I regularly see break and brake used incorrectly. They are homophones and it’s very easy to type the right letters in the wrong order.

Break has lots of meanings but I am going to list the core ones (I have also omitted brake’s rarer ones). If you would like a more extensive breakdown, you should visit Oxford Dictionaries online.

Brake

• to make a moving vehicle slow down by using a brake
• a device for stopping or slowing a vehicle
• a thing that slows, hinders or stops progress, activity or momentum

Break

• to separate or become separated into pieces
• to damage or become damaged so as not to work
• to cut through or penetrate
• to interrupt
• to fail to observe or to infringe
• to crush emotional strength or resistance
• to go through change or enter a new state
• to suddenly become public
• an interruption of continuity or uniformity
• a pause in work or activity
• a gap or opening
• an opportunity or chance

Unfortunately, I don’t have a simple tip to help anyone who may struggle with using break and brake. If you have a suggestion, please share it in the comments!

Thank you to James J Harris for suggesting this post.