What does clammy mean?
Word: Clammy
Part of Speech: Adjective
Meaning: Clammy means damp and sticky in an unpleasant way, like your skin on a hot, humid day.
How do you spell clammy?
Syllables: clam - my
Tricky part: The m is doubled, though you hear only one. With a single m the word would look as if it had a long a, like the a in flame.
Watch out for: clamy, clamie
Memory tip: Picture your two damp palms pressed together: one palm for each m.
Clammy in a sentence
Example 1: After the long bus ride in the monsoon, my skin felt clammy.
Example 2: The walls of the old cellar were cold and clammy to the touch.
Example 3: Sweaty, clammy hands made it hard to grip the bat on such a muggy day.
Fun Fact
Despite its look, the word has nothing to do with the shellfish. It goes back to an old dialect word clam, meaning to be sticky, and is related to clay.
Practise the CREST Way
Spellacadabra
Choose the correct option to make a meaningful word:
cl_mmy
a) u
b) e
c) a
d) o
Show answer
c) a. The short vowel here is the one in cat and flat.
Word Tally
You get 2 marks for each correctly spelt word in the list. How many marks will you get?
clammy, drizzle, humid, sogy, puddel, thundar
a) 6
b) 8
c) 10
d) 4
Show answer
a) 6. Soggy, puddle and thunder are all misspelt, so three words score 2 marks each.
Word Puzzle
Match the words with their meanings:
1. clammy 2. brittle 3. sturdy a. hard but easily snapped b. unpleasantly moist to the touch c. strong and unlikely to break
a) 1-c, 2-a, 3-b
b) 1-a, 2-b, 3-c
c) 1-a, 2-c, 3-b
d) 1-b, 2-a, 3-c
Show answer
d) 1-b, 2-a, 3-c. Clammy things feel moist, brittle things snap, and sturdy things hold firm.
Sound Check
In which word is 'a' pronounced differently?
a) magnet
b) planet
c) basin
d) clammy
Show answer
c) basin. Basin says the name of the letter, unlike the short sound in the rest.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Which of these is most likely to feel clammy?
a) a wool jumper in a cupboard
b) a towel fresh from the sun
c) a shirt after a humid walk
d) a sheet of drawing paper
Show answer
c) a shirt after a humid walk
2. A runner's hands turn clammy just before a big race. What is the most likely reason?
a) She is bored.
b) She is sleepy.
c) She is proud.
d) She is nervous.
Show answer
d) She is nervous.
