What does deceit mean?
Word: Deceit
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: Deceit means dishonest behaviour that makes someone believe something that is not true.
Synonyms: dishonesty, deception
Antonyms: honesty, truthfulness
How do you spell deceit?
Syllables: de - ceit
Tricky part: After the c, the long ee sound is spelt ei, not ie. Many pupils reach for the i-before-e habit and write it the wrong way round.
Watch out for: deciet, diceit, deseit
Memory tip: Straight after a c, the e goes in first: Clever Elves Insist, c-e-i.
Deceit in a sentence
Example 1: Mira disliked deceit, so she told her coach the real reason she had missed practice.
Example 2: The old fable warns that deceit may win a prize today but loses friends tomorrow.
Example 3: Mira felt let down by the deceit far more than by the lost match.
Fun Fact
Deceit reached English through Old French from the Latin verb decipere, 'to catch in a trap'. Deceive and receive grew from the same Latin root, capere, 'to take'.
Practise the CREST Way
Spell-o-Spell
Three of the words are spelt correctly and one is not. Choose the meaning of the misspelt word:
1. disguise 2. integraty 3. gullible 4. deceit
a) clothes or make-up worn to hide who you really are
b) the quality of being honest and keeping to firm principles
c) too ready to believe whatever other people say
d) behaviour meant to trick others into believing what is false
Show answer
b) the quality of being honest and keeping to firm principles. Integrity ends in ity, with an i after the r; deceit, gullible and disguise are all spelt correctly.
Word Connection
Choose the synonym of the word deceit as used in the sentence:
The board game is built on playful deceit, as each player tries to make the others believe a false claim.
a) sincerity
b) bravery
c) trickery
d) patience
Show answer
c) trickery. Trying to make others believe a false claim is a kind of trickery.
Word Cookie
Find the extra letter in the word:
deceipt
a) p
b) c
c) t
d) i
Show answer
a) p. Deceit has no p; a p is easy to slip in by thinking of a different word that ends in eipt.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Mira saw through the deceit at once. This means she ____.
a) felt too tired to keep on playing
b) could not see clearly across the room
c) realised straight away she was being tricked
d) was pleased with the surprise she got
Show answer
c) realised straight away she was being tricked
2. Which chess player is guilty of deceit?
a) one who shakes hands after losing a close game
b) one who asks the referee to explain a rule
c) one who moves a piece while the other looks away
d) one who practises the same opening every day
Show answer
c) one who moves a piece while the other looks away
