What does advance mean?
Word: Advance
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: Advance means a step forward, or a change that makes things better than they were. Doing something in advance means doing it before the time it is needed.
Synonyms: progress
How do you spell advance?
Syllables: ad - vance
Tricky part: The hissing sound at the end is spelt with a c, not an s, and a silent e comes after it.
Watch out for: advanse, advans
Memory tip: Think of ice. The c and the silent e that close ice also close advance.
Advance in a sentence
Example 1: Please book the bus seats in advance, as they fill up quickly.
Example 2: Mobile phones were a big advance on letters sent by post.
Example 3: Our cricket team made a steady advance up the points table.
Fun Fact
Old French had avancer, with no d at all. English writers later slipped a d in because they thought the word came from Latin ad-, and the d has stayed ever since.
Practise the CREST Way
Spell-o-Spell
Choose the correctly spelt word:
a) advunce
b) advence
c) advance
d) edvance
Show answer
c) advance. Both vowels you hear are the same letter, an a, at the start and after the v.
Word Connection
Choose the antonym of the word:
advance
a) retreat
b) growth
c) rise
d) rush
Show answer
a) retreat. A retreat is a move back, the opposite of a move forward.
Mingle-Mangle
Form a meaningful word from the jumbled letters:
nvecada
a) advnace
b) advance
c) avdance
d) adavnce
Show answer
b) advance. Say the word slowly and tick off each sound; the other three choices move a letter out of place.
Word Cookie
Find the extra letter in the word:
advannce
a) v
b) c
c) a
d) n
Show answer
d) n. A single n sits between the a and the c.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Riya packed her school bag in advance. When did she pack it?
a) after school was over
b) on the way to school
c) the night before school
d) during the lunch break
Show answer
c) the night before school
2. Which piece of news would people call an advance?
a) a shop that shuts early on Monday
b) a rainy weekend spent at home
c) a bus that comes late again
d) a new medicine that heals faster
Show answer
d) a new medicine that heals faster
