Flair is a talent for something, like what the pro-wrestler Nature Boy Ric Flair had back in the day. Flare is on a candle or the shape of bell-bottoms that kids rocked back in the heyday of wrastlin'.
Flair is a noun meaning an aptitude or eagerness for something or a distinctive style. You might have a flair for photography, wrestling, or dressing like a flapper. If you describe food as having a certain flair, such as a Latin flair, you mean it has the distinctive style of Latin food. Flair isn't a synonym for flavor. Style is more than flavor. Here are some flairs, ta da:
Considering my flair with words, how could I not be an awesome reporter? (Liar, Liar)
Each one adds her own flair to it—a brooch, a colored sash—but underneath we all know it's The Dress. (What the Night Sings)The management, sensing a good moment, gave her a spotlight, and the guitarist came forward, strumming a popular American tune with a Spanish flair. (How the García Girls Lost Their Accents)
Flare has fun, too, in many different ways. As a noun, flare is a shape that is wider at one end, such as bell-bottoms, also called flares. It can also be a flickering light, as with the flare of a match. To flare might be to widen or to suddenly burn. A disease can flare up, or become worse, while your skirt can flare out, or widen. Flare on:
One oak is hollowed and flared at the bottom like an arched, empty shell. (New York Times)
I could see his profile against the red flares. (The Things They Carried)
Sudden anger flared up in the girl's blue eyes, though, he knew it was not directed against him. (The Protector)
To remember the difference in spelling, think ability and poise when it comes to flair. And think red when you see a light flared up or a bull's flared nostrils before it gets ready to charge. Careful!