breathe

/bɹiːð/

//bɹiːð// verb

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"breathe" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“breathe” has 10 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #4,581. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#4,581
frequency rank, English
4,121
“B” headwords
10
tracked misspellings
11
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To draw air into (inhale), and expel air from (exhale), the lungs in order to extract oxygen and excrete waste gases.

Corpus desk

Index EN-breathe · breathe · English

breathe · rank #4,581 · 10 variants · 11 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #4,581
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 11 pairs
  • VAR-MID 10 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,121
  • PHOTO-FINISH borders

Nearest frequency peer: borders (-1 rank slots)

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “breathe”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “breathe” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

breathe vs breaths
86% similar
breathe vs breathes
88% similar
breathe vs breathed
88% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for breathe
PropertyValue
Headwordbreathe
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/bɹiːð/
Letters7
Frequency rank#4,581
Misspellings tracked10
Confusable pairs11
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “breathe”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).breathelands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “borders” (#4,580), “Cameron” (#4,582), “bold” (#4,579). Among 4,121 “B” headwords, “breathe” is #4,581. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 10 spelling variants around breathe (IPA /bɹiːð/), averb. Corpus frequency is #4,581 among 4,121 “B” headwords. Wiktionary lists 17 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for breathe, with forms such as "bbreathe", "berathe", and "braethe". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 11 confusable-pair relationships, "breaths", "breathes", "breathed", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English brethen (“to breathe, blow, exhale, odour”), derived from Middle English breth (“breath”). Eclipsed Middle English ethien and orðiæn, from Old English ēþian and orþian (“to breathe”); as well as Middle English anden, onden, from Old Nors… The correct English form is breathe, spelled B-R-E-A-T-H-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    To draw air into (inhale), and expel air from (exhale), the lungs in order to extract oxygen and excrete waste gases.
  2. 2
    To take in needed gases and expel waste gases in a similar way.
  3. 3
    To inhale (a gas) to sustain life.
  4. 4
    To live.
  5. 5
    To draw something into the lungs.
  6. 6
    To expel air from the lungs, exhale.
  7. 7
    To exhale or expel (something) in the manner of breath.
  8. 8
    To give an impression of, to exude.
  9. 9
    To whisper quietly.
  10. 10
    To pass like breath; noiselessly or gently; to emanate; to blow gently.
  11. 11
    To inspire (scripture).
  12. 12
    To exchange gases with the environment.
  13. 13
    Of a material etc., to allow gases to pass through.
  14. 14
    To rest; to stop and catch one's breath.
  15. 15
    To stop, to give (a horse) an opportunity to catch its breath.
  16. 16
    To exercise; to tire by brisk exercise.
  17. 17
    To passionately devote much of one's life to (an activity, etc.).

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how breathe appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. Fish have gills so they can breathe underwater.
  2. While life as we know it depends on oxygen, scientists have speculated that alien life forms might breathe chlorine or methane.

Etymology

From Middle English brethen (“to breathe, blow, exhale, odour”), derived from Middle English breth (“breath”). Eclipsed Middle English ethien and orðiæn, from Old English ēþian and orþian (“to breathe”); as well as Middle English anden, onden, from Old Norse anda (“to breathe”). More at breath.

Synonyms

respirelive and breathebreathedraw breathinbreathespiresuspire

Antonyms

asphyxiatechokehold one's breathsuffocate

This word in other languages

respirar(Español)respirer(Français)atmen(Deutsch)cochichar(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • bbreathe
  • berathe
  • braethe
  • breahte
  • breateh
  • breathhe
  • breatthe
  • bretahe
  • brreathe
  • rbeathe

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of breathe - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

bbreathe1berathe2braethe2breahte2breateh2breathhe1breatthe1bretahe2
Edit distance from "breathe"

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "breathe"?
"breathe" is spelled B-R-E-A-T-H-E. The IPA pronunciation is /bɹiːð/.
What does "breathe" mean?
As a verb, "breathe" means: To draw air into (inhale), and expel air from (exhale), the lungs in order to extract oxygen and excrete waste gases.
What words are commonly confused with "breathe"?
"breathe" is commonly confused with "breaths", "breathes", "breathed". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "breathe"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "breathe" is /bɹiːð/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "breathe"?
From Middle English brethen (“to breathe, blow, exhale, odour”), derived from Middle English breth (“breath”). Eclipsed Middle English ethien and orðiæn, from Old English ēþian and orþian (“to breathe”); as well as Middle English anden, onden, fro... See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "breathe", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

borders#4,580Cameron#4,582Alabama#4,571utility#4,564

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (10 here; floor ≥5).

addressed10 variantshomeless10 variantsmounted10 variantsparallel10 variants

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list