When price closes past a level it had been holding, the barrier is gone and price is free to keep moving.
A 'break' happens when price closes beyond a support or resistance level — not just touches it with a wick. The close matters because a wick through a level means price TRIED to break but got pulled back before the period ended. A close through it means the period ended with price on the other side — sellers (or buyers) were unable to hold the level. When support breaks, the floor is gone and price can fall further. When resistance breaks, the ceiling is gone and price can climb higher. But not every poke through a level is real — fakeouts happen constantly.
Price has been bouncing off support at 100 for several candles. Then one candle drops through 100 AND closes below it. The close below the level is what makes it a real break — not just a wick that touched and bounced.
The highlighted candle's CLOSE is below the support zone. That's the break. The wick reached even lower (to 98), but what confirms the break is the close — price ended the period on the wrong side of the level. After a clean break like this, expect the old support to become new resistance (role reversal from lesson 4).
Why people mix it up: Both involve price crossing the level, so beginners treat them the same. But a wick-only cross and a close-through cross mean very different things.
How to tell them apart: A WICK through a level means price visited the other side temporarily but got pulled back before the period ended — that's usually a fakeout (the level held). A CLOSE through the level means the period ended with price on the wrong side — that's a real break (the level failed). Always wait for the close before acting on a 'break.'