Tear vs tier

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Grammarist

Tear and tier are two commonly confused words that are pronounced in the same way but are spelled differently and have different meanings, which makes them homophones. We will examine the different meanings of the homophonic words tear and tier, the word origins of the terms, and some examples of their English usage in sentences.

A tear is a salty liquid produced by the eyes. Sometimes, the word tear is used figuratively to mean sorrow or crying. Tears are said to fall in teardrops. The word tear is sometimes used as an intransitive verb, which is a verb that does not take an object. Related words are tears, teared, tearing. The word tear is derived from the Old English word, tear.

A tier is a row, level, layer or rank. An auditorium may be set in tiers of seats. A cake may consist of tiers of layers. A club may have tiers of membership. The word tier may be used as a noun or as a verb to mean the act of arranging tiers. The word tier is derived from the Old French word tire, which means rank or order. Related words are tiers, tiered, tiering.

Examples

Kim Jong Un “is one of the most ruthless people on the planet and if he’s dead, I’m not going to shed a tear.” (The Charleston Post and Courier)

Terri Grabiak of the Village of Fenney was moved to tears May 8 when she got a hole-in-one while golfing at the Lowlands Executive Golf Course. (The Villages News)

A two-tier House of Commons could be created if Jacob Rees-Mogg is successful in lifting some of the lockdown restrictions around parliament, a cross-party group of MPs and activists have said. (The Guardian)

Raabe said the race has developed into two tiers among its six leading contenders, with the second grouping not far behind. (The Baltimore Sun)