Both-Both-Of | Commonly Confused Words

Both

/bəʊθ/

Referring to two items or people as a pair or together

Both Mr. and Mrs. Bumble lost their jobs.They both looked very upset."I see – that spared you both time and humiliation."

/bɔːθ əv/

Refers to two items or people together or collectively.

This word has no synonyms

This word has no antonyms

Both is used on its own without the need for additional words, while both of is followed by a determiner such as the, these, or those.
Use both when you are referring to two people, items, or situations directly.
Both of is more commonly used before pronouns like us, them, and you.
If you are unsure, check if a determiner or pronoun follows; if it does, both of might be the right choice.
In some contexts, omitting of can sound more formal or concise.