Brake vs break
Brake and break sound the same. Use brake for the part that slows a vehicle, for using it, and for anything that acts like one. Break is the word for nearly everything else, even break a habit or break someone's fall.
brake noun
The part that slows or stops a wheel or vehicle, or the pedal you press to work it.
- He pressed the brake when the light turned red.
- The brakes on my old bike squeak when it rains.
break verb
To split into pieces, or make something split. As a noun, a break is also a short rest.
- Be careful not to break the glass.
- The plate broke when it hit the floor.
Watch out
- Brake is also a verb. To brake means to use the brake to slow down or stop.She braked hard at the crosswalk.
- A brake can be anything that slows something down, not only a part of a car. So you put a brake on spending, not a break.Rising interest rates put a brake on the housing market.
- The past form of brake is braked. Broke and broken are forms of break only.He braked hard at the corner, and his phone slid off the seat and broke.
Test yourself
Use your back blank gently as you ride your bike down the hill.
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brake. It is the part that slows the bike down.
If you drop that vase, it will blank.
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break. The vase would crack into pieces.
Let's take a ten-minute blank and get some coffee.
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break. A short rest from work is a break.
The driver had to blank hard to miss the dog.
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brake. To slow down or stop by using the brake is to brake.