A brake is a device that slows something down, like a car or a bicycle. To brake — that is, to slow something down — you apply the brakes. When something breaks, it may shatter into pieces or be otherwise destroyed so that it no longer works.

The word brake most often has to do with stopping or slowing something down. In a car, the brakes are activated by pressing the brake pedal with your foot to slow down. On a bike, the brakes might be activated by squeezing a hand lever on the handlebars. The word brake can apply to slowing or stopping any process. For example, you can put the brakes on your increasingly glum mood by doing something you enjoy. Here are a few examples of the correct uses of brake:

It sounded like a bicycle bell and I thought there might be a kid on a bike, so I hit the brake and slowed to a stop. (Dead End in Norvelt)

Cars brake and screech but his mother doesn’t notice the commotion. (Dreaming in Cuban)

Higher rates put the brakes on the economy by making it more expensive to buy a house, car or anything else on credit, though they take time to take effect. (The Seattle Times)

We all know the experience of something falling to the floor and breaking; the sound, the mess, the cleanup — ugh! Other things that might break are bones — ouch! Your car might break down on the highway, or your broken alarm clock might make you late for school. More figuratively, one could break someone's heart or break the rules. War could break out. A hacker might break into your social media account! Some meanings of break are more positive. It's nice to have a break from studying. And breaking the school high jump record would be quite a feat! A stroke of good fortune might be called a lucky break. Let's break here to look at some examples of break:

"We can't break into SeaWorld," I said, and then I pulled over into an empty furniture store parking lot and turned off the car. (Paper Towns)

I was her assistant a few days back when a young neighbor boy fell and broke his arm. (Hattie Big Sky)

But Francie preferred to believe it was a real plate that had been broken and then made whole again by the miracle of the cement. (A Tree Grows in Brooklyn)

With Clark the headliner, Iowa has helped sell out or break an attendance record in 30 of 32 games this season. (The Seattle Times)

The words brake and break sound the same, and they have all the same letters. But their vowels are in different positions. Here's a way to remember which is which: When you're going too fast, it's never a mistake to brake. But it's usually not great to break things — unless it's a record you break — then it's great!