Basic Details
Word: Announcement
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: A public or formal statement that tells people about something, such as a change, an event or a piece of news.
Synonyms: declaration, statement, notice, proclamation
How to Spell Announcement
Syllables: an - nounce - ment
Tricky part: Announce comes from the Latin annuntiare, where the d of ad- turned into n, so the word opens with two n's. The e of announce also stays put before -ment, so announcment is wrong.
Watch out for: anouncement, announcment, annoucement
Memory tip: Say it in three beats, AN - NOUNCE - MENT. The first beat is the little word an, and its n runs straight into the n of nounce. The silent e stays, as it does in statement and movement.
Usage Examples
Example 1: The announcement on platform 4 said the Rajdhani Express was running forty minutes late.
Example 2: Everyone fell silent when the principal stood up to make an announcement about the annual day.
Example 3: Riya read the wedding announcement in the newspaper and recognised her old music teacher.
Fun Fact
Announce, pronounce and denounce all go back to the Latin nuntiare, to report or bring news, which is why they share the -nounce ending.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Cookie
Fill in the missing letters to complete the word:
a_noun_ement
a) n, c
b) n, k
c) m, c
d) n, s
Show answer
a) n, c. The word is an + nounce + ment, so the gap after a takes n, and nounce is always written with a c.
Word Makeup
Only one of these words takes the suffix -ment to make a real word. Choose it:
-ment
a) explain
b) reply
c) announce
d) decide
Show answer
c) announce. Announce becomes announcement; we say decision, explanation and reply instead.
Mingle-Mangle
Unjumble the letters in the sentence to form a meaningful word:
The tecnonamnuen of a surprise holiday was greeted with loud cheers from the back rows.
a) pronouncement
b) announcement
c) announcer
d) announcing
Show answer
b) announcement. Twelve letters with four n's, two e's and an m, ending in t: only announcement uses all of them.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. A railway announcement is most likely to tell passengers ____.
a) what a hard word means
b) who won the cricket match
c) that a train is running late
d) how to cook a pot of rice
Show answer
c) that a train is running late
2. Which word is closest in meaning to announcement?
a) declaration
b) rumour
c) invitation
d) apology
Show answer
a) declaration
