Vocabulary B1 6 min read Updated 15 June 2026

Quick Answer

Breath (no final e) is a noun, pronounced /brɛθ/ to rhyme with death: it is the air you take into or let out of your lungs (take a deep breath). Breathe (with a final e) is a verb, pronounced /briːð/ to rhyme with seethe: it is the action of inhaling and exhaling (breathe slowly). The extra e makes the word longer — and it is the longer, doing word, the verb.

Breath and breathe are one of the most commonly confused pairs in English because they differ by just a single letter and look almost identical on the page. Yet they are different parts of speech, sound different, and cannot be swapped. Once you connect the spelling to the sound — and remember that the longer word with the extra e is the verb — the difference becomes easy to keep straight.

At a Glance: Breath vs Breathe

WordPart of speechPronunciationCommon Use
breath Noun /brɛθ/ (rhymes with death) take a deep breath, out of breath, hold your breath
breathe Verb /briːð/ (rhymes with seethe) breathe in, I can’t breathe, breathe deeply

Using “Breath” (the noun)

Breath is a noun. It names a thing — the air that goes into or out of your lungs in a single inhalation or exhalation. Because it is a noun, it usually follows words like a, the, your, deep, or last, and it can be made plural (breaths).

Definition

The air taken into or expelled from the lungs; a single act of breathing. Pronounced /brɛθ/, with a short vowel and a soft, voiceless th — it rhymes with death and Beth.

When to use it

  • After an article or possessive: a breath, the breath, your breath
  • After an adjective: a deep breath, a sharp breath, bad breath
  • In fixed phrases: out of breath, hold your breath, catch your breath, take a breath
  • As a plural noun: take three slow breaths

Take a deep breath and try to relax.

After the run I was completely out of breath.

Hold your breath while you go underwater.

She paused to catch her breath at the top of the stairs.

The doctor asked me to take three slow breaths.

It was so cold that I could see my breath in the air.

Key Pattern

a / the / your + breath: a deep breath, your last breath
adjective + breath: bad breath, a sharp breath
fixed phrases: out of breath, hold your breath, catch your breath

Using “Breathe” (the verb)

Breathe is a verb. It names an action — the act of moving air in and out of your lungs. Because it is a verb, it changes form for tense and subject: breathe, breathes, breathing, breathed. It often appears after to, after a modal verb (can, must, should), or with a subject doing the action.

Definition

To take air into the lungs and let it out again; to inhale and exhale. Pronounced /briːð/, with a long ee sound and a voiced th — it rhymes with seethe and breeze (apart from the final consonant). The voiced /ð/ buzzes; the /θ/ in breath does not.

When to use it

  • After to (the infinitive): I need to breathe, it’s good to breathe fresh air
  • After a modal verb: I can’t breathe, you should breathe slowly
  • With a subject performing the action: fish breathe through gills, plants breathe out oxygen
  • In its other forms: breathes, breathing, breathed (she was breathing heavily)

Try to breathe slowly and calm yourself down.

I can’t breathe properly with this blocked nose.

Breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth.

Fish breathe through their gills, not their lungs.

She was breathing heavily after climbing the hill.

It feels wonderful to breathe the fresh mountain air.

Key Pattern

to + breathe: I want to breathe fresh air
modal + breathe: I can’t breathe, you should breathe deeply
subject + breathe(s): babies breathe quickly, the patient breathes on her own

The Key Difference: Sound and Spelling

The two words differ in two linked ways — spelling and sound. The spelling clue is the final e: breathe has it, breath does not. That extra e does two jobs. First, it stretches the vowel: the short /ɛ/ in breath becomes the long /iː/ in breathe. Second, it signals the part of speech: the longer word is the verb.

breath — noun, short vowel, voiceless th:

/brɛθ/ — rhymes with death. “Take a deep breath.”

breathe — verb, long vowel, voiced th:

/briːð/ — rhymes with seethe. “Breathe deeply.”

This same pattern appears in other English pairs where a noun and verb differ by a final e and a vowel sound, such as cloth (noun, /θ/) and clothe (verb, /ð/), or teeth (noun) and teethe (verb). Recognising the pattern helps you remember which spelling goes with which job.

Common Mistakes

I need to breath some fresh air.

I need to breathe some fresh air. (the action is a verb — use the longer spelling with e)

Take a deep breathe before you start.

Take a deep breath before you start. (a deep ___ needs a noun — no final e)

He was out of breathe after the race.

He was out of breath after the race. (the fixed phrase uses the noun)

Just breath slowly and stay calm.

