Look-alike words

Breath vs. Breathe

Breath is a noun: the air that goes in and out of your lungs. Breathe is a verb: the act of taking air in and letting it out. Take a deep breath; breathe slowly.

Word	Part of speech	Meaning
breath	noun	the air you take into your lungs and push out again, or one act of doing this
breathe	verb	to take air into your lungs and let it out again

Breath

noun: the air you take into your lungs and push out again, or one act of doing this

Omar took a deep breath before he dove into the pool.
On cold mornings, you can see your breath in the air.

Breathe

verb: to take air into your lungs and let it out again

Try to breathe through your nose while you run.
It felt good to breathe fresh mountain air again.

How to remember the difference

Think of bath and bathe: the noun is short, and the verb adds an e. Breath is the noun; breathe is the verb.

Good to know

The two words also sound different. Breath has a short e and ends in a soft th (BRETH); breathe has a long e and ends in a buzzing th (BREETH).

Spot the mistake

I could barely ~~breath~~ breathe after running up the stairs.
Correct: I could barely breathe after running up the stairs.
Hold your ~~breathe~~ breath and count to ten.
Correct: Hold your breath and count to ten.

Check yourself

Pick the word that fits each sentence.

1. The doctor asked me to in slowly through my mouth.

2. He ran so fast that he was out of .