What does efficiency mean?
Word: Efficiency
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: Efficiency means the ability to do a job well without wasting time, money or energy.
Synonyms: effectiveness, productivity, competence
Antonyms: inefficiency
How do you spell efficiency?
Syllables: ef - fi - cien - cy
Tricky part: The sh sound is spelt ci, and an i comes before it too, so the middle reads -fici-. Leaving out that first i is the commonest error.
Watch out for: efficency, effeciency, efficeincy
Memory tip: The middle sounds like fish, and that sh sound is written ci, with an extra i in front of it.
Efficiency in a sentence
Example 1: The new manager improved the efficiency of the office.
Example 2: She sorted the library books with surprising efficiency.
Example 3: Fuel efficiency matters more when petrol prices go up.
Fun Fact
Engineers give efficiency as a percentage: an old filament bulb turns less than a tenth of its electricity into light, while an LED bulb turns far more of it into light.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Cookie
Insert the correct letters to form a word:
e_fici_ncy
a) f, a
b) f, i
c) e, a
d) f, e
Show answer
d) f, e. The word opens with a double f, and the ending is -ency, as in urgency.
Spell-o-Spell
Only one of these words is spelt correctly. Choose the meaning of that word:
1. acurracy 2. efficiency 3. dilligence 4. punctualty
a) the state of being exact and correct
b) steady, careful hard work
c) the habit of always being on time
d) getting good results with little waste
Show answer
d) getting good results with little waste. Punctualty has lost an i before -ty, acurracy doubles the r instead of the c, and dilligence has one l too many, leaving efficiency as the correct word.
Word Connection
Choose the antonym of the word efficiency as used in the sentence:
The efficiency of the new ticket counter cut the waiting time at the station by half.
a) promptness
b) smoothness
c) wastefulness
d) orderliness
Show answer
c) wastefulness. Orderliness, smoothness and promptness all describe things running well; wastefulness is the opposite.
Mingle-Mangle
Unjumble the letters in the sentence to form a meaningful word:
Solar panels have improved the energy ycffceniei of our school building.
a) sufficiency
b) proficiency
c) deficiency
d) efficiency
Show answer
d) efficiency. Two f's are in the jumble, which rules out deficiency and proficiency, and with no s or u it cannot be sufficiency.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. A machine with high efficiency ____.
a) turns most of its fuel into work
b) breaks down every few days
c) burns extra fuel for nothing
d) needs many people to run it
Show answer
a) turns most of its fuel into work
2. A sign of fuel efficiency in a car is ____.
a) brighter paint on the doors
b) softer seats in the back
c) a larger boot for luggage
d) more kilometres per litre
Show answer
d) more kilometres per litre
