'Tyres' or 'Tires': What's the Difference?

Should you use ‘tires’ or ‘tyres’? What’s the real difference? This article will explore the difference between the two words and how to use both words in a sentence correctly.

The short answer is that ‘tire’ means to become weary or a rubber cushion for the wheel of your car. The word ‘tyre’ is just the British spelling of the word.

Tyres or Tires – What is the Difference?

The difference between ‘tire’ and ‘tyre,’ as you just learned, is that ‘tire’ is the American English spelling of the word and ‘tyre’ is the British spelling of the word.

Regardless, both words have the same meanings, unlike words like bear and bare and whether and weather (which have the same sound but different meanings).

Let’s take a look at what they are.

Tires and Tyres Definition and Meaning 

The definition of ‘tire/tires’ is “to become weary,” “to exhaust or greatly decrease the physical strength of: fatigue,” and “to wear out the patience of.”

As a noun, it’s defined as “a rubber cushion that fits around a wheel (as of an automobile) and usually contains compressed air,” “a metal hoop forming the tread of a wheel,” “obsolete,” and “archaic.”

Cambridge defines the word as “to begin to feel as if you have no energy and want to rest or go to sleep, or to make someone feel this way” and “a thick rubber ring, often filled with air, that is fitted around the outer edge of the wheel of a vehicle, allowing the vehicle to stick to the road surface and to travel over the ground more easily.”

It can also be defined as “to cause someone to lose energy or to be without energy.”

The definition of ‘tyre,’ according to Merriam Webster, is “chiefly British spelling of tire.”

How to Use Them in a Sentence 

Now that you’ve learned a few definitions of the word, let’s look at some examples of how to use them in a sentence correctly.

Here’s how to use both words correctly:

• I got a flat tire on my way home from work last night.
• Eventually, she will tire herself out and need a nap.
• Two of my tires were slashed the last time I went to that neighborhood.
• Don’t you ever tire of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches?
• That tyre looks like it’s about to burst; that’s too much air!
• I need a new tyre before the wintertime.
• Her tyre has a slow leak; that’s why it won’t hold air for long.

Is It Okay to Use ‘Tyre’?

If you’re writing American English content, it’s best to use ‘tire’ rather than ‘tyre’ if you want your message to come across clearly.

But if you’re writing for an international audience, it might be okay to use ‘tyre’ if your audience is primarily from the UK.

Final Thoughts on Using ‘Tire’ or ‘Tyre’

Worrying about whether to use ‘tire’ or ‘tyre’ should no longer be a concern for you. As we discussed, the best version of the word to use for an American English-speaking audience is ‘tire' or 'tires.'

But if you’re writing or speaking to an international audience, you might want to use ‘tyre’ instead. It’s all up to you.

Whether you’re trying to remember whether to use ‘buses’ or ‘buses’ or you don’t know whether to use apportion, portion, or proportion, we’ve got you covered. Our library of articles on confusing words can help make your journey to learning English (or brushing up on it) a lot easier.