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Spell Bee Word: Bureaucracy

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What does bureaucracy mean?

Word: Bureaucracy

Part of Speech: Noun

Meaning: Bureaucracy means a system of running a government or large organisation through many officials, departments and rules, often blamed for being slow.

Synonyms: officialdom, administration

How do you spell bureaucracy?

Syllables: bu - reau - cra - cy

Tricky part: The word starts with the French bureau, a desk or office, spelt with eau after the r; students often write buro or beuro.

Watch out for: burocracy, beurocracy, bureaucrasy

Memory tip: Bureau ends in the same eau as plateau and chateau: three vowels in a row.

Bureaucracy in a sentence

Example 1: Getting a new ration card meant weeks of bureaucracy.

Example 2: The minister promised to cut down bureaucracy in schools.

Example 3: Too much bureaucracy can slow even simple repairs to a road.

Next steps

Fun Fact

The word was coined in the 1700s by the French economist Vincent de Gournay, who wanted a name for rule by officials at their desks.

Practise the CREST Way

Spell-o-Spell

Choose the correctly spelt word:

a) bureaucracy
b) goverment
c) adminstration
d) parliment

Show answer

a) bureaucracy. Parliament has an a after the li, government keeps the n of govern, and administration has an i after admin.

Word Cookie

Find the extra letter in the word:

bureaucraccy

a) u
b) r
c) a
d) c

Show answer

d) c. Bureaucracy has two c's, but they stand apart: bureau-c-ra-c-y.

Word Connection

Choose the synonym of the word: bureaucracy

a) monarchy
b) red tape
c) anarchy
d) freedom

Show answer

b) red tape. Red tape means the many rules and forms of a bureaucracy.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. A complaint about bureaucracy would most likely be about ____.

a) too many forms and signatures
b) too few trees in the park
c) too much homework at school
d) too many potholes in the road

Show answer

a) too many forms and signatures

2. A person who works as an official in a bureaucracy is called a ____.

a) bureaucrat
b) bureaucrist
c) bureaucran
d) bureaucrate

Show answer

a) bureaucrat

Associated Words

Words that end in -cracy: aristocracy, autocracy, democracy

More words from this list

course, enchantment, hangar, luminous, petroleum, shuttle, upholsterer, affluent

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