What does blunder mean?
Word: Blunder
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: Blunder means a big, careless mistake, usually one that causes trouble. As a verb, to blunder means to make such a mistake, or to move about clumsily.
Synonyms: mistake, slip
How do you spell blunder?
Syllables: blun - der
Tricky part: The vowel after bl is u, the short u of sun. Change it and you get blander or blonder, which are different words.
Watch out for: blundder, blunnder
Memory tip: Picture a clumsy baker dropping a bun: that blunder has the same u as bun.
Blunder in a sentence
Example 1: Leaving the gate open was a blunder, because the goats ate all the flowers.
Example 2: The goalkeeper's blunder cost us the match in the last minute.
Example 3: Mira blundered into the wrong classroom on her first day.
Fun Fact
In chess notation, a blunder is marked with two question marks after the move.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Champ
Choose the correct option to make a meaningful word:
blun______
a) dar
b) dor
c) dur
d) der
Show answer
d) der. It ends in -der, like thunder and wonder.
Word Puzzle
Match the words with the correct options:
1. blunder 2. brave 3. tidy a. valiant b. neat c. error
a) 1-b, 2-c, 3-a
b) 1-c, 2-a, 3-b
c) 1-b, 2-a, 3-c
d) 1-c, 2-b, 3-a
Show answer
b) 1-c, 2-a, 3-b. These are words of similar meaning: a blunder is an error, brave means valiant, and tidy means neat.
Spell Spies
Choose the incorrectly spelt word:
a) neccessary
b) blunder
c) slender
d) powder
Show answer
a) neccessary. Necessary has one c and a double s: one collar, two sleeves.
Word Tally
You get 2 marks for each correctly spelt word in the list. How many marks will you get?
blunder, mistake, mishap, accidant, confusion
a) 6
b) 4
c) 8
d) 10
Show answer
c) 8. Accident ends in -ent, so four words earn two marks each.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Which action is a blunder?
a) watering the plants in the morning
b) locking the door each time you go out
c) brushing your teeth every night before bed
d) printing the wrong date on all the invitations
Show answer
d) printing the wrong date on all the invitations
2. In 'The calf blundered through the vegetable patch', the calf most likely ___.
a) flew neatly over the beds
b) sat still in one corner
c) knocked over plants as it went
d) tiptoed round every plant
Show answer
c) knocked over plants as it went
