What does asterisk mean?
Word: Asterisk
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: Asterisk means a small star-shaped symbol (*) used in writing, often to point the reader to a note.
How do you spell asterisk?
Syllables: as - ter - isk
Tricky part: The ending is -isk, not -ix or -ick, so asterix and asterick are wrong.
Watch out for: asterick, asterisck, asteriks
Memory tip: An asterisk marks a spot on the page like a tiny star, and it ends with the same crisp -isk as brisk and whisk.
Asterisk in a sentence
Example 1: The asterisk next to the price led to a tiny note about extra charges.
Example 2: Questions marked with an asterisk in the textbook are for revision.
Example 3: On my phone, I press the asterisk key to hear my balance.
Fun Fact
Language experts put an asterisk before a form that is wrong or was never recorded, such as *goed for went.
Practise the CREST Way
Spell-o-Spell
Three words in the list are spelt correctly. Choose the meaning of the misspelt word.
1. ampersand 2. astrisk 3. quotation 4. semicolon
a) a printed sign that sends the reader to a note
b) the sign & that stands for and
c) a mark that separates parts of a sentence, stronger than a comma
d) words repeated from what someone else said or wrote
Show answer
a) a printed sign that sends the reader to a note. Asterisk has an e after the t, which is easy to lose when the word is said fast, so astrisk is the misspelt word.
Mingle-Mangle
Unjumble the letters to find the word that fits the sentence:
The footnote is marked with a tiny srkisate at the end of the line.
a) asterisk
b) asteroid
c) artist
d) astronaut
Show answer
a) asterisk. Only asterisk has the k and both s's that the jumble holds.
Word Cookie
Insert the correct letters to form a word:
a_te_isk
a) s, r
b) z, r
c) c, r
d) s, l
Show answer
a) s, r. The word begins with as-, as in astronomy, and the consonant after the e is r.
Word Cookie
Find the extra letter in the word:
astterisk
a) t
b) r
c) s
d) e
Show answer
a) t. Asterisk has a single t, straight after the first s.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. On a phone keypad, the asterisk key is usually found ____.
a) just above the 1
b) to the left of the 0
c) to the right of the 9
d) below the # key
Show answer
b) to the left of the 0
2. Writers often use an asterisk to ____.
a) show that a sentence is a question
b) join two words together
c) point to a note lower down the page
d) mark the end of a paragraph
Show answer
c) point to a note lower down the page
