Bare Your Soul Or Bear Your Soul – Which One Is Correct?

Is it bare your soul or bear your soul?

The correct expression is bare your soul. Bear your soul is incorrect.

Many fixed expressions use either bare or bear, so it’s easy to make mistakes.

But if you understand the meaning of each word, it will make things easier.

Bare vs. Bear

Yes, a bear is a big, furry animal that likes to eat honey.

It can also be a teddy bear, which is a cuddly stuffed toy named after United States President Theodore Roosevelt.

But that’s another story altogether.

But bare means not clothed or covered.

It can also mean without usual contents.

In the nursery rhyme Old Mother Hubbard, she found that the cupboard was bare.

The confusion between the use of bear and bare is because the two words are homonyms.

They sound the same, so we have no problem speaking and using fixed expressions with them.

But when you write, you have to make the correct word choice.

So, bear with me while I explain.

What does bare mean?

Bare can be a verb and an adjective.

As a verb, to bare means to uncover something and expose it to view.

It could refer to a part of the body or an object in both a real or unreal sense.

Here are some examples to make it easy to understand.

The dog snarled and bared its teeth.

It’s not like her to bare her heart to a stranger.

The politician decided to bare the facts about the scandal to the press.

After all the years, he decided to bare his secret to his family.

As an adjective, bare can mean not clothed or covered, without the appropriate or usual contents, minimal, devoid of, or without.

He tore it apart with his bare hands.

All we need are the bare essentials.

She jotted down the bare bones of the story.

The cupboard was bare, so how was she to feed her kids?

What does bear mean?

The noun bear is always a big furry animal.

But as a verb, bear means to support, take responsibility for, endure, tolerate, or produce.

He will have to bear the burden of his mistakes.

It took a year, but her plan is about to bear fruit.

I can’t bear the sight of him anymore.

Bear with me for a moment, and I’ll see if she’s available.

Since she moved, she learned to bear the heat and humidity.

Bear in mind that you will have to pay interest.

From these examples, you can see now how to choose correctly between bare your soul or bear your soul.

To bare your soul is a metaphorical expression that means you expose your innermost feelings or secrets.

Fixed expressions and idioms

The reason for the confusion about sayings with bear and bare is that so many use one or the other.

Here are a handful of examples of everyday expressions we use all the time.

Expressions using bare

Bare minimum – The least amount necessary.

Bare essentials – The most basic or necessary items.

Bare bones – Refers to the most basic or essential elements of something.

Bare your teeth – To show aggression or hostility.

Bare the brunt – To endure the worst part of something.

Expressions using bear

Bear in mind – To remember or consider something.

Bear the burden – To take responsibility for something difficult.

Bear fruit – To produce results or succeed.

Grin and bear it – To endure something unpleasant with good grace.

Bear witness – To testify or provide evidence of something.

These are all common in speech and writing.

But because there are always two choices to consider, it pays to check to ensure you are using the correct word.

Always check homonyms in writing

Bare and bear are good examples of confusing words because they sound exactly the same.

There are many others, including past and passed, accept and except, moot and mute, and affect and effect.

You need to take extra care with these when you write.

Sometimes, a good grammar checker can help you make the right choice.

But you can’t trust them completely, and it’s especially true with bear and bare.

It always pays to check your correct word use with a good dictionary, either a real one or online.

But bear in mind that it goes doubly so when you are using fixed expressions.

Related reading: Morning Suit Or Mourning Suit?