What does baboon mean?
Word: Baboon
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: Baboon means a large monkey with a long face like a dog's.
How do you spell baboon?
Syllables: ba - boon
Tricky part: The long oo sound at the end is spelt with a double o. Students sometimes write babun or baboun.
Watch out for: babun, baboun
Memory tip: A baboon calling out under the moon: both words end in oon.
Baboon in a sentence
Example 1: A baboon sat on a warm rock, grooming the fur of a younger one.
Example 2: On the wildlife show, we watched a baboon cross a dry riverbed.
Example 3: The zoo guide said a baboon's bark can be heard a long way off.
Fun Fact
Baboons have pouches in their cheeks. They can stuff in food quickly, then move somewhere quieter to eat it.
Practise the CREST Way
Spellacadabra
Choose the misspelt word:
a) afternoon
b) balloon
c) babboon
d) maroon
Show answer
c) babboon. Baboon has a single b in the middle; babboon doubles it.
Jumble Tumble
What is the meaning of the word that can be formed from the given letters?
oobnab
a) an African monkey that barks when alarmed
b) a large bird with a long neck that cannot fly
c) a heavy animal that spends its day in rivers
d) a wild horse with black and white stripes
Show answer
a) an African monkey that barks when alarmed. The six letters make baboon, the monkey with the doggy face.
Word Champ
Read the statements, checking both facts and spellings, and choose the correct option:
1. Baboons live in large groups. 2. A cheeta can run faster than any other land animal. 3. Camels store fat in their humps.
a) both 2 and 3
b) all three are true
c) only 1
d) both 1 and 3
Show answer
d) both 1 and 3. The fact in statement 2 is right, but cheetah is misspelt, so that statement does not count.
Sound Check
Which word does not rhyme with baboon?
a) cartoon
b) lagoon
c) monsoon
d) salon
Show answer
d) salon. Salon is stressed on its first part and ends with a short o; the other three end in a long oon.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Which of these does a baboon have that a gorilla does not?
a) a tail
b) fingernails
c) thumbs
d) a furry coat
Show answer
a) a tail
2. Baboons belong to which group of animals, along with gorillas and chimpanzees?
a) carnivores
b) primates
c) marsupials
d) rodents
Show answer
b) primates
