breach and breath differ by a single letter, buried far enough into the word to be easy to miss. breach means “a failure to perform some promised act or obligation”. breath means “the process of taking in and expelling air during breathing”. breath is the more common of the two in everyday English.
/ˈbɹitʃ/
1.n.a failure to perform some promised act or obligation
2.n.an opening (especially a gap in a dike or fortification)
3.n.a personal or social separation (as between opposing factions)
“they hoped to avoid a break in relations”
/ˈbɹɛθ/
1.n.the process of taking in and expelling air during breathing
“he took a deep breath and dived into the pool”
2.n.the air that is inhaled and exhaled in respiration
“his sour breath offended her”
3.n.a short respite
| breach | breath | |
|---|---|---|
| Pronunciation | /ˈbɹitʃ/ | /ˈbɹɛθ/ |
| Said | breech | breth |
| Syllables | 1 | 1 |
| Letters | 6 | 6 |
| Parts of speech | noun, verb | noun |
| Senses | 5 | 5 |
| How common | Common | Core |
| Synonyms | none recorded | none recorded |
Full entry for breach · Full entry for breath · More comparisons