Basic Details
Word: Cannibal
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: A person who eats human flesh, or an animal that eats others of its own kind.
Word origin: Comes from Spanish Canibales, a form of the name of the Carib people that Christopher Columbus recorded in the Caribbean.
How to Spell Cannibal
Syllables: can - ni - bal
Tricky part: There is a double n after ca, and the ending is -al, not -le or -el.
Watch out for: canibal, cannible, cannibel
Memory tip: Split it into three small words: can + nib + al. The can gives the double n when nib follows it.
Usage Examples
Example 1: Some snakes are cannibals and will eat smaller snakes.
Example 2: The explorer's diary describes stories of cannibals that later proved untrue.
Example 3: In the tank, the bigger fish turned cannibal when food ran short.
Fun Fact
The Caribbean Sea takes its name from the same people, the Caribs, who lived on many of its islands.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Cookie
Fill in the missing letters:
ca_nib_l
a) n, e
b) n, o
c) m, a
d) n, a
Show answer
d) n, a. Can + nib needs the second n, and the word ends -al like animal.
Mingle-Mangle
Unjumble the word in the sentence and choose it:
Some spiders turn nbanilca and eat smaller spiders of their own kind.
a) canal
b) carnival
c) cannibal
d) cardinal
Show answer
c) cannibal. Carnival and cardinal need an r; the jumble's two n's and b give cannibal.
Spell-o-Spell
Only one of these words is spelt correctly. Choose its meaning:
1. scavanger 2. herbivor 3. predetor 4. cannibal
a) an animal that feeds on dead animals or waste
b) an animal that hunts other animals
c) an animal that eats only plants
d) an animal or person that eats its own kind
Show answer
d) an animal or person that eats its own kind. Predator ends -ator, scavenger has an e after v, and herbivore ends with e.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. An animal that is a cannibal ____.
a) never eats meat
b) eats members of its own species
c) eats only at night
d) eats only grass
Show answer
b) eats members of its own species
2. The word cannibal comes from the name of a people who lived in ____.
a) the Himalayas
b) the Sahara
c) the Caribbean
d) Siberia
Show answer
c) the Caribbean
