pair · pear · bear
pair /pɛr/ · pear /pɛr/ · bear /bɛr/ — pair and pear are perfect homophones. All three share the same /ɛr/ vowel sound written three different ways.
The same vowel /ɛr/ — three different spellings, three different meanings. pair and pear are perfect homophones (same initial sound too). bear starts with /b/ instead of /p/ — but the vowel is identical.
pair = pear /pɛr/
These two are homophones — identical pronunciation
noun — two matching or related things together — 'a pair of shoes' · 'pair up' · 'pair of scissors'
mouth shape
diph /ɛr/ — mouth opens to /ɛ/ then moves into an R — like 'there', 'care', 'fair'
pair
/pɛr/
vowel length
plays as: “a pair of shoes”
noun — a sweet fruit, wider at the bottom and narrower at the top — 'a ripe pear' · 'pear tree'
mouth shape
identical to pair — /ɛr/ — pair and pear are perfect homophones
pear
/pɛr/
vowel length
plays as: “a ripe pear”
noun — a large furry mammal — 'a polar bear' · 'teddy bear' · also a verb: 'I can't bear it'
mouth shape
same vowel as pair/pear — /ɛr/ — only the initial consonant changes: /p/ → /b/
bear
/bɛr/
vowel length
plays as: “a polar bear”
Spelling spotlight — three ways to write /ɛr/
pair
-AIR spelling
fair · chair · hair · stairs
pear
-EAR spelling
wear · swear · bear · tear (v.)
bear
-EAR spelling
wear · where · there · their
Key difference
All three share /ɛr/ — the vowel of there, care, fair. pair and pear are identical (only context tells them apart). bear has /b/ instead of /p/ — feel your throat buzz for /b/, no buzz for /p/.
Example sentences
pair:“I need a new pair of glasses.”
pear:“She packed an apple and a pear for lunch.”
bear:“We saw a bear near the campsite.”
bear:“I can’t bear the noise — please stop!”
Hear it in a sentence
“She bought a new pair of running shoes online.”
“The pear tree in the garden produced fruit for the first time this autumn.”
“A bear wandered into the campsite and overturned the food cooler.”
Hear it in the wild
Real speech from native speakers — the most reliable way to check a pronunciation, since automated audio can vary by device and browser.
pair
Hear native speakers say “pair” in real sentences — news, lectures, and podcasts.
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pear
Hear native speakers say “pear” in real sentences — news, lectures, and podcasts.
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bear
Hear native speakers say “bear” in real sentences — news, lectures, and podcasts.
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How teachers explain this
Approved tips from the community, sorted by helpfulness
Word families
bear family ▸
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