What does cubicle mean?
Word: Cubicle
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: Cubicle means a small space with thin walls or curtains, made by dividing off part of a larger room.
How do you spell cubicle?
Syllables: cu - bi - cle
Tricky part: The ending sounds like kul, but it is spelt cle. Students often try cal, kel or cul instead.
Watch out for: cubicul, cubikle
Memory tip: A cubicle is a Cosy Little Enclosure. Take the first letters of those three words to finish the spelling.
Cubicle in a sentence
Example 1: Sofia changed into her costume in a cubicle beside the stage.
Example 2: The language lab at our school has a cubicle for each pupil.
Example 3: The office was divided into rows of neat cubicles.
Fun Fact
It looks like a cousin of cube, but the word comes from the Latin cubare, to lie down, and it first meant a small bedroom.
Practise the CREST Way
Spell Probe
Fill the blanks with 'u' and 'i' in that order. Which option gives the meaning of that word?
1. t_nt_cle 2. m_r_cle 3. c_b_cle 4. b_rn_cle
a) a small screened-off area of a room
b) a small sea creature that sticks to rocks
c) a long, thin arm of an octopus
d) a wonderful event that surprises everyone
Show answer
a) a small screened-off area of a room. Miracle takes i and a, barnacle a twice and tentacle e and a, so only the page word fits.
Word Champ
Choose the correct word for the blank:
In the big office, each clerk sat at a desk inside a small ___ with low walls.
a) cuboid
b) cubit
c) cuticle
d) cubicle
Show answer
d) cubicle. A cuticle is on a fingernail, a cubit is an old measure and a cuboid is a solid shape, so none of those can hold a desk.
Spell Spies
Choose the misspelt word/s in the given sentence:
Each singer waited in a small cubicle at the recording studio and put on a pair of hedphones.
a) hedphones and studio
b) only singer
c) singer and cubicle
d) only hedphones
Show answer
d) only hedphones. Headphones needs ea at the start; everything else is correct.
Word Tally
You get 3 marks for each correctly spelt word in the list. How many marks will you get?
cubicle, locker, showr, towel, mirrar, bench
a) 9
b) 12
c) 6
d) 15
Show answer
b) 12. Shower and mirror are misspelt, which leaves four correct words at 3 marks each.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Which place is most likely to have a row of cubicles?
a) the centre of a football pitch
b) the lawn of a public park
c) the changing room at a pool
d) the top deck of a ferry
Show answer
c) the changing room at a pool
2. Why might a busy office use cubicles?
a) to save money on electricity
b) to keep the windows clean
c) to give each worker some privacy
d) to make the lifts run faster
Show answer
c) to give each worker some privacy
