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PlainSpell

bear

UK /bɛə/noun, verb, adjective

bear is spelled B-E-A-R: 4 letters and one syllable. It appears 51 times per million words in written English, the 1,993rd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). People search “bare vs bear” about 9,900 times a month (Google, United States). As a noun, bear means “A large, generally omnivorous mammal (a few species are purely carnivorous or herbivorous) of the family Ursidae; having shaggy fur, a very small…” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of bear is bears.

How many letters and syllables are in bear?

Letters4: B-E-A-R
Syllables1 (from its American pronunciation)
In writing51 times per million words; the 1,993rd most frequent word form
Wrong spellings searchednone measured in search
Pairs people search
Sounds like
Rhymes with
Same letters

Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); Bing searches in the United States: the average month from September 2025 to August 2026 (Microsoft Advertising keyword data through DataForSEO, read September 30, 2026); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.

How common is bear?

Bear appears 51 times per million words in written English, the 1,993rd most frequent word form in the list.

Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).

How do you pronounce bear?

  • UK /bɛə/
  • UK /bɛː/
  • British /bɛː/

As a noun (“Alternative spelling of bere (“barley”)”): /bɪə/, /bɪɚ/.

Bear has one syllable (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-bear.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).

Words people confuse with bear

Word pairs people search, with the monthly searches for “a vs b” (G: Google, B: Bing, United States).

bare vs bear9,900 G
bear vs bull2,900 G
bear vs beer0 B

Sounds like: bare (Wiktionary's homophone list; some hold only in some accents).

Also written: bere.

Sources: Google and Bing searches (September 2025 to August 2026, through DataForSEO); English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).

What rhymes with bear?

The 12 most written words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as bear from its last stressed vowel (/ɛə/, British pronunciation):

Spelled with the same letters in another order: bare, brae, rabe.

Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).

Forms of bear

  • bears plural, present, singular, he/she/it
  • bearing participle, present
  • beared participle, past
  • bore past, participle, singular, he/she/it, plural
  • borne participle, past
  • born participle, past
  • bere

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

What does bear mean?

The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).

noun

  1. 1

    A large, generally omnivorous mammal (a few species are purely carnivorous or herbivorous) of the family Ursidae; having shaggy fur, a very small tail, and flat feet.

  2. 2

    The meat of this animal.

    We had barbecued bear for dinner.

  3. 3

    A rough, unmannerly, uncouth person.

  4. 4

    An investor who sells commodities, securities, or futures in anticipation of a fall in prices.

  5. 5

    USslangA state policeman (short for Smokey Bear).

  6. 6

    slangA large, hairy man, especially one who is homosexual.

  7. 7

    AustraliaA koala (bear).

  8. 8

    A portable punching machine.

  9. 9

    Alternative spelling of bere (“barley”).

    There are several plots of those species of barley called big, which is six-rowed barley; or bear, which is four-rowed, cultivated.

  10. 10

    Alternative spelling of bere (“pillowcase”).

    I give to my Grand Child Lidea Carpenter the Coverlid that her mother spun and my pillow bear and a pint Cup & my great Pott that belongs to the Pott and Trammels.

verb

  1. 1

    To endeavour to depress the price of, or prices in.

    to bear a railroad stock

  2. 2

    To carry or convey, literally or figuratively.

    They came bearing gifts.

  3. 3

    To carry (weapons, flags or symbols of rank, office, etc.) upon one's person, especially visibly; to be equipped with (weapons, etc.).

    the right to bear arms

  4. 4

    To wear (garments, pieces of jewellery, etc.).

    The queen bore the royal scepter and crown as she processed into the hall.

  5. 5

    rareTo carry (offspring in the womb), to be pregnant (with).

    The scan showed that the ewe was bearing twins.

  6. 6

    To have or display (a mark or other feature).

    She still bears the scars from a cycling accident.

  7. 7

    To display (a particular heraldic device) on a shield or coat of arms; to be entitled to wear or use (a heraldic device) as a coat of arms.

    The shield bore a red cross.

  8. 8

    To present or exhibit (a particular outward appearance); to have (a certain look).

    He bore the look of a defeated man.

  9. 9

    To have (a name, title, or designation).

    The school still bears the name of its founder.

adjective

  1. 1

    Characterized by declining prices in securities markets or by belief that the prices will fall.

    The great bear market starting in 1929 scared a whole generation of investors.

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

Bear in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese

LanguageWords
Frenchours, ourse (large mammal of family Ursidae), baissier (investor who sells in anticipation of falling…), porter (to carry), supporter, soutenir (to support or sustain)
GermanBär, Bärin (large mammal of family Ursidae), Baissier, Baissespekulant (investor who sells in anticipation of falling…), tragen (to carry), Baisse (finance: characterized by falling prices)
Portugueseurso, ursa (large mammal of family Ursidae), baixista (investor who sells in anticipation of falling…), portar, levar, carregar (to carry)
Spanishoso, úrsido (large mammal of family Ursidae), bajista (investor who sells in anticipation of falling…), llevar (to carry), maleante (rough, unmannerly, uncouth person), policía estatal (US: state policeman)

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.

Where does bear come from?

From Middle English bere, from Old English bera, from Proto-West Germanic *berō, from Proto-Germanic *berô (“bear”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰerH- (“brown”).

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

What to look up after bear