glair, glare

The words glair, glare sound the same but have different meanings and spellings. Why do glair, glare sound the same even though they are completely different words?

The answer is simple: glair, glare are homophones of the English language.

glair
  1. :: noun

    The white of an egg.

  2. :: noun

    A sizing or glaze made of egg white.

  3. :: noun

    A viscous substance resembling egg white.

glare
  1. :: verb-intransitive

    To stare fixedly and angrily. See Synonyms at gaze.

  2. :: verb-intransitive

    To shine intensely and blindingly: A hot sun glared down on the desert.

  3. :: verb-intransitive

    To be conspicuous; stand out obtrusively: The headline glared from the page.

  4. :: verb-transitive

    To express by staring angrily: He glared his disapproval.

Definitions from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition and Wordnik.

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About Homophones

Homophones (literally "same sound") are usually defined as words that share the same pronunciation, regardless of how they are spelled.

If they are spelled the same then they are also homographs (and homonyms); if they are spelled differently then they are also heterographs (literally "different writing").