English for Today by Ganiu Abisoye Bamgbose (Dr GAB)
BREATH or BREATHE?
I hate the smell of fish on people’s ~breathe~ (nonstandard).
Your breath is the air that you let out through your mouth when you breathe.
Always ~breath~ through your nose (nonstandard).
Always *breathe* through your nose (standard).
When people or animals breathe, they take air into their lungs and let it out again.
Note, however, that “breathing” could be a noun and it means the act or process of taking air into your lungs and releasing it:
I could hear the sound of heavy *breathing* as he was climbing the stairs. ✔️
Again, the “ea” in “breath” is pronounced like the “ea” in bread, while the “ea” in “breathe” is pronounced like the “ea” in “leave”.
GAB
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