What does ascertain mean?
Word: Ascertain
Part of Speech: Verb
Meaning: Ascertain means to find out the true facts about something, usually by checking.
Synonyms: establish, determine
Word origin: Came into English from Old French acertener.
How do you spell ascertain?
Syllables: as - cer - tain
Tricky part: The s sound near the start is written sc. Students think of assert and write assertain, or they drop the c altogether.
Watch out for: assertain, asertain
Memory tip: Science and this word share the same sc, and a scientist is always trying to ascertain the facts.
Ascertain in a sentence
Example 1: The librarian tried to ascertain who had borrowed the missing atlas.
Example 2: Please ascertain the match timings before you book the bus.
Example 3: The scientists took soil samples to ascertain why the crop had grown so well.
Fun Fact
The stress falls on its last beat. Its Old French source was based on Latin certus, sure, so the word has always been about making sure.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Champ
Choose the correct option to make a meaningful word:
ascer_ _ _ _
a) tain
b) tian
c) tein
d) tane
Show answer
a) tain. It finishes the same way as the word captain.
Word Puzzle
Match each word with the word closest in meaning:
1. ascertain 2. commence 3. conceal a. hide b. begin c. discover
a) 1-a, 2-b, 3-c
b) 1-b, 2-c, 3-a
c) 1-c, 2-a, 3-b
d) 1-c, 2-b, 3-a
Show answer
d) 1-c, 2-b, 3-a. To ascertain is to discover, to commence is to begin, and to conceal is to hide.
Sound Check
In which word is 'sc' pronounced differently?
a) fascinate
b) sculptor
c) scissors
d) ascertain
Show answer
b) sculptor. In sculptor the letters make a hard "sk" sound; in the other three they make a plain s.
Spell Spies
Choose the misspelt word/s in the given sentence:
Before the trip, the teacher rang the station to ascertain the exact time of arival and the platfrom number.
a) arival and platfrom
b) only arival
c) ascertain and arival
d) only platfrom
Show answer
a) arival and platfrom. Arrival needs a double r, and platform has its letters swapped; the page word is correct.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. A teacher who wants to ascertain a student's age will most likely ___.
a) guess from the student's height
b) wait until the next school year
c) ask the class to vote on it
d) look at the school record
Show answer
d) look at the school record
2. Which of these is NOT a way to ascertain a fact?
a) asking someone who knows
b) reading the official record
c) measuring it yourself
d) making a wild guess
Show answer
d) making a wild guess
