Breath is a noun: the air you take in, one breath in: take a deep breath. Breathe is the verb: breathe normally. They sound different: breath is short with a soft th, like in think; breathe has a long ee sound and a voiced th, like in this.
breath or breathe — can you pick the right one?
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take/hold a breath; breathe in/out; breathed, breathing
- She took a slow breath before reading the announcement.
- Please breathe normally while we adjust the microphone.
- After carrying the boxes upstairs, he paused to catch his breath.
What changed
First versionRemember to breath between the long lines.
RevisionRemember to breathe between the long lines.
In writing the words look almost identical, so the final e seems optional. But after remember to you need a verb, and the verb is breathe, with an e.
Out of breath means panting, and there's no e: after of comes a noun. Hold your breath and catch your breath work the same way: the first verb names the action, and breath stays a noun.
Your turn
Choose the verb: Open the window so we can ___ fresh air.
Show the answer
breathe — After can you need a verb: breathe. Breath is a noun.
Describe what you do before an exam or a talk to calm down. Use breath or breathe.
Before the interview, I took a deep breath and opened the meeting link.
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