Shear-Sheer | Commonly Confused Words
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Master confusing words with ease

Shear vs. Sheer

Shear

/ʃɪə/
To cut the wool off a sheep or to cut something similar away using a sharp tool

Examples:

The farmer had to shear the flock before summer.Without the proper tools, trying to shear the sheep became a task.In spring, it's customary to shear the wool from alpacas.

Synonyms:

Antonyms:

Sheer

/ʃɪə/
Used to emphasize a large amount or degree of something, or to describe something that is completely clear or steep.

Examples:

By sheer audacity.It was sheer jugglery of fate.The first side is, sheer Insolence.

Synonyms:

Antonyms:

Ways to tell them apart:

etymology
  • "Shear" often involves cutting, like when you shear sheep for their wool.
  • "Sheer" can describe something very thin or almost transparent, like sheer fabric.
  • "Sheer" can also mean steep or absolute, such as a sheer cliff or sheer determination.
  • Remember that the extra e in "sheer" might remind you of a cliff's edge, or of elegance, hinting at transparency or steepness.
  • "Shear" with its single e is a straightforward word, much like the direct act of cutting.
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