BARE means uncovered, naked, or exposed—without covering or adornment. As a verb, it means to reveal or uncover. From bare skin to bare truth, this word strips things to their essence.
Yes. BARE is in the Scrabble-style word list used by our tools and scores 6 points in Scrabble, 7 in Words With Friends and 7 in Wordfeud (base tile values, no board multipliers). Always check the dictionary your game uses (NWL, Collins or the WWF list) before playing.
| Letter | B | A | R | E | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scrabble | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 6 |
| Words With Friends | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 7 |
| Wordfeud | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 7 |
BARE fundamentally means uncovered, naked, or without covering—the state of being exposed or stripped of covering, decoration, or disguise. When something is bare, it lacks its usual covering or is reduced to its essential form. This simple yet powerful word captures the essence of exposure and minimalism. As an adjective, bare describes things without their usual covering: bare feet (no shoes), bare walls (no decoration), bare branches (no leaves), or bare facts (no embellishment). As a verb, "to bare" means to uncover or reveal: bare your soul (reveal innermost feelings), bare your teeth (show aggression), or bare the truth (reveal facts). Common uses of bare: Physical: "Bare skin" - uncovered body parts Natural: "Bare trees" - leafless in winter Minimal: "Bare necessities" - only essentials Emotional: "Bare one's soul" - reveal feelings Truth: "Bare facts" - unadorned truth
The word bare comes from Old English bær, meaning "naked, uncovered, or unclothed." This ancient Germanic root (*bazaz) connects to similar words across Indo-European languages: German bar, Dutch baar, and Old Norse berr—all meaning naked or bare. The word's core meaning has remained remarkably stable for over 1,000 years. In Old English, "bær" described both literal nakedness and metaphorical exposure. Medieval texts used it for bare swords (unsheathed), bare land (uncultivated), and bare truth (undisguised). This consistency across centuries shows how fundamental the concept of "uncovered" is to human experience. The verb form "to bare" (reveal) developed from the adjective, following the common English pattern of converting descriptive words into actions. The homophone "bear" (carry/animal) causes frequent confusion, but they have completely different origins—"bear" comes from Old English beran (to carry) and bera (the animal).
Anagrams: BEARBRAE
Hooks: no front hooks; back BARED, BARER, BARES.
Words inside BARE: 16 shorter words can be made from these letters – highest scoring: BEARBRAEARBBARBRAREBABBABEAREEARERA. See all words from BARE.