaz (“bare, naked”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰosós, from *bʰos- (“bare, barefoot”). Cognate with Scots bare, bair (... See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Using “bare”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is B-A-R-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /bɛə/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “be” - see the side-by-side comparison. bare vs be
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list