‘Where' vs 'Were' vs 'Wear': What's the Difference Between Them?

The words ‘where,’ ‘were,’ and ‘wear’ all sound similar and are spelled pretty similarly, too. But what’s the difference between these three words? We’ll talk about that in this article, plus teach you how to use the word in a sentence properly.

Don’t feel like waiting around for the answer. Here’s the short answer.

• ‘Where’ refers to the location of something or someone.
• ‘Were’ is the past tense of ‘be.’
• ‘Wear’ refers to ‘putting on clothing.’

‘Where’ vs. ‘Were’ vs. ‘Wear’ – What’s the Difference?

So, as you just learned, the difference between the three words is:

• ‘Where’ refers to the location of something or someone.
• ‘Were’ is the past tense of ‘be.’
• ‘Wear’ refers to ‘putting on clothing.’

‘Where’ vs. ‘Were’ vs. ‘Wear’ vs. ‘We’re’ – Grammar Rules

You know a little bit about what the first three words mean, but what about ‘we’re’?

‘We’re’ is a contraction of ‘we are.’

Now let’s go over the definition of our first three words so we know how to use them in a sentence later.

Definition and Meaning of ‘Where’

The Merriam-Webster definition of ‘where’ is: “at, in, or to what place,” “at, in, or to what situation, position, direction, circumstances, or respect,” “here, there.”

The conjunction version of the word is defined as: “the place or point at, in, or to which,” “wherever,” and “that.”

The noun can be defined as: “place, location,” or “what place, source, or cause.”

Some synonyms of the word include:

Adverb

• Whereabouts
• Whereabout
• Whither

Noun

• Emplacement
• Location
• Point
• Locale
• Locus
• Position
• Locality
• Place
• Site
• Spot
• Venue

Definition and Meaning of ‘Were’

The Merriam-Webster definition of ‘were’ is: “past tense second-person singular, past tense plural, and past subjunctive of BE.”

Definition and Meaning of ‘Wear’

The Merriam Webster definition of the word ‘wear’ is: “to bear or have on the person,” “to use habitually for clothing, adornment, or assistance,” to carry on the person,” “to hold the rank or dignity or position signified by (an ornament),” “exhibit, present,” “to show or fly (a flag or colors) on a ship,” “to cause to deteriorate by use,” “to impair or diminish by use,” “to impair or diminish by use or attrition: consume or waste gradually,” “to produce gradually by friction or attrition,” “to exhaust or lessen the strength of: weary, fatigue,” “to cause (a ship) to go about with the stern presented to the wind,” “to accept or tolerate without complaint: put up with > usually used in negative constructions,” and “take on.”

As an intransitive verb, it’s defined as: “to endure use: last under use or the passage of time,” “to retain quality or vitality,” “to diminish or decay through use,” “to diminish or fail with the passage of time,” “to grow or become by attrition or use,” “to change to an opposite tack by turning the stern to the wind.”

As a noun, it can be defined as: “the act of wearing: the state of being worn: use,” “a clothing or an article of clothing usually of a particular kind > especially: clothing worn for a special occasion or poplar during a specified period of time,” “fashion, vogue,” “wearing quality: durability under use,” and “the result of wearing or use: diminution or impairment due to use.”

A few synonyms of the word include:

Verb

• Break
• Do in
• Burn out
• Harass
• Bust
• Drain
• Fatigue
• Kill
• Frazzle
• Exhaust
• Wash out
• Tucker (out)
• Weary

Noun

• Wear and tear

Now that you know what each word means let’s take a look at how to use them all in a sentence.

How to Use ‘Where’ in a Sentence

Let’s take a look at a few examples of how to use ‘where’ in a sentence correctly.

• Where is my magazine? I know I left it in the bathroom.
• I don’t know where I’m going to go to school now. I didn’t get accepted anywhere.
• Where is she going anyway? She doesn’t have any money.
• I’m not sure where I parked my car. Help me find it.
• Where did you get that manga? I’ve been reading it for years.
• Where did you get those shoes? They’re so cute!

How to Use ‘Were’ in a Sentence

Now let’s see some examples of how to use ‘were’ in a sentence:

• I’m not sure if you were invited to the party, but I won’t go if you don’t want me to.
• If you were here the whole time, how come you didn’t open the door when I rang the bell?
• You were traveling all year round. How did your house get so dirty?
• I’m not sure how I’d act if I were in the same situation.
• You were so brave back there. I’m so proud of you.
• Were you ever going to call me? Or just keep me waiting?

How to Use ‘Wear’ in a Sentence

Finally, let’s see some examples of how to use ‘wear’ in a sentence.

• Don’t wear too much jewelry. We don’t want that kind of attention.
• I love to wear sweaters in the fall. It’s why it’s my favorite season.
• I let my fiancée wear my old college jersey to bed.
• Did your sister say you can wear her new jeans?
• I don’t think I can wear this. It’s got a huge stain right here.
• I like to wear my hair up, but sometimes I’ll wear it down.

Final Thoughts on ‘Where’ vs. ‘Were’ vs. ‘Wear’

To recap, we learned the difference between ‘where,’ ‘were,’ and ‘wear,’ as well as how to use them all in a sentence correctly. ‘Where’ refers to a location, ‘were’ is the past tense of ‘be,’ and ‘wear’ refers to putting something on your body in most cases.

If you ever forget the definition of any of these words, don’t be afraid to pop back over and re-read this article.

We’ve also got a ton of other content that teaches you the differences between confusing words and phrases you might come across in the English language.