Word Confusion: Breadth vs Breath vs Breathe

Posted February 15, 2013 by Kathy Davie in Author Resources, Self-Editing, Word Confusions, Writing

Revised as of
28 June 2023

Pinterest pin for Breadth vs Breath vs Breathe

This one is subtle, but it can definitely cause me to hold my breath when I come across it. I’m never sure if the person will be able to breathe or if they’re merely out for a breath of air, but only the breadth of time will tell.

I must confess I generally think of someone getting mouth-to-mouth when I see the word breathe. It’s that worry, that voice in my mind [ooh, that’s a scary thought] saying, “C’mon, honey, breathe. You can do it. Just breathe, so I know you’re alive.”

As for breadth, well, it simply brings to life the cover of the latest hot romance I’m reading . . . ooh, mama!

Word Confusions . . .

. . . started as my way of dealing with a professional frustration with properly spelled words that were out of context in manuscripts I was editing as well as books I was reviewing. It evolved into a sharing of information with y’all. I’m hoping you’ll share with us words that have been a bête noire for you from either end.

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Breadth	Breath	Breathe
Half-naked Male by Daryl Crews is under the CC BY 2.0 license, via Wikimedia Commons. — Check out the breadth of them shoulders!!	Dragon’s Breath by Wikipedia user Tk033 is under the GFDL or CC-BY-SA-3.0 licenses, via Wikimedia Commons.	Take My Breath Awayby Fernando de Sousa is under the CC BY-SA 2.0 license, via Flickr. — An inhaler helps people breathe.
Part of Grammar:
Noun Plural: breadths	Noun Plural: breaths	Verb, intransitive & transitive Third person present verb: breathes Past tense or past participle: breathed Present participle: breathing
Distance or measurement from side to side of something Width Capacity to accept a wide range of ideas or beliefs Overall unity of artistic effect	An inhalation or exhalation of air from the lungs Physiological process of taking air into the lungs and expelling it again [Archaic] Power of breathing Life A brief moment The time required for one act of respiration A slight movement of air A sign, hint, or suggestion	Verb, intransitive: Take air into the lungs and then expel it, especially as a regular physiological process Be or seem to be alive because of this [Literary; of wind] Blow softly [With direct speech] Say something with quiet intensity [Of an animal or plant] Respire or exchange gases [Of wine] Be exposed to fresh air [Of material or soil) Admit or emit air or moisture [Archaic or literary; breathe upon] Tarnish or taint Verb, transitive: Take air into the lungs and then expel it, especially as a regular physiological process Give an impression of something Allow a horse to rest after exertion
Examples:
That shirt certainly does emphasize the breadth of the shoulders on that man! We traveled the length and breadth of Africa. Yes, she does have a great breadth of experience. The minister is not noted for his breadth of vision. Leonardo da Vinci displayed great breadth in his handling of art as well as the machines of war.	Take a deep breath and hold it. He could see his breath in the cold air. She paused for breath. In Las Vegas, they’ll marry you in a breath. Damn, there’s not a breath of wind. He avoided the slightest breath of scandal. “She’s a breath of fresh air,” he sighed. Oh, man, that breath is just nasty!	Verb, intransitive: She was wheezing as she breathed. Breathe in through your nose. He breathed out heavily. At least I’m still breathing. “We’re together at last,” she breathed. Plants breathe through their roots. Red wine needs untold time to breathe. Let your lawn breathe by putting air into the soil. Before the queen’s fair name was breathed upon. At least I’m still breathing. Now I can breathe freely. Plants breathe through their roots. Red wine needs to breathe before being drunk. “We’re together at last,” she breathed. Verb, transitive: We are polluting the air we breathe. The whole room breathed an air of hygienic efficiency. C’mon, honey, breathe it in.
Derivatives:
Adverb: breadthways, breadthwise	Adjective: breathable, breathed, breathier, breathiest, breathless, breathtaking, breathy Adverb: breathily, breathlessly, breathtakingly Noun: breathalyzer, breatharian, breather, breathing, breathiness, breathlessness Verb, transitive: breathalyze,
History of the Word:
Early 16th century from the obsolete brede in the same sense (and related to broad) + the suffix -th2, on the pattern of length.	Old English brǣth meaning smell, scent is of Germanic origin	Middle English in the sense of exhale or steam. It’s from breath.

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C’mon, get it out of your system, bitch, whine, moan . . . which words are your pet peeves? Also, please note that I try to be as accurate as I can, but mistakes happen or I miss something. Email me if you find errors, so I can fix them . . . and we’ll all benefit!

Satisfy your curiosity about other Word Confusions on its homepage or more generally explore the index of self-editing posts. You may also want to explore Book Layout & Formatting Ideas, Formatting Tips, Grammar Explanations, Linguistics, Publishing Tips, the Properly Punctuated, Writing Ideas and Resources, and Working Your Website.

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