Spelling.School · How to spell

How to spell were

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. Often misspelled as where or ware.

Sounds like, but is not: where, we're. Same sound, different spelling and meaning.

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.

Patterns it uses: The unstressed vowel (schwa)

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

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