What does certainty mean?
Word: Certainty
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: Certainty means the state of being completely sure about something; also something that is sure to happen.
Synonyms: sureness, confidence, conviction, assurance
Antonyms: uncertainty
How do you spell certainty?
Syllables: cer - tain - ty
Tricky part: Many students add an extra i and write certainity, which is wrong; the a and i in the middle stay side by side.
Watch out for: certainity, certianty, certenty
Memory tip: The middle is ain, as in captain and curtain, even though you hardly hear it.
Certainty in a sentence
Example 1: Nobody can say with certainty when the monsoon will reach Kerala.
Example 2: Weather forecasters talk about chances, not certainty.
Example 3: With complete certainty, Kabir said he had locked the front door.
Fun Fact
Certain comes from Latin certus, 'settled or sure'. The same Latin root gives certificate and certify.
Practise the CREST Way
Spell-o-Spell
Three words in the list are spelt correctly. Choose the meaning of the misspelt word.
1. necessary 2. sertainty 3. restaurant 4. embarrassed
a) feeling awkward or ashamed in front of others
b) a place where meals are cooked and served
c) being completely sure about something
d) needed in order to reach a goal
Show answer
c) being completely sure about something. Necessary, restaurant and embarrassed are all spelt correctly; sertainty begins with an s where the word has a c.
Word Connection
Choose the word opposite in meaning to certainty as used in the sentence:
The astronomer explained with certainty that Halley's Comet will next be seen from Earth in 2061.
a) doubt
b) trust
c) faith
d) belief
Show answer
a) doubt. Doubt is the feeling of not being sure, the opposite of the astronomer's certainty; faith, trust and belief all go with being sure.
Mingle-Mangle
Unjumble the word in the sentence and choose it:
There is no ytnactier that the match will go ahead if it rains overnight.
a) curtain
b) century
c) certainty
d) tyranny
Show answer
c) certainty. Curtain, century and tyranny are all too short to use every letter of the jumble.
Word Cookie
Find the extra letter in the word:
certaintty
a) n
b) a
c) i
d) t
Show answer
d) t. Certainty ends in a single t before the y, so one of the two final t's is extra.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. 'There is little certainty about the exam date' suggests that ____.
a) the exam will be held on a Monday
b) the exam has already finished
c) nobody is sure when it will be held
d) the date was printed in the diary
Show answer
c) nobody is sure when it will be held
2. Which of these is a certainty?
a) The Sun will rise tomorrow.
b) The bus will be late.
c) It will rain next Monday.
d) Our team will win the final.
Show answer
a) The Sun will rise tomorrow.
