What does condense mean?
Word: Condense
Part of Speech: Verb
Meaning: Condense means to change from a gas into a liquid, as steam does when it cools. It can also mean to make a piece of writing shorter.
How do you spell condense?
Syllables: con - dense
Tricky part: The hissing sound at the end is written with se. Words such as silence and fence make students reach for ce, and condence is the usual result.
Watch out for: condence, condens
Memory tip: Steam condenses, and steam begins with s. Let that s remind you which letter makes the hissing sound at the end.
Condense in a sentence
Example 1: Drops of water condense on a cold glass of lemonade.
Example 2: Our teacher asked us to condense the long story into six lines.
Example 3: Water vapour will condense on the window when the room is warm and the glass is cold.
Fun Fact
The word comes from Latin and is built on the idea of making something thick. That is why a tin of condensed milk is so much thicker than ordinary milk: most of the water has been taken out.
Practise the CREST Way
Spellacadabra
Choose the option in which the following letters will fit in the given order:
o, e
a) l_nt_l
b) s_nd_l
c) c_nd_nse
d) w_nd_w
Show answer
c) c_nd_nse. Window needs i and o, sandal needs a twice and lentil needs e and i, so only one word takes this pair.
Word Puzzle
Match each word with its opposite:
1. condense 2. ascend 3. scarce a. plentiful b. expand c. descend
a) 1-b, 2-a, 3-c
b) 1-b, 2-c, 3-a
c) 1-a, 2-c, 3-b
d) 1-c, 2-b, 3-a
Show answer
b) 1-b, 2-c, 3-a. To make shorter is the reverse of to expand; going up is the reverse of going down; scarce things are not plentiful.
Sound Check
Which word does not rhyme with condense?
a) tense
b) cleanse
c) fence
d) defence
Show answer
b) cleanse. Cleanse ends with a buzzing z sound, while the rest finish with a soft hiss.
Word Champ
Choose the correct word for the blank:
Clouds form when rising water vapour cools and begins to ___.
a) melt
b) dissolve
c) evaporate
d) condense
Show answer
d) condense. Vapour high in the sky turns into tiny droplets, and that change has this name.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Where would you most likely see water vapour condense on a winter morning?
a) on a dry wooden table
b) on a warm woollen blanket
c) on a cold bathroom mirror
d) on a sunny cement wall
Show answer
c) on a cold bathroom mirror
2. An editor condenses a 40-page report. Which page count is most likely afterwards?
a) 60 pages
b) 80 pages
c) 40 pages
d) 25 pages
Show answer
d) 25 pages
