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How to spell pliers

hear itpli·ers/'plaɪəz/nounSilent and tricky

What it means: A tool used for gripping or bending objects.

In a sentence: Dad used pliers to fix my bike.

The part people get wrong

Watch for the order of ie. Often misspelled as plyers or plires.

Same family: tool, wrench, tongs, grip. If you can spell one, the shared part carries to the others.

Where it comes from: The word "pliers" comes from the Old French word "plier," meaning "to bend," related to the verb "ply" (to fold or bend). Even though we almost always say "a pair of pliers," it refers to a single tool made of two bending arms joined together.

Patterns it uses: i before e?

Try spelling it

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