Brake vs break: do you know the difference?

BRAKE vs BREAK: which is which? Tips and tricks to remember the difference

BRAKE and BREAK are easy to confuse – especially if you’re new to the English language. The fact that the two words sound the same – they’re homophones – means people commonly mix them up.

Here are my simple spelling tips to remember the difference between BRAKE and BREAK.

When to use BREAK

BREAK can be both a noun and a verb.

As a noun, BREAK means time out.

“It’s time for your lunch BREAK”

“Let’s take a BREAK”

As a verb, BREAK means damage or destroy.

“I dropped my phone but luckily it didn’t BREAK.”

When to use BRAKE

BRAKE can be both a noun and a verb.

As a noun, a BRAKE is the stopping pedal in a car or other vehicle.

As a verb, BRAKE means to slow down or stop – for example, a car.

Noun: “Remember to use the BRAKE to stop the car in good time.”

Verb: “I had to BRAKE hard to avoid the oncoming cyclist.”

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