What does atlas mean?
Word: Atlas
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: Atlas means a book of maps. An atlas shows countries, states, rivers, mountains and oceans.
How do you spell atlas?
Syllables: at - las
Tricky part: Both vowels are a: a-t-l-a-s. The second a sounds weak, so children often write atlus or atles.
Watch out for: atlus, atles
Memory tip: Both vowels in atlas are a, like the A that starts Asia and Australia, two places you will find in any atlas.
Atlas in a sentence
Example 1: We found the Brahmaputra river in the school atlas.
Example 2: My atlas has a whole page on the countries of Europe.
Example 3: Bring your atlas to class tomorrow, said Ms Rao.
Fun Fact
The word comes from Atlas, a giant in Greek stories who held up the sky. Mapmakers began using his name for books of maps in the 1500s.
Practise the CREST Way
Jumble Tumble
What is the meaning of the word that can be formed from the given letters?
sltaa
a) a ball with a map of the world on it
b) a book where you write what happens each day
c) a book filled with maps of places
d) a book that lists words and their meanings
Show answer
c) a book filled with maps of places. The five letters make atlas.
Spell Spies
Choose the misspelt word/s in the given sentence:
Elena's atlas has a big map of Afrika on page ten.
a) big and page
b) only map
c) only Afrika
d) atlas and Afrika
Show answer
c) only Afrika. Atlas is spelt right; Africa is written with a c.
Spellacadabra
From which option does a letter need to be removed to make a meaningful word?
a) notebook
b) compass
c) atlass
d) textbook
Show answer
c) atlass. Atlas ends in a single s.
Word Champ
Which of the words cannot be made using the letters in the given word?
atlas
a) alas
b) sat
c) salt
d) tall
Show answer
d) tall. Tall needs two l's, but atlas has only one.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. In which school subject do you use an atlas most?
a) mathematics
b) geography
c) music
d) art
Show answer
b) geography
2. Which of these could you find out from an atlas?
a) what time it is in Tokyo
b) who lives in Tokyo now
c) which country Tokyo is in
d) how cold Tokyo is today
Show answer
c) which country Tokyo is in
