What does brooch mean?
Word: Brooch
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: Brooch means a piece of jewellery with a pin on the back, worn fastened to a coat, dress or scarf.
Sounds like: broach (to begin talking about a subject, often a difficult one)
How do you spell brooch?
Syllables: brooch
Tricky part: The oo here is said like the oa in coach, not like the oo in moon. That sound tempts pupils to write broach, which is a different word.
Watch out for: browch, brouch
Memory tip: Picture the brooch as two round beads sitting side by side in the middle of the word: those are its two o's.
Brooch in a sentence
Example 1: Aunt Leela wore a silver brooch shaped like a peacock feather on her shawl.
Example 2: The museum has a gold brooch that is more than a thousand years old.
Example 3: Grandma lost her brooch in the garden, and we found it glinting under a rose bush.
Fun Fact
Brooch and broach both come from the Old French word broche, a long needle. English later kept the spelling brooch for the pin you wear.
Practise the CREST Way
Spell-o-Spell
Three of these words are spelt correctly. Choose the meaning of the misspelt one:
1. tiarra 2. pendant 3. brooch 4. bangle
a) a small crown set with jewels, worn on special occasions
b) a stiff ring worn loosely round the wrist
c) a piece of jewellery pinned to clothing
d) an ornament that hangs from a chain round the neck
Show answer
a) a small crown set with jewels, worn on special occasions. Tiara has only one r, so tiarra is the word written wrongly.
Word Cookie
Find the misspelt word in the sentence:
At the craft fair on Saturday, Sana bought a brooche made of painted wood and pinned it proudly to the pocket of her school blazer.
a) painted
b) brooche
c) blazer
d) craft
Show answer
b) brooche. The word stops without a silent e, so brooche has one letter too many.
Word Cookie
Find the extra letter in the word:
brootch
a) t
b) c
c) h
d) o
Show answer
a) t. Like coach and poach, this word spells its ending sound with ch alone, not the tch of watch.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Where would you usually wear a brooch?
a) round the top of an ankle
b) through a hole in the ear
c) on the front of a jacket
d) on the third finger of a hand
Show answer
c) on the front of a jacket
2. Sophie's brooch keeps falling off her coat. What is most likely wrong?
a) its box was left at home
b) its clasp does not close properly
c) its chain is far too short
d) its stone has lost its colour
Show answer
b) its clasp does not close properly
