Let’s be honest, sometimes English can be confusing. Sometimes when learning English it is easy to mix up words or be unsure when to use them.
I often hear German speakers who are learning English make mistakes with the words ‘break’ and ‘brake’. These words have the same sound but a different spelling.
Take a look at the examples below. Hopefully they will make things clearer for you.
To break is a verb (break, broke, broken) and it means to separate or split a whole thing into several parts.
E.g. When I dropped the plate it broke into several pieces.
Break can also be a noun and refers to the act or action of breaking.
E.g. We’ve been working hard all morning. Shall we take a break?
To brake is verb and is used to describe the action of stopping or slowing something down.
E.g. When approaching a red light you should brake gradually.
Brake as a nouns refers to the mechanism used to stop or slow something down.
When the horse ran into the road she hit the brakes hard.
Have fun learning English!
Louise