Commonly Confused Words: Hair vs. Hare

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Last week we looked at the difference between the words ‘heir’ and ‘air’. Here are two very similar words that people also often mix up.

What does each word mean?

Hairs are thin strands that grow from human and animal skin.

Click here for the full Spellzone dictionary definition of the word.

Here is hair used in some example sentences:

  • Goldilocks is famous for her golden hair.
  • Rapunzel is famous for her extremely long hair.
  • Medusa is famous for having snakes instead of hair.

Click here to find the Spellzone vocabulary lists related to the word hair.

A hare is a fast, long-eared mammal similar to but larger than a rabbit. The word is also used as verb to describe running with great speed.

Click here for the full Spellzone dictionary definition of the word.

Here is hare used in some example sentences:

  • In the story of the hare and the tortoise, the slow and steady tortoise wins the race.
  • The dog hared after the ball.

Click here to find the Spellzone vocabulary lists related to the word hare.

Where does each word come from?

Hair comes from the Old English ‘hær’ which in turn comes from the Proto-Germanic ‘khæran’.

Hare comes from the Old English ‘hara’ which in turn comes from the West Germanic ‘hasan’.

Are there any tricks to help remember the difference between hair and hare?

  • Hare has the word are in it. Try using both in a sentence: ‘Hares are my favourite animal.’
  • Hair has the word air in it. Try using both in a sentence: ‘She let her hair air-dry.’

 

What words do you constantly mix up? Let us know and we’ll cover them in our Commonly Confused Words series.

Sources: The Online Etymology Dictionary


09 May 2018
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