What does albatross mean?
Word: Albatross
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: Albatross means a very large seabird that can glide over the open ocean for hours without flapping its wings.
How do you spell albatross?
Syllables: al - ba - tross
Tricky part: The middle is ba, not ber. Children who know the name Albert often write albertross.
Watch out for: albertross, albetross
Memory tip: There is no Albert in the albatross: after al comes a short ba, said like the start of banana.
Albatross in a sentence
Example 1: An albatross can stay out at sea for weeks at a time.
Example 2: We saw an albatross in a nature film about the Southern Ocean.
Example 3: The albatross spread its huge wings and rose on the wind.
Fun Fact
The wandering albatross has the widest wings of any living bird, sometimes more than 3 metres from tip to tip.
Practise the CREST Way
Spell-o-Spell
Choose the correctly spelt word:
a) albatross
b) pelicun
c) pengiun
d) flamengo
Show answer
a) albatross. Pelican ends in can, flamingo has an i after the l, and penguin keeps gu before in.
Mingle-Mangle
Form a meaningful word from the jumbled letters:
trsoablsa
a) abstracts
b) albatross
c) ballrooms
d) acrobats
Show answer
b) albatross. There is no c in the jumble, which rules out acrobats and abstracts, and no m, which rules out ballrooms.
Word Cookie
Find the misspelt word in the sentence:
Far out at sea, the sailors spotted an albatros gliding behind their boat.
a) gliding
b) sailors
c) albatros
d) behind
Show answer
c) albatros. The bird's name finishes with a double s, as cross does.
Word Cookie
Find the extra letter in the word:
allbatross
a) t
b) b
c) r
d) l
Show answer
d) l. The word opens with al, a single l, before the ba.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Where would a bird-watcher have the best chance of spotting an albatross?
a) in a dry desert valley
b) far out over the open sea
c) deep in a thick rainforest
d) high on a snowy peak
Show answer
b) far out over the open sea
2. An albatross can glide for hours without tiring. What helps it most?
a) its thick, fluffy tail
b) its very long wings
c) its short, strong legs
d) its bright orange beak
Show answer
b) its very long wings
