• 2-minute read
• 15th September 2022

Spelling Tips: Ware or Wear?

Whether you’re learning English or are a native speaker, you’ll know that the English language has its quirks.

Two of those quirks are spelling and pronunciation. Words that sound the same but have different meanings in English are known as homophones.

Ware and wear are both examples of homophones, meaning they’re pronounced the same but are spelled differently and have different meanings.

Ware

Ware is a word used to describe goods, materials, and both tangible and intangible merchandise. Examples of the use of ware in a sentence include:

We’re going to the hardware store on Saturday.

Homeware is getting more and more popular in our store.

Please take the crystal ware into the bedroom.

Have you polished the silverware?

Wear

Wear has two meanings. It can refer to dressing in clothing, or it can mean causing something to deteriorate. Examples of the use of wear in a sentence include:

I’ve just bought some new swimwear!

Will you wear that sweater tonight?

Toby is wearing Georgia down.

Your car’s misalignment is causing excess wear on your tires.

You need to go upstairs to find the menswear.

How to Remember the Difference

Wear is almost always used as a verb. You’ll only see it used as part of a noun in words such as workwear, womenswear, menswear, and underwear. Ware is always a noun.

So, if you can’t remember whether you should use wear or ware, if you know that you need to use a noun, ware is the most likely option. If you need to use a verb, wear is what you’re looking for.

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