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breather

UK /ˈbɹiː.ðə(ɹ)/noun

breather is spelled B-R-E-A-T-H-E-R: 8 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 1.0 times per million words in written English, the 28,214th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, breather means “Something or someone that breathes” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of breather is breathers.

How many letters and syllables are in breather?

Letters8: B-R-E-A-T-H-E-R
Syllables2 (from its American pronunciation)
In writing1.0 times per million words; the 28,214th most frequent word form
Wrong spellings searchednone measured in search

Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).

How common is breather?

Breather appears 1.0 times per million words in written English, the 28,214th most frequent word form in the list.

Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).

How do you pronounce breather?

  • UK /ˈbɹiː.ðə(ɹ)/

Breather has 2 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-breather.wav, LL-Q1860_(eng)-Wodencafe-breather.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).

Forms of breather

  • breathers plural

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

What does breather mean?

The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).

noun

  1. 1

    Something or someone that breathes.

  2. 2

    A heavy breather.

  3. 3

    colloquialA short break; a rest or respite.

    After a short breather she was ready to continue up the hill.

  4. 4

    A spatially localized, time-periodic excitation in a one-dimensional lattice.

  5. 5

    colloquialdatedThat which puts one out of breath, such as vigorous exercise.

  6. 6

    An air inlet path to the crankcase

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

Breather in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese

LanguageWords
GermanAtmende (something that breathes), Verschnaufpause, Atempause (short break)
Spanishrespirador (something that breathes), respiro (short break)
Frenchpause (short break)

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.

Where does breather come from?

From breathe + -er (agent noun suffix) or + -er (relational noun suffix).

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

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