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Spell Bee Word: Ancient


What does ancient mean?

Word: Ancient

Part of Speech: Adjective

Meaning: Ancient means very old, from a time thousands of years ago.

Synonyms: old, age-old

Antonyms: new

How do you spell ancient?

Syllables: an - cient

Tricky part: The sh sound in the middle is written ci, as in special. Children often write sh and get anshent.

Watch out for: anshent, ancent

Memory tip: Ancient, special and musician all hide the same ci for their sh sound.

Ancient in a sentence

Example 1: We visited the ancient caves at Ajanta.

Example 2: This ancient coin was found in a farmer's field.

Example 3: Ancient Egyptians wrote on papyrus.

Fun Fact

Ancient grew from a Latin word for before, the same root that gives the ante in anteroom, a small room before a bigger one.

Practise the CREST Way

Word Connection

Choose the antonym of the word: ancient

a) modern
b) historic
c) dusty
d) aged

Show answer

a) modern. Modern means of the present time, the opposite of very old.

Spell-o-Spell

Choose the incorrectly spelt word:

a) history
b) museum
c) anciant
d) monument

Show answer

c) anciant. The last part of ancient is ent, as in present.

Mingle-Mangle

Form a meaningful word from the jumbled letters:

tinecan

a) ancinet
b) anciten
c) nacient
d) ancient

Show answer

d) ancient. The ci of the sh sound sits in the middle of the word.

Word Cookie

Find the extra letter in the word:

anncient

a) n
b) t
c) c
d) e

Show answer

a) n. Ancient has a single n at the start.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Which of these is the most ancient?

a) the Taj Mahal
b) the pyramids of Egypt
c) the Burj Khalifa
d) the Eiffel Tower

Show answer

b) the pyramids of Egypt

2. If a building is ancient, which is most likely true?

a) It was built very long ago.
b) It was built last month.
c) It is still being built.
d) It has a lift and glass walls.

Show answer

a) It was built very long ago.

Associated Words

Words that end in -ient: recipient, efficient, deficient, convenient, lenient, obedient

Related words on the Spell Bee lists: new

More words from this list

calculate, courage, exhausted, harm, lifetime, parakeet, sailing, thankful

Next steps

How to participate in CREST International Spell Bee

The CREST International Spell Bee (CSB) is conducted in two editions – CREST International Spell Bee - Summer (CSB) and CREST International Spell Bee - Winter (CSBW) – giving students across the globe an opportunity to showcase and enhance their spelling proficiency. Designed for young learners from Senior KG to Class 8, the competition focuses on word-building, pronunciation, and vocabulary enrichment, helping students develop strong linguistic skills.

Steps to Participate:

Step 1: Visit the registration page and complete the registration with your desired subject.

Step 2: After Registration done, do login at www.crestolympiads.com/login.

Step 3: After login, go to dashboard and click on Book slot/Take Exam

Step 4: Schedule your exam date and preferred time.

Step 5: Log in with your credentials on the exam day at the scheduled time and take the exam.

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