Practice
Bazaar and bizarre: understand the difference
Sign in to saveWe bought spices at the bazaar, but the seller's purple umbrella was bizarre. One word names a place; the other describes something strange.
Distinguish bazaar, a noun for a market, from bizarre, an adjective for something very strange or unexpected.
Read and practice
Read the examples and try the written questions in this guide. Listening recordings are not available for this lesson yet.
Try the written questions
The bazaar was busy, but the display was bizarre. /ðə bəˈzɑː wɒz ˈbɪzi, bət ðə dɪˈspleɪ wɒz bɪˈzɑː/
The short answer
Use bazaar for a market. Use bizarre to describe something very strange, unexpected, or hard to explain. Bazaar is usually a noun, while bizarre is an adjective.
The bazaar was busy, and the window display was bizarre.
Why it works: Bazaar names the market. Bizarre describes the display.
5 more examples
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We bought tea and dates at the old bazaar.
Bazaar is a noun that names the market where the purchase happened.
Not this:We bought tea and dates at the
old bizarre. What changes: Bizarre is an adjective, so it cannot name the market in this sentence. -
The museum displayed a bizarre clock with no hands.
Bizarre comes before clock and describes an unusual object.
Not this:The museum displayed a
bazaar clockwith no hands. What changes: Bazaar does not normally describe a clock. Use bizarre for a strange clock. -
The charity bazaar opens at ten on Saturday.
Here bazaar means a sale or market organized to raise money for a cause.
Not this:The
charity bizarreopens at ten on Saturday. What changes: A sale event needs the noun bazaar, not the adjective bizarre. -
It was bizarre to see snow on the beach in July.
After was, bizarre describes the surprising situation.
Not this:It
was bazaarto see snow on the beach in July. What changes: Bazaar is a market noun, so it does not describe the situation. -
Visitors wandered through the bazaar before lunch.
The phrase through the bazaar treats the market as a place.
Not this:Visitors wandered
through the bizarrebefore lunch. What changes: Use bazaar after through when you mean a market area.
Read the full guide
Start with the job of the word. If you can say a, the, or this before it and mean a market, choose bazaar. If you need a word before a noun, or after be, to describe something odd, choose bizarre. The last letters can help: bizarre has double r before its final e.
Decide whether you need a market or a description
The quickest choice comes from the word's job. Bazaar is a noun for a market. Bizarre is an adjective for something that seems very strange. Look at the words around the gap before you choose.
We bought tea and dates at the old bazaar.
At the old points to a place, so the market noun bazaar fits.
The museum displayed a bizarre clock with no hands.
Bizarre comes before clock and describes what makes the clock unusual.
Choose the word: The travelers stopped at a crowded ___.
Use bazaar. The sentence needs a noun for a market or market area.
Use bazaar as a countable noun
You can use articles and plural forms with bazaar: a bazaar, the bazaar, and bazaars. People visit a bazaar, shop at one, or walk through one. A bazaar may have stalls, goods, and many sellers.
Visitors wandered through the bazaar before lunch.
Through the bazaar shows that the bazaar is being treated as a physical place.
Several bazaars stay open late during the festival.
Several needs the plural noun bazaars.
Complete the sentence: We visited two ___ during our trip.
Write bazaars. Two tells you to use the plural market noun.
Use bizarre to describe what is strange
Bizarre usually appears before a noun, as in a bizarre mistake, or after be, seem, or look. It describes something that is much stranger than expected. It does not name a person, place, or object by itself.
It was bizarre to see snow on the beach in July.
Was bizarre describes the whole situation after the linking verb was.
She received a bizarre message from an unknown number.
Bizarre describes message, so it stands before the noun.
Which word describes an unexpected message: bazaar or bizarre?
Choose bizarre. It is the adjective for something very strange or unexpected.
Recognize a charity bazaar
Bazaar can also name a sale arranged to collect money for a group or cause. A school, neighborhood group, or charity may hold a bazaar with donated goods, food, or games. The word is still a noun for the event.
The charity bazaar opens at ten on Saturday.
Charity tells you the purpose of the event, while bazaar names the sale itself.
Our neighbors donated books to the school bazaar.
The books go to an event, so bazaar is the noun after school.
Which word completes this phrase: a school ___ to raise money?
Use bazaar. The phrase names a fundraising sale or market.
Use spelling and sentence shape as a final check
Both words have a in the middle and a long final vowel sound, but their spelling is different. Bazaar ends in aar. Bizarre has double r and a final e. Sentence shape gives a safer clue than sound: articles and plural endings point to bazaar, while a noun after the word often points to bizarre.
The bazaar was busy, and the window display was bizarre.
The first word follows the, so it is the market noun. The second follows was and describes the display.
That is a bizarre excuse for arriving late.
A bizarre excuse uses the adjective directly before the noun excuse.
Before you go
Remember this
Choose bazaar for a market or sale event. Choose bizarre for a person, thing, or situation that seems very strange. Ask whether the word names a place or describes something, then check the spelling: bizarre has double r.
Practice with the written examples
You can practice with the written questions in the Learn tab. Each answer includes an explanation.
Try the written questionsListening test not available yet
This lesson does not have the recordings needed for a listening test. Use the written questions in the guide to check your understanding.
Try the written questionsQuestions about "Bazaar and bizarre: understand the difference"
What is the difference between bazaar and bizarre?
Bazaar is a noun for a market or, in some contexts, a fundraising sale. Bizarre is an adjective for something very strange or unexpected. The sentence job gives the clearest clue: a market needs bazaar, while an unusual object or event can be bizarre.
We bought tea and dates at the old bazaar.
Can bazaar be plural?
Yes. Bazaar is a countable noun, so you can say a bazaar, the bazaar, or several bazaars. Use the plural when you mean more than one market, as in Several bazaars stay open late during the festival.
We bought tea and dates at the old bizarre.
How do I use bizarre in a sentence?
Put bizarre before a noun when you want to describe it: a bizarre clock or a bizarre message. You can also use it after be or seem: The explanation was bizarre. It usually suggests stronger strangeness than simply unusual.
The museum displayed a bizarre clock with no hands.
What is a charity bazaar?
A charity bazaar is a sale or market organized to collect money for a group or cause. It may include donated goods, food, or activities. In this use, bazaar still names the event, as in The charity bazaar opens at ten on Saturday.
The museum displayed a bazaar clock with no hands.
How can I remember the spelling of bizarre?
Use the word's grammar first, then check the letters. Bizarre is the adjective and has double r before its final e. Bazaar is the market noun and ends in aar. Reading the whole sentence usually gives a more reliable answer than trying to remember the sound alone.
The charity bazaar opens at ten on Saturday.