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Spell Bee Word: bacterium


Basic Details

Word: Bacterium

Part of Speech: Noun

Meaning: A single, very tiny living thing that can be seen only under a microscope. Some bacteria cause illness, while many are harmless or useful.

Synonyms: germ, microbe

How to Spell Bacterium

Syllables: bac - te - ri - um

Tricky part: Bacterium is one; bacteria is many. The word starts with bac, with a c, and ends in ium.

Watch out for: bacterum, bacteriam, bactirium

Memory tip: One bacterium, many bacteria, just as one medium becomes many media: the um changes to a.

Usage Examples

Example 1: In warm food, a single bacterium of some kinds can split into two in about twenty minutes.

Example 2: The doctor said the infection was caused by a bacterium, not a virus.

Example 3: Under the microscope, each bacterium looked like a tiny rod.

Fun Fact

Not all bacteria are harmful: the bacteria in a spoonful of curd are what turn warm milk into curd overnight.

Practise the CREST Way

Spell-o-Spell

Choose the correctly spelt word:

a) organisim
b) bacterium
c) infecsion
d) mikrobe

Show answer

b) bacterium. Organism ends in ism, microbe has a c, and infection ends in tion.

Mingle-Mangle

Form a meaningful word from the jumbled letters:

mubicetra

a) bacteria
b) auditorium
c) cafeteria
d) bacterium

Show answer

d) bacterium. Bacteria has no u or m, and cafeteria and auditorium need letters that are not here, so the word is bacterium.

Word Cookie

Insert the correct pair of letters to form a word:

bac_er_um

a) t, e
b) d, i
c) k, i
d) t, i

Show answer

d) t, i. Say bac-te-ri-um: the t comes after bac and the i before um.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. You would need a microscope to see ____.

a) a bacterium
b) an ant
c) a grain of rice
d) a mustard seed

Show answer

a) a bacterium

2. When there is more than one bacterium, the correct word is ____.

a) bacterias
b) bacteria
c) bacteries
d) bacteriums

Show answer

b) bacteria

Associated Words

southernconcedequietlyexperimentdivorce
hospitalitypremiumemptinessdisciplelength

Next steps

How to participate in CREST International Spell Bee

The CREST International Spell Bee (CSB) is conducted in two editions – CREST International Spell Bee - Summer (CSB) and CREST International Spell Bee - Winter (CSBW) – giving students across the globe an opportunity to showcase and enhance their spelling proficiency. Designed for young learners from Senior KG to Class 8, the competition focuses on word-building, pronunciation, and vocabulary enrichment, helping students develop strong linguistic skills.

Steps to Participate:

Step 1: Visit the registration page and complete the registration with your desired subject.

Step 2: After Registration done, do login at www.crestolympiads.com/login.

Step 3: After login, go to dashboard and click on Book slot/Take Exam

Step 4: Schedule your exam date and preferred time.

Step 5: Log in with your credentials on the exam day at the scheduled time and take the exam.

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