Bread vs. Bred: What's the Difference?

Bread and bred are two words that sound identical but have entirely different meanings and uses. Bread is a staple food made from flour and water and usually baked. Bred is the past tense and past participle of the verb 'to breed,' meaning to reproduce or rear animals selectively for certain traits.

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Bread vs. Bred

How do you use the word bread in a sentence?

Bread is used as a noun to refer to the food product made from a dough of flour and water and often yeast. It is commonly used in various forms across different cultures worldwide. Bread can be used to talk about the physical bread itself, or metaphorically to represent sustenance and livelihood.
Examples of bread in a sentence
  • She baked fresh bread for the family breakfast.
  • Bread is often called the 'staff of life' due to its role as a basic food staple.
  • He shared his last piece of bread with the hungry stranger.

How do you use the word bred in a sentence?

Bred is used when talking about the past breeding of animals or plants. When animals or plants have been 'bred,' they have been mated and produced offspring, often with an intention to cultivate certain desirable traits. It's also used to refer to someone's upbringing or background.
Examples of bred in a sentence
  • The horse was bred for its speed and agility.
  • This variety of tomato was bred to resist diseases and pests.
  • He was bred in a family of musicians and developed an early passion for music.

Bread and bred definition, parts of speech, and pronunciation

Bread definition:
Bread is defined as a food made of flour, water, and sometimes yeast or another leavening agent, mixed together and baked.

Bread parts of speech:
  • As a noun: The bakery sells different types of bread.
  • As a verb (slang): He needs to work more hours to bread his family.

Bread pronunciation:
Bread is pronounced as /brɛd/. The word sounds the same as the past tense verb 'bred.'

Bred definition:
Bred is the past tense and past participle of the verb 'breed,' which means to produce offspring, especially by controlled mating and selection.

Bred parts of speech:
  • As a verb: They bred cattle for milk production on their farm.
  • As an adjective: She comes from a well-bred family known for their generosity.

Bred pronunciation:
Bred has the same pronunciation as the noun bread: /brɛd/.

Bread vs. bred in a nutshell

While bread and bred are homophones with the same pronunciation, their meanings and uses vary greatly. Bread is a common food item, whereas bred refers to the process of reproduction in animals or the upbringing in humans. It's critical to understand the context in which each word appears to grasp their distinct meanings despite their similar sounds.

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