Spelling.School · How to spell

How to spell were

Were is spelled W-E-R-E.

What it means: Used with another verb to show a past action.

In a sentence: The butterflies were flying all around the garden. ▶

The part people get wrong

Watch for an unstressed vowel that is hard to hear.

Not to be confused with: where, we're, a different word.

Same family: am, is, are, was, been, being. If you can spell one, the shared part carries to the others.

Where it comes from: “Were” comes from Old English “wǣron,” a past tense form of the verb “to be.” English keeps several different past forms of “be” (was, were) from these older patterns, which is why the verb looks so irregular today.

Try spelling it

You will hear the word and a sentence. Type it and press Enter. Then four more words from the same level, so you know where you stand.

Words like this

where · whose · flower · there · one · to · person · some

Everyone has words they always get wrong. Spelling.School finds yours, shows you exactly why you miss them, and uses spaced repetition until you spell them right every time. Five minutes a day. Try five words without signing up.