What does debug mean?
Word: Debug
Part of Speech: Verb
Meaning: Debug means to find and remove mistakes, called bugs, from a computer program or machine.
Synonyms: correct, troubleshoot
How do you spell debug?
Syllables: de - bug
Tricky part: The g doubles only when an ending is added, as in debugged and debugging.
Watch out for: debugg, debbug, debugge
Memory tip: Debug ends with the single g of bug; the g doubles only when ed or ing joins on, as in debugged and debugging.
Debug in a sentence
Example 1: Our computer teacher showed us how to debug a simple game.
Example 2: It took Arjun an hour to debug his calculator app.
Example 3: Programmers debug their code before releasing it.
Fun Fact
In 1947, engineers working on the Harvard Mark II computer found a real moth trapped in it. They taped it into their logbook as the first actual case of a bug being found.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Connection
Choose the synonym of the word: debug
a) install
b) fix
c) design
d) download
Show answer
b) fix. To debug a program is to fix the mistakes in it; installing, designing and downloading are other jobs.
Spell-o-Spell
Choose the correctly spelt word:
a) keybord
b) debug
c) interent
d) softwear
Show answer
b) debug. Software ends in ware, keyboard in board and internet has net at the end; debug is spelt just as it sounds.
Word Cookie
Find the misspelt word in the sentence:
Riya spent the whole evning trying to debug her robot before the science fair.
a) evning
b) science
c) robot
d) debug
Show answer
a) evning. Evening keeps the e between the v and the n; debug, robot and science are spelt correctly.
Word Cookie
Find the extra letter in the word:
deebug
a) e
b) b
c) d
d) u
Show answer
a) e. Debug has a single e after the d: de-bug.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. A programmer debugs a game when ____.
a) it is ready to be sold in shops
b) she wants to add new colours
c) it has won a prize for design
d) it keeps freezing on level two
Show answer
d) it keeps freezing on level two
2. After you debug a program, it should ____.
a) run without those mistakes
b) be deleted from the computer
c) run more slowly than before
d) stop working altogether
Show answer
a) run without those mistakes
