Is It “Please Bare With Me” or “Bear With Me”?
The correct spelling of this phrase is always bear with me.
- Please bear with me as I try to explain this complex topic.
Bare with me is an incorrect spelling.
“Bear With Me” Meaning & Spelling
Bear with me is a commonly used English expression that is equivalent to saying “be patient or tolerant with me.” It’s a polite way of asking someone for patience or leeway as you finish a thought or task.
I know it’s a lot of information, but bear with me and you’ll see my point.
Bear with me as I put all the chairs out for everyone to get comfortable.
It’s really busy at the restaurant today. Please bear with me, and I’ll be right back to take your order.
Those who work in the customer service realm may be familiar with this expression, as it’s often used when an issue arises. You’ll notice that the phrase can be used with different nouns.
Please bear with us as we work to correct this error.
Thank you for bearing with me as I reconnect the system to the internet.
Josiah asked that we bear with Sloane because she’s been working really hard to have everything resolved by the deadline.
How To Spell “Bear With Me”
Please be aware that the correct spelling of this expression is bear with me and not bare with me.
Bear with me as I take a few minutes to catch my breath.
Bare with me as I take a few minutes to catch my breath.
Thank you for bearing with me through this process.
Thank you for baring with me through this process.
“Bear” vs. “Bare”
Many people mistakenly use bare with me instead of bear with me. If you want to avoid making this mistake, you should have a thorough understanding of the difference between bear and bare, which we’ll go over below.
What Does “Bear” Mean?
You’re probably familiar with bear as a noun. It refers to a big, furry animal that can look cute and cuddly, but be strong and ferocious (like honey bears and brown bears).
We saw three different types of bears at the zoo.
My niece is currently obsessed with pandas, which are a type of bear.
Ever since I was young, my favorite animal has always been a bear. Now I get to study them for a living.
As a noun, bear can also mean “complicated or difficult to do or deal with.”
Everything was just such a bear to figure out.
As a verb, bear is quite versatile. It has numerous definitions, but is often used meaning “to endure something” or “to hold up, carry, or support something” (either literally or figuratively).
They had to bear with stormy conditions all night.
The columns have to be strategically placed to bear the weight of the roof evenly.
I would rather not bear a grudge against her.
Knowing this, it should make sense why bear with me is the correct spelling of the phrase. Bear is being used as a verb that means “to endure” or “put up with.”
Again, it’s worth reiterating that bear has several uses as a verb. For example, it can mean “give birth to” or “produce naturally,” but also “to hold or carry.”
She had to bear a child in harsh conditions.
We knew the tree was going to bear plenty of mangos this year.
They argued for their right to bear arms.
Is It “Bear in Mind” or “Bare in Mind?”
The proper spelling is bear in mind, which means “to keep a fact or circumstance in mind and take it into account.”
- Bear in mind that I injured my ankle, so I won’t be able to walk as fast as you.
What Does “Bare” Mean?
Bare, on the other hand, can function as an adjective or verb.
As an adjective, bare also has a few different definitions. It can be used to mean:
- “Uncovered; without clothing; nude”
I accidentally brushed up against his bare arm.
- “Unadorned; without the usual content or furnishings”
Luis hated them, but I really liked the bare walls.
- “Basic and simple”
I had just learned the bare essentials of the program before making my first sale.
As a verb, bare means “to uncover, reveal, or expose something to view.”
I had to bare my leg to show the nurses where I accidentally burned myself.
Her plan was to bare several company secrets.
It’s more common to come across bare as an adjective than a verb.
Is It “Barely” or “Bearly”?
The correct spelling is always barely. It’s an adverb that means “just enough” or “hardly.” Bearly is not a word in standard English.
- She was barely awake when she told me she was hungry.
“Bear” or “Bare”: How To Remember the Difference
Combined, both bear and bare have many different definitions and uses. So, how do you remember them all to avoid using the wrong word? Just look at it like this:
- A bear is an animal with ears. They’re big and strong and as a result, they can endure and carry a lot, just like the word bear itself, which carries several definitions. However, it’ll be very unusual to see a nude or bare bear because they are almost always covered in fur.
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