What does align mean?
Word: Align
Part of Speech: Verb
Meaning: Align means to arrange things in a straight line, or to line something up with something else.
Synonyms: line up, arrange
How do you spell align?
Syllables: a - lign
Tricky part: The g is silent. The word ends in ign, as sign does, but it sounds like line.
Watch out for: alighn, alin
Memory tip: Align, sign and design are a silent-g team: in all three the g sits quietly before the n.
Align in a sentence
Example 1: Align the edges of the paper before you fold it.
Example 2: The PT teacher asked us to align ourselves in four neat rows.
Example 3: Neha aligned her ruler with the edge of the page before drawing the margin.
Fun Fact
In the 1600s and 1700s English writers often spelt this word aline. The silent g was put in later to match the French spelling.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Makeup
Choose the suffix that completes the word:
align____
a) mant
b) mint
c) ment
d) mend
Show answer
c) ment. Align takes ment to make alignment, as pay makes payment.
Spell-o-Spell
Choose the incorrectly spelt word:
a) arrange
b) balance
c) allign
d) straight
Show answer
c) allign. The word needs only one l after the a.
Word Connection
Choose the synonym of the word:
align
a) straighten
b) bend
c) scatter
d) tangle
Show answer
a) straighten. When you align a row of books, you straighten it.
Mingle-Mangle
Form a meaningful word from the jumbled letters:
lnaig
a) align
b) along
c) alien
d) again
Show answer
a) align. Alien has an e, again has two a's, and along has an o.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Which of these shows things that are aligned?
a) clothes thrown in a heap
b) leaves blowing about in the wind
c) chairs standing in one straight line
d) toys scattered across the floor
Show answer
c) chairs standing in one straight line
2. Why does a carpenter align two planks before fixing them?
a) so that they can be painted later
b) so that they look different
c) so that their edges match exactly
d) so that they bend in the middle
Show answer
c) so that their edges match exactly
