What does dung mean?
Word: Dung
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: Dung means the solid waste, or droppings, of animals such as cows, horses and elephants.
Synonyms: droppings, manure
How do you spell dung?
Syllables: dung
Tricky part: Ng at the end makes one sound at the back of the mouth. Children sometimes write nk or add an extra letter.
Watch out for: dunng, doung, dhung
Memory tip: Dung, lung and sung all end in u-n-g. Change the first letter and the rest stays the same.
Dung in a sentence
Example 1: In many villages, cow dung cakes are dried on walls and used as fuel.
Example 2: Farmers spread dung on their fields before sowing.
Example 3: We stepped carefully around the elephant dung on the forest path.
Fun Fact
Some dung beetles use the faint light of the Milky Way to roll their dung balls in a straight line at night.
Practise the CREST Way
Sound Check
Which word does not rhyme with dung?
a) young
b) tongue
c) lunge
d) stung
Show answer
c) lunge. Lunge ends with a j sound, as in sponge; young, tongue and stung end like dung.
Word Champ
Choose the correct word for the blank:
The gardener mixed cow ______ into the soil of the rose bed.
a) dent
b) dune
c) dusk
d) dung
Show answer
d) dung. Cow droppings feed the soil; a dune is a sand hill and dusk is early evening.
Jumble Tumble
What is the meaning of the word that can be formed from the given letters?
ngdu
a) a deep hole in a road
b) waste left behind by animals
c) a small wooden drum
d) the soft feathers of a duck
Show answer
b) waste left behind by animals. Rearranged, n, g, d and u give dung.
Spellacadabra
From which option does a letter need to be removed to make a meaningful word?
a) farmmer
b) tractor
c) dung
d) harvest
Show answer
a) farmmer. Farmer has one m; take out the extra one.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Why do farmers put dung on their fields?
a) to help plants grow
b) to colour the crops
c) to keep birds warm
d) to make the soil wet
Show answer
a) to help plants grow
2. Where would you most likely see dung?
a) in a bakery
b) in a toy shop
c) in a cowshed
d) in a library
Show answer
c) in a cowshed
