wear · were · where · we’re
wear /wɛr/ · were /wɜːr/ · where /wɛr/ · we’re /wɪər/ — three different vowel sounds. wear and where are homophones; were (/ɜːr/ like bird) and we’re (/wɪər/ like here) each sound distinct.
Four common words — three different sounds. wear and where are perfect homophones: /wɛr/. were has a deeper r-coloured vowel: /wɜːr/ (like her, bird). we’re (contraction of we are) has yet another vowel: /wɪər/ (like here, beer).
wear = where
/wɛr/
homophones
were
/wɜːr/
like her, bird
we’re
/wɪər/
like here, beer
verb — to have clothing on your body — 'wear a coat' · 'what are you wearing?' · 'wear out'
mouth shape
diph /ɛr/ — mouth opens to /ɛ/ then moves into an R — like 'there', 'care', 'fair'
wear
/wɛr/
vowel length
past tense of 'be' — used with we/you/they — 'we were happy' · 'they were late'
mouth shape
long /ɜːr/ — tongue mid-central, lips relaxed, R-coloured — like 'her', 'stir', 'bird'
were
/wɜːr/
vowel length
question word / conjunction — asking about a place — 'where are you?' · 'the town where I was born'
mouth shape
same as wear — /ɛr/ — wear and where are perfect homophones
where
/wɛr/
vowel length
contraction of 'we are' — 'we're ready' · 'we're going home' · often confused with 'were' in writing
mouth shape
diph /ɪər/ — start with /ɪ/ (like 'bit') then glide into R — like 'here', 'beer', 'near'
we're
/wɪər/
vowel length
Key difference — three vowels
wear / where /ɛr/: mouth opens to /ɛ/ (like bed) then curves into R — like there, care, fair.
were /ɜːr/: deeper, longer vowel — tongue mid-central, lips relaxed — like her, stir, bird.
we’re /ɪər/: starts with the short /ɪ/ (like bit) then glides into R — like here, beer, near.
Example sentences
wear:“What will you wear to the party?”
wear:“These shoes wear out very quickly.”
were:“We were at the concert last night.”
were:“They were not expecting this.”
where:“Where are you going?”
where:“I don’t know where she lives.”
we’re:“We’re going to be late — hurry up!”
we’re:“We’re ready whenever you are.”
Hear it in a sentence
“She didn't know what to wear to the interview, so she kept it simple.”
“They were already on the train when they realised they had the wrong tickets.”
“He couldn't remember where he had parked the car.”
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.
wear
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were
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where
Hear native speakers say “where” in real sentences — news, lectures, and podcasts.
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we're
Hear native speakers say “we're” 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
wear family ▸
where family ▸
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