What does disentangle mean?
Word: Disentangle
Part of Speech: Verb
Meaning: Disentangle means to free something that is twisted or knotted together. It can also mean to separate ideas that have become mixed up.
Synonyms: untangle
Antonyms: entangle
How do you spell disentangle?
Syllables: dis - en - tan - gle
Tricky part: The word ends in gle, not gel; the sound at the end is the same as in jungle.
Watch out for: disentangel, disentangal
Memory tip: End it like jungle and single: the l comes before the final e, never after it.
Disentangle in a sentence
Example 1: It took Grandma ten minutes to disentangle the kite string from the branches of the mango tree.
Example 2: Can you help me disentangle these two earphone wires?
Example 3: Our teacher helped us disentangle the facts from the guesses in the newspaper story.
Fun Fact
Sailors and climbers learn to disentangle ropes slowly, because tugging hard on a knot usually pulls it even tighter.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Connection
Choose the synonym of the word:
disentangle
a) unravel
b) fasten
c) twist
d) entwine
Show answer
a) unravel. To unravel tangled thread is to work the knots free, which is what disentangling means.
Mingle-Mangle
Form a meaningful word from the jumbled letters:
etasilnnged
a) disintegrate
b) disentangle
c) dissenting
d) disengage
Show answer
b) disentangle. The jumble has an l and only one g, and none of the other three has an l.
Word Cookie
Find the misspelt word in the sentence:
Tom spent the whole afternoon trying to disintangle the fairy lights for the school party.
a) afternoon
b) trying
c) disintangle
d) party
Show answer
c) disintangle. After dis comes en, the same en that starts enter.
Spell-o-Spell
Choose the correctly spelt word:
a) rearange
b) disentangle
c) complecate
d) seperate
Show answer
b) disentangle. Three slips to spot: separate needs par in the middle, complicate an i after the l, and rearrange a double r.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Which job calls for someone to disentangle something?
a) sweeping a dusty classroom floor
b) painting a wooden fence white
c) filling a bucket with clean water
d) sorting out a ball of snarled wool
Show answer
d) sorting out a ball of snarled wool
2. Ivan managed to disentangle the two puppies' leads. What did he do?
a) He got them apart
b) He bought new ones
c) He tied them tighter
d) He cut them shorter
Show answer
a) He got them apart
