How to pronounce breathe
Say it like BREETH. Breathe is a single syllable, so the whole word carries the stress.
Click the play button next to American or British to hear how to pronounce breathe. Choose Slow to hear each sound clearly.
- BREETH
- Main stress
- Lighter stress
- Unstressed
Breathe pronunciation, sound by sound
Read the parts left to right, then blend them together without pausing.
- BREETHSay this part loudest and longest. The vowel is the "ee" in see.
American vs British pronunciation of breathe
American and British speakers say breathe in essentially the same way: /brið/ in the US and /briːð/ in the UK.
British respelling: BREETH.
What does breathe mean?
- draw air into, and expel out of, the lungs“I can breathe better when the air is clean”“The patient is respiring”
- be alive“Every creature that breathes”
- impart as if by breathing“He breathed new life into the old house”
Where does breathe come from?
From Middle English brethen (“to breathe, blow, exhale, odor”), derived from Middle English breth (“breath”).
Words that rhyme with breathe
Practicing rhymes is a quick way to lock in the vowel sound of breathe.
Questions about saying breathe
How do you pronounce breathe?
Say BREETH. The American pronunciation is /brið/. In British English it is /briːð/. Press play above to hear it at normal speed or slowly.
How many syllables are in breathe?
Breathe is a single syllable, so the whole word carries the stress. Broken into parts: BREETH.
Do Americans and Brits say breathe the same way?
Almost exactly. The American form is /brið/ and the British form is /briːð/, so you can use either pronunciation with any listener.