Basic Details
Word: Colleague
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: A person who works with you in the same office, school or job.
Synonyms: co-worker, associate
How to Spell Colleague
Syllables: col - league
Tricky part: There are two l's, and the end is league, with a silent ue after the g. Children often write colleage or collegue.
Watch out for: collegue, colleage, colegue
Memory tip: Colleagues play in the same league: col + league. Write the sports word league in full at the end.
Usage Examples
Example 1: My mother's colleague brought sweets for Diwali.
Example 2: The doctor asked a colleague to look at the X-ray.
Example 3: Our teacher and her colleagues planned the sports day together.
Fun Fact
Latin collega, a partner chosen to serve alongside another, gave English this word.
Practise the CREST Way
Spell-o-Spell
Choose the incorrectly spelt word:
a) employee
b) manager
c) assistant
d) collegue
Show answer
d) collegue. The ending is league, so an a has to come before the g.
Word Connection
Choose the synonym of the word:
colleague
a) customer
b) enemy
c) co-worker
d) stranger
Show answer
c) co-worker. A colleague is someone you work beside, which is just what a co-worker is.
Mingle-Mangle
Form a meaningful word from the jumbled letters:
gueallcoe
a) collaegue
b) colleageu
c) colleauge
d) colleague
Show answer
d) colleague. Start with col, then build league from the letters that are left.
Word Cookie
Insert the correct letters to form a word:
co_lea_ue
a) l, j
b) n, g
c) l, g
d) r, g
Show answer
c) l, g. It needs a second l after co and the hard g sound of league.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Who is most likely to be a colleague of a bus driver?
a) a shopkeeper in the market
b) another driver at the same depot
c) the driver's little son
d) a passenger on the bus
Show answer
b) another driver at the same depot
2. Pick the sentence that uses colleague correctly.
a) The colleague of the river is wide.
b) She tied a colleague in her hair.
c) I ate a colleague for lunch.
d) Mr Rao and his colleague share a desk at the bank.
Show answer
d) Mr Rao and his colleague share a desk at the bank.
