Basic Details
Word: Bedridden
Part of Speech: Adjective
Meaning: Having to stay in bed because of illness, injury or old age.
Synonyms: laid up, confined to bed, housebound
Antonyms: mobile, active
How to Spell Bedridden
Syllables: bed - rid - den
Tricky part: Bed and ridden are joined. Ridden has dd, like hidden, so bedriden is wrong.
Watch out for: bedriden, bedridan, beddriden
Memory tip: Ridden rhymes with hidden, and both have dd. Write bed, then ridden: one d in bed, two in ridden.
Usage Examples
Example 1: After her fall, Grandma was bedridden for six weeks.
Example 2: The volunteers visit bedridden patients in the village every Sunday.
Example 3: Being bedridden with fever, Arun watched the match on the small TV in his room.
Fun Fact
Bedridden comes from the Old English bedreda, meaning a bed-rider, someone who could not leave bed.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Makeup
Choose the correctly spelt compound word:
a) pilowcase
b) bedspred
c) bedridden
d) nitegown
Show answer
c) bedridden. Bed + ridden keeps both parts whole; the others should be bedspread, pillowcase and nightgown.
Word Cookie
Find the misspelt word in the sentence:
The doctor said the cricketer would be bedriden for three weeks, so he missed the entire tour of Australia.
a) bedriden
b) doctor
c) entire
d) cricketer
Show answer
a) bedriden. Ridden keeps its dd, the same as hidden and forbidden.
Word Connection
Choose the antonym of the word bedridden as used in the sentence:
The old farmer was bedridden for a month after his operation.
a) laid up
b) mobile
c) housebound
d) confined
Show answer
b) mobile. Confined, laid up and housebound are all ways of saying stuck indoors; mobile means able to move about.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. A bedridden patient needs help because ____.
a) he has too many visitors
b) he lives near the hospital
c) he has lost his glasses
d) he cannot get out of bed
Show answer
d) he cannot get out of bed
2. Which is most likely to leave someone bedridden?
a) a long phone call
b) a broken hip
c) a cold drink
d) a new haircut
Show answer
b) a broken hip
