What does brittle mean?
Word: Brittle
Part of Speech: Adjective
Meaning: Brittle means hard but easily cracked or snapped, like dry twigs, thin ice or old plastic.
Synonyms: fragile, breakable
Antonyms: sturdy
How do you spell brittle?
Syllables: brit - tle
Tricky part: There are two t's in the middle. Because you hear only one t sound, pupils often write britle.
Watch out for: britle, britel
Memory tip: Picture two thin t's standing close together like two dry twigs: tap them and they snap, which is what brittle things do.
Brittle in a sentence
Example 1: Autumn leaves turn brittle and crunch under your feet.
Example 2: Grandma keeps her old letters in a box because the paper has become brittle.
Example 3: A peanut bar is brittle, so it breaks with a sharp crack when you bite it.
Fun Fact
Peanut brittle, a hard sweet of boiled sugar and nuts, takes its name from this adjective because it shatters instead of bending.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Connection
Choose the antonym of the word:
brittle
a) flexible
b) delicate
c) crisp
d) crumbly
Show answer
a) flexible. A flexible thing bends without breaking, the very opposite of a brittle one.
Word Cookie
Find the extra letter in the word:
brittlle
a) b
b) t
c) r
d) l
Show answer
d) l. Like little and kettle, the word ends in a single l followed by e.
Mingle-Mangle
Form a meaningful word from the jumbled letters:
trleibt
a) brittle
b) battle
c) little
d) bristle
Show answer
a) brittle. Bristle needs an s, which is not among these letters, and battle and little each fall a letter short.
Spell-o-Spell
Choose the incorrectly spelt word:
a) subtel
b) slender
c) brittle
d) feeble
Show answer
a) subtel. Subtle hides a silent b and ends in le, the same ending as feeble.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. A potter warns that a clay pot is brittle before it is fired. What does she want you to do?
a) paint it quickly
b) leave it in the rain
c) fill it with water
d) handle it gently
Show answer
d) handle it gently
2. Which of these is most likely to become brittle as it gets very old?
a) a wool scarf
b) a steel spoon
c) a glass marble
d) a rubber band
Show answer
d) a rubber band
