What does debt mean?
Word: Debt
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: Debt means money or something else that you owe to someone and have to pay back.
How do you spell debt?
Syllables: debt
Tricky part: The b is silent: we say det but write debt. Children usually leave the b out.
Watch out for: det, dett, debth
Memory tip: Debt and doubt both hide a silent b before the t. If you are in debt, you may have some doubt about paying it back.
Idioms and Phrases
- in someone's debt: Very thankful to someone for their help. Example: "You found my lost puppy; I am in your debt."
Debt in a sentence
Example 1: Ramu paid off his debt to the shopkeeper last week.
Example 2: The farmer took a loan and was in debt for two years.
Example 3: Papa says it is wise to spend less and stay out of debt.
Fun Fact
In the Middle Ages English spelt this word dette. Scholars later slipped in a b to make it look like the Latin word debitum, though nobody ever said the b.
Practise the CREST Way
Spell-o-Spell
Choose the correctly spelt word:
a) salery
b) pockit
c) debt
d) wallit
Show answer
c) debt. Debt is spelt right; the other three have a wrong vowel in their last part.
Word Cookie
Find the misspelt word in the sentence:
Grandpa felt so releived when he finally cleared his debt to the bank.
a) bank
b) debt
c) releived
d) finally
Show answer
c) releived. Relieved has i before e; debt, with its quiet b, is spelt correctly.
Word Connection
Choose the synonym of the word:
debt
a) gift
b) dues
c) savings
d) profit
Show answer
b) dues. Dues are money you still have to pay, which is what a debt is.
Mingle-Mangle
Form a meaningful word from the jumbled letters:
bted
a) debt
b) bedt
c) dbet
d) detb
Show answer
a) debt. D and e come first; the silent b and the t follow.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Mohan borrowed Rs 50 from Sita. Now Mohan has a debt of ____.
a) Rs 0
b) Rs 50
c) Rs 5
d) Rs 100
Show answer
b) Rs 50
2. A family wants to get out of debt. The best plan is to ____.
a) hide the bills away
b) buy a new television
c) borrow more from friends
d) save and pay back the loan
Show answer
d) save and pay back the loan
