What does chafe mean?
Word: Chafe
Part of Speech: Verb
Meaning: Chafe means to rub against the skin and make it sore. It also means to feel annoyed when something holds you back.
How do you spell chafe?
Syllables: chafe
Tricky part: It has one f only. Chaff, the dry husks left after threshing grain, has two and means something quite different.
Watch out for: chaffe, chafee
Memory tip: Imagine a single rough thread rubbing your skin: one thread, one f.
Chafe in a sentence
Example 1: New leather sandals often chafe the back of the heel.
Example 2: Rub a little cream on your ankle so the strap does not chafe.
Example 3: The captain chafed at having to sit out the second half.
Fun Fact
Chafe and chauffeur are cousins. Both go back to a French verb for heating, and a chauffeur was first a person who kept a steam engine hot.
Practise the CREST Way
Mingle-Mangle
Rearrange the jumbled letters in the sentence to form the right word:
Rough seams can eafch a runner's legs during a long race.
a) chant
b) chafe
c) chide
d) chase
Show answer
b) chafe. The f in the jumble settles it, since no other option contains one.
Word Cookie
Find the misspelt word in the sentence:
The stiff straps of my new school bag began to chaife my shoulders on the long walk home from the station.
a) chaife
b) shoulders
c) station
d) straps
Show answer
a) chaife. No i belongs beside the a; the silent e at the end gives the long sound.
Word Cookie
Find the extra letter in the word:
chalfe
a) l
b) h
c) f
d) a
Show answer
a) l. No l belongs here, even though half and calf have one.
Word Connection
Choose the synonym of the word chafe as used in the sentence:
Rina began to chafe at the long wait for her turn at the crease.
a) smile
b) fret
c) relax
d) agree
Show answer
b) fret. To fret is to be restless and bothered, which is how a long wait felt to Rina.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Which of these is most likely to chafe?
a) a stiff new collar on a hot day
b) a warm woollen shawl in winter
c) a loose cotton shirt after a bath
d) a soft pillow on a cool night
Show answer
a) a stiff new collar on a hot day
2. Mira had to wait a year to join the team, and she chafed at the rule. How did she feel?
a) grateful for a long rest
b) calm about the whole wait
c) proud of the great honour
d) impatient about the delay
Show answer
d) impatient about the delay
