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Spell Bee Word: Doubtful


What does doubtful mean?

Word: Doubtful

Part of Speech: Adjective

Meaning: Doubtful means not sure about something, or unlikely to happen.

Synonyms: unsure, uncertain, hesitant

Antonyms: sure, confident

How do you spell doubtful?

Syllables: doubt - ful

Tricky part: The b is silent: you never hear it, but it must be written.

Watch out for: dowtful, doubful, dautful

Memory tip: Picture a bee sitting quietly in doubt: there is a b in doubt, but it never buzzes.

Doubtful in a sentence

Example 1: I am doubtful whether the bus will come on time.

Example 2: It looks doubtful that the match will start, with all this rain.

Example 3: She gave me a doubtful look when I said I had cleaned my room.

Fun Fact

English once spelt doubt as doute; scholars added the b later to match the Latin dubitare.

Practise the CREST Way

Word Makeup

Choose the correct suffix to complete the word:

doubt

a) fol
b) full
c) fel
d) ful

Show answer

d) ful. When full is used as an ending it loses one l.

Word Connection

Choose the antonym of the word:

doubtful

a) worried
b) puzzled
c) careless
d) certain

Show answer

d) certain. Certain means fully sure, the reverse of doubtful.

Spell-o-Spell

Choose the incorrectly spelt word:

a) sucessful
b) beautiful
c) thoughtful
d) doubtful

Show answer

a) sucessful. Success has two c's, and successful keeps them both.

Mingle-Mangle

Form a meaningful word from the jumbled letters:

tbuflodu

a) dutiful
b) boastful
c) doubtful
d) doubled

Show answer

c) doubtful. Boastful needs an a and an s, dutiful an i, and doubled an e.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Which sentence shows someone feeling doubtful?

a) 'Follow me to the station,' said Dev.
b) 'I wonder if this road is right,' said Dev.
c) 'I know the way perfectly,' said Dev.
d) 'The station is just ahead,' said Dev.

Show answer

b) 'I wonder if this road is right,' said Dev.

2. If a picnic is doubtful, it...

a) will cost very little
b) may well be called off
c) is sure to go ahead
d) has already finished

Show answer

b) may well be called off

Associated Words

Words that end in -tful: tactful, wistful, delightful, respectful

Related words on the Spell Bee lists: hesitant, confident

More words from this list

geology, kaleidoscope, odyssey, recluse, squad, useless, arena, competition

Next steps

How to participate in CREST International Spell Bee

The CREST International Spell Bee (CSB) is conducted in two editions – CREST International Spell Bee - Summer (CSB) and CREST International Spell Bee - Winter (CSBW) – giving students across the globe an opportunity to showcase and enhance their spelling proficiency. Designed for young learners from Senior KG to Class 8, the competition focuses on word-building, pronunciation, and vocabulary enrichment, helping students develop strong linguistic skills.

Steps to Participate:

Step 1: Visit the registration page and complete the registration with your desired subject.

Step 2: After Registration done, do login at www.crestolympiads.com/login.

Step 3: After login, go to dashboard and click on Book slot/Take Exam

Step 4: Schedule your exam date and preferred time.

Step 5: Log in with your credentials on the exam day at the scheduled time and take the exam.

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