Beware

How to spell beware

6 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce beware

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does beware mean?

1. verbTo be cautious of or on guard against a danger, problem, or untrustworthy person or thing.

Beware in a sentence

• The sign at the gate warns visitors to beware of the dog.

• Investors should beware of schemes that promise guaranteed high returns.

Where does beware come from?

Language of origin: Germanic

Beware began life in Middle English as the two-word phrase 'be ware', meaning literally 'be watchful' or 'be on your guard'. The second element comes from the Old English adjective wær, meaning 'careful, cautious, or aware', which is the same root that gives us 'wary' and the 'ware' in 'aware'. Over time the two words fused into a single verb, which is why beware is spelled as one word with a single 'r' rather than as 'be ware' or 'beware' with a doubled consonant. It belongs to a small family of fused 'be-' verbs alongside 'become' and 'behold', and like them it survives mostly in fixed warnings and imperative phrasing. The shared ancestry with 'wary' and 'aware' is a handy memory cue: if you can spell 'aware', you already have the back half of beware.

How the word is built

• be- (thoroughly, an intensifying prefix)
• ware (from Old English wær: watchful, on guard)