Bear With Me versus Bare With Me
When should you use bear with me vs. bare with me? The basic difference between these two would-be phrases is that one is an actual phrase people use in everyday conversation and the other one could be a phrase, but no one uses it.
When to Use Bear With Me
Bear with me is the correct spelling of the phrase meaning to be patient or tolerant with. A student who is learning a new concept in school may ask his tutor to bear with him as he tries to understand the new material. Doing so is a request for patience.
Examples of Bear With Me:
Example: I know this is a lot of information, but please bear with me. I will open the floor to questions in a few minutes.
Example: Giancarlo Stanton is at Nationals Park this week, his last appearance here this season. So consider this a minute, and bear with me. Source: The Washington Post
Example: “Please bear with me,” said one team member at the meeting. “This is incredibly complex.” Source: New York Times
If you use the phrase “bear with me,” you are politely asking someone to be patient with you.
When to Use Bare With Me
Bare with me is a misspelling of the phrase bear with me. The spelling bare with me could, however, be a phrase of its own, as it does make logical sense, but no one uses it, so you won’t find it in any dictionary.
If bare with me were a commonly used phrase, it would have to do with taking off ones clothes and being with another person.
A possible example might be:
- I asked him to bare with me, but he did not feel the same way.
Given the nature of what bare with me would mean if it were a phrase, it’s important to get this spelling correct in your writing—especially professional writing where propriety is of concern.
Sending an email with the phrase bare with me to your boss could come across as inappropriate depending on the context.
In other words, these are two spellings you will want to keep track of in your mind and know that you are using the right one each time you put them on paper.
Recap: When to Use Bear With Me or Bare With Me
Only one of these spellings is a phrase in common circulation.
- Bear with me is the correct spelling.
- Bare with me is a misspelling of bear with me.
Knowing which of these spellings is important because one spelling is a request for patience while the other is a request to undress.