Just breathe slowly and stay calm. (an instruction to do something is a verb)

Special Expressions and Collocations

Several fixed expressions use the noun breath and cannot take the verb form:

  • out of breath — breathing hard after effort: I’m out of breath
  • hold your breath — stop breathing on purpose: hold your breath underwater
  • catch your breath — recover normal breathing: let me catch my breath
  • a breath of fresh air — something pleasantly new: her ideas were a breath of fresh air
  • under your breath — very quietly: he muttered something under his breath

And some expressions use the verb breathe:

  • breathe in / breathe out — inhale and exhale: breathe in, then breathe out
  • breathe deeply — take slow full breaths: breathe deeply to relax
  • breathe a sigh of relief — feel relieved: we breathed a sigh of relief
  • let me breathe — ask for space: give me room to breathe
Memory Tip

Remember: breathe has an extra e, and it is the longer, “doing” word — the verb. The long word has the long ee sound: breethe. Breath is shorter, has no e on the end, and is the noun that rhymes with death. A quick test: if you can put a, the, or your in front of it, you want the noun breath. If you can put to or can’t in front of it, you want the verb breathe.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between breath and breathe?
Breath is a noun and breathe is a verb. Breath (no final e, pronounced /brɛθ/ to rhyme with death) is the air you take into or let out of your lungs: take a deep breath, out of breath. Breathe (with a final e, pronounced /briːð/ to rhyme with seethe) is the action of inhaling and exhaling: breathe slowly, I can't breathe. The extra e in breathe makes the word longer, and it is the longer, doing word — the verb.
Is it "take a deep breath" or "take a deep breathe"?
It is take a deep breath. The word after a deep must be a noun, and breath (no final e) is the noun. Breathe with an e is a verb and would be wrong here. The same applies to all the fixed phrases that name the air itself: out of breath, hold your breath, catch your breath. Only switch to breathe when you are describing the action: breathe deeply, breathe in and out.
How do you pronounce breath and breathe?
Breath is pronounced /brɛθ/ — a short e sound and a soft, voiceless th, rhyming with death and Beth. Breathe is pronounced /briːð/ — a long ee sound and a buzzing, voiced th, rhyming with seethe. There are two differences: the vowel (short in breath, long in breathe) and the th sound (voiceless /θ/ in breath, voiced /ð/ in breathe). The voiced th in breathe makes your vocal cords vibrate.
Why does breathe have an e on the end?
The final e in breathe does two jobs. First, it is a "silent e" that lengthens the vowel before it, turning the short /ɛ/ of breath into the long /iː/ of breathe. Second, it marks the word as the verb. English has several noun/verb pairs that work this way: cloth and clothe, teeth and teethe, bath and bathe. In each pair, the word with the final e is the verb and has the longer, voiced sound.
Is breath a verb or a noun?
Breath is a noun. It names a thing — the air taken into or out of the lungs, or a single act of breathing. Because it is a noun, it follows words like a, the, your, or an adjective: a deep breath, your last breath, bad breath. It can also be plural: take three slow breaths. It is never used as a verb; the verb form is breathe.
Is breathe a verb or a noun?
Breathe is a verb. It names an action — to move air in and out of the lungs. Because it is a verb, it changes form: breathe, breathes, breathing, breathed. It appears after to (to breathe), after modal verbs (can't breathe, should breathe), and with a subject doing the action (fish breathe through gills). It is never used as a noun; the noun form is breath.
Should I say "I can't breath" or "I can't breathe"?
The correct form is I can't breathe. After the modal verb can't you need a verb, and breathe (with the final e) is the verb. Writing "I can't breath" is a very common spelling mistake. A simple check: if the word follows to, can, can't, should, or must, it is a verb, so use breathe. If it follows a, the, or your, it is a noun, so use breath.
What is the plural of breath?
The plural of the noun breath is breaths, pronounced /brɛθs/. For example: take three slow breaths, her breaths grew shorter, count your breaths. Note that breathe (the verb) has no plural because verbs do not form plurals; instead it changes for the subject and tense: breathes, breathing, breathed. So you would write she breathes (verb) but several deep breaths (noun).
Is it "out of breath" or "out of breathe"?
It is out of breath. This is a fixed phrase built around the noun breath, meaning you are breathing hard after physical effort: I'm out of breath after the stairs. There is no version with breathe here, because the phrase refers to the air (a noun), not the action. Other fixed noun phrases that work the same way include a breath of fresh air, under your breath, and hold your breath.
What is an easy way to remember breath vs breathe?
Remember that breathe has an extra e and is the longer, "doing" word — the verb — with a long ee sound: br-ee-the. Breath is shorter, has no final e, and is the noun that rhymes with death. A quick test: if you can put a, the, or your in front of the word, use the noun breath; if you can put to or can't in front of it, use the verb breathe.

Practice Breath vs Breathe

Test your vocabulary with free interactive exercises — flash cards, quizzes, and more. No sign-up needed.

Try Flash Cards →

Related Confusing Words