Home / Free Study Material / Spell Bee Summer / Class 6 Spell Bee Summer Words / colonel

Spell Bee Word: Colonel


What does colonel mean?

Word: Colonel

Part of Speech: Noun

Meaning: Colonel means a senior officer in the army, ranking above a lieutenant colonel.

Sounds like: kernel (the soft inner part of a nut or seed)

How do you spell colonel?

Syllables: col - o - nel

Tricky part: It is said like kernel, but the spelling does not follow the sound at all, so it has to be learnt by eye.

Watch out for: colenel, colnel

Memory tip: Colonel looks nothing like it sounds. Say it to yourself as it looks, in three beats, while you write, and then say kernel out loud.

Colonel in a sentence

Example 1: The colonel saluted the flag at the start of the parade.

Example 2: Kavya's grandfather retired as a colonel in the army.

Example 3: The colonel inspected the guard of honour at the barracks.

Fun Fact

English first borrowed the French form coronel, with an r. The spelling was later changed to match the Italian form of the word, but the old r sound stayed in speech.

Practise the CREST Way

Spell-o-Spell

Choose the incorrectly spelt word:

a) colonal
b) parachute
c) sergeant
d) lieutenant

Show answer

a) colonal. Colonel ends in -nel, though the sound gives no clue.

Word Cookie

Find the extra letter in the word:

collonel

a) l
b) o
c) e
d) n

Show answer

a) l. Colonel has a single l after the first o, just like the punctuation mark colon.

Mingle-Mangle

Form a meaningful word from the jumbled letters:

loonecl

a) colonel
b) cologne
c) colonial
d) console

Show answer

a) colonel. Seven letters with two o's and an n but no s, g or i: console, cologne and colonial are out.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Which rank is higher than a colonel in the British Army?

a) lieutenant
b) brigadier
c) captain
d) major

Show answer

b) brigadier

2. Where would you most expect to meet a colonel?

a) at an army base
b) on a fishing boat
c) in a school library
d) in a bakery

Show answer

a) at an army base

Associated Words

Words that start with col: collector, collaborate, collaborative, colloquial, collision, colourful

Related words on the Spell Bee lists: kernel

More words from this list

diminish, fireproof, ingenuity, notation, receptionist, taxonomy, abolition, astronomer

Next steps

How to participate in CREST International Spell Bee

The CREST International Spell Bee (CSB) is conducted in two editions – CREST International Spell Bee - Summer (CSB) and CREST International Spell Bee - Winter (CSBW) – giving students across the globe an opportunity to showcase and enhance their spelling proficiency. Designed for young learners from Senior KG to Class 8, the competition focuses on word-building, pronunciation, and vocabulary enrichment, helping students develop strong linguistic skills.

Steps to Participate:

Step 1: Visit the registration page and complete the registration with your desired subject.

Step 2: After Registration done, do login at www.crestolympiads.com/login.

Step 3: After login, go to dashboard and click on Book slot/Take Exam

Step 4: Schedule your exam date and preferred time.

Step 5: Log in with your credentials on the exam day at the scheduled time and take the exam.

70%