Basic Details
Word: Charlatan
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: A person who pretends to have skills or knowledge they do not have, usually to cheat people.
Synonyms: fraud, quack, impostor, cheat
Antonyms: expert
Word origin: Comes through French from Italian ciarlatano, linked to ciarlare, 'to chatter'.
How to Spell Charlatan
Syllables: char - la - tan
Tricky part: The ch is said sh, as in chef, and all three vowels are a.
Watch out for: sharlatan, charlaton, charletan
Memory tip: Three a's, no other vowel: ch-a-rl-a-t-a-n. The ch at the start is French-style, as in chef.
Usage Examples
Example 1: The so-called fortune teller was a charlatan who just guessed.
Example 2: People lost their savings to a charlatan promising double returns.
Example 3: A real doctor will never claim to cure every illness with one pill, as charlatans do.
Fun Fact
The first charlatans were travelling sellers in Italian market squares who chattered loudly to talk crowds into buying their remedies.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Connection
Choose the synonym of the word charlatan as used in the sentence:
The so-called healer turned out to be a charlatan who sold coloured water as medicine.
a) pharmacist
b) patient
c) surgeon
d) impostor
Show answer
d) impostor. A charlatan pretends to be something he is not, which is what an impostor does.
Word Cookie
One word in this sentence is misspelt. Find it:
The villagers soon realised that the man selling magic rings at the fair was a sharlatan, and they asked him to leave.
a) villagers
b) fair
c) sharlatan
d) realised
Show answer
c) sharlatan. Charlatan came to English through French, so its sh sound is spelt ch.
Mingle-Mangle
Unjumble the letters in the sentence to form a meaningful word:
Nobody believed the ntaalrahc who promised to double their money in a week.
a) chairman
b) chaplain
c) charlatan
d) charioteer
Show answer
c) charlatan. Three a's, one t and no o rule out chairman, chaplain and charioteer, which leaves charlatan.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. A charlatan is most like ____.
a) a careful judge
b) a fake expert
c) a skilled teacher
d) a shy student
Show answer
b) a fake expert
2. Which sentence uses charlatan correctly?
a) The charlatan won a prize for honest work.
b) We drank a cup of charlatan with breakfast.
c) The charlatan sold fake gold to the tourists.
d) The charlatan of the river was very deep.
Show answer
c) The charlatan sold fake gold to the tourists.
