How to pronounce bare
Say it like BAIR. Bare is a single syllable, so the whole word carries the stress.
Click the play button next to American or British to hear how to pronounce bare. Choose Slow to hear each sound clearly.
- BAIR
- Main stress
- Lighter stress
- Unstressed
Bare pronunciation, sound by sound
Read the parts left to right, then blend them together without pausing.
- BAIRSay this part loudest and longest. The vowel is the "e" in bed.
American vs British pronunciation of bare
- Americans pronounce the r after a vowel; most British speakers leave it silent and lengthen the vowel instead.
British respelling: BAIR.
What does bare mean?
- completely unclothed“bare bodies”“naked from the waist up”
- lacking in magnitude or quantity“a bare livelihood”“a scanty harvest”
- not having a protective covering“unsheathed cables”“a bare blade”
- lay bare“bare your breasts”“bare your feelings”
- make public“She aired her opinions on welfare”
- lay bare“denude a forest”
Where does bare come from?
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”).
Similar and opposite words
Opposite meaning
Words that rhyme with bare
Practicing rhymes is a quick way to lock in the vowel sound of bare.
Words that sound like bare
Questions about saying bare
How do you pronounce bare?
Say BAIR. The American pronunciation is /bɛr/. In British English it is /bɛə/. Press play above to hear it at normal speed or slowly.
How many syllables are in bare?
Bare is a single syllable, so the whole word carries the stress. Broken into parts: BAIR.
Is bare pronounced differently in British English?
Yes. Americans pronounce the r after a vowel; most British speakers leave it silent and lengthen the vowel instead. The British form is /bɛə/ (BAIR).
What words sound the same as bare?
Bare sounds the same as bear in American English. The spelling and meaning are what tell them apart.