What does astronaut mean?
Word: Astronaut
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: Astronaut means a person who is trained to travel and work in a spacecraft.
How do you spell astronaut?
Syllables: as - tro - naut
Tricky part: The last part is spelt aut, with au making the 'aw' sound. Astronot and astronaught are common slips.
Watch out for: astronot, astronaught
Memory tip: An astronaut might blast off in August: both words share the same au.
Astronaut in a sentence
Example 1: Sunita Williams is an astronaut who has spent many months on the International Space Station.
Example 2: The astronaut floated around the space station, waving at the camera.
Example 3: When I grow up, I want to be an astronaut and see Earth from space.
Fun Fact
Space travellers from Russia are usually called cosmonauts, and Chinese ones are sometimes called taikonauts.
Practise the CREST Way
Spellacadabra
Choose the correct option to make a meaningful word:
ast____naut
a) ru
b) er
c) ro
d) ra
Show answer
c) ro. The first part is astro, the same as at the start of astronomy, the study of stars.
Word Champ
Which of the words cannot be made using the letters in the given word?
astronaut
a) stunt
b) toast
c) tuna
d) nature
Show answer
d) nature. Nature needs an e, and there is no e in the given word.
Sound Check
Which of the following words has the 'aw' sound as in astronaut?
a) cut
b) cow
c) caught
d) coat
Show answer
c) caught. Caught is said 'cawt'; cow, coat and cut have other vowel sounds.
Jumble Tumble
Which option has letters that you can rearrange to form the name of a job?
a) tusanort
b) tusanortoa
c) tusonorta
d) tusanorta
Show answer
d) tusanorta. Tusanorta has exactly the nine letters needed; the others drop an a, add an o or swap an a for an o.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. What would an astronaut need most on a spacewalk?
a) a telescope for viewing stars
b) a warm woollen scarf
c) a pair of running shoes
d) a suit that gives air to breathe
Show answer
d) a suit that gives air to breathe
2. What can an astronaut see from the window of a space station?
a) Earth far below
b) a busy railway platform
c) a crowded classroom
d) rows of trees in a park
Show answer
a) Earth far below
