What’s the difference between ‘stair’ and ‘stare’?

Stair and stare are homophones in English and are often confused; they are both pronounced /steəʳ/ but have different spellings and their meanings are completely different.

stair

Stairs is usually a plural noun. Stairs are a set of steps inside a building which go from one floor to another.

Nancy began to climb the stairs. 
We walked up a flight of stairs.

You can also say that stair is one of the steps in a flight of stairs.

Terry was sitting on the bottom stair. 

stare

Stare is a verb. If you stare at someone or something, you look at them for a long time.

Tamara stared at him in disbelief, shaking her head. 
Mahoney tried not to stare.
Ben continued to stare out the window.

Stare is also a noun.

Hlasek gave him a long, cold stare. 

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