Basic Details
Word: Empire
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: A group of countries or lands ruled by one emperor, empress or government; also a large group of businesses run by one person.
Synonyms: kingdom, domain, dominion
How to Spell Empire
Syllables: em - pire
Tricky part: It is em + pire, ending in -ire. Students write empier or empair because the end sounds like fire said quickly.
Watch out for: empier, empair, empyre
Memory tip: An empire can spread like fire, and both end in the same three letters: i-r-e.
Usage Examples
Example 1: The Vijayanagara Empire built the great temples of Hampi.
Example 2: He turned one small tea stall into a business empire.
Example 3: The Roman Empire lasted for centuries.
Fun Fact
The Mughal emperor Shah Jahan, who built the Taj Mahal, moved his capital from Agra to a new walled city in Delhi named Shahjahanabad after him.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Cookie
Find the misspelt word in the sentence:
Under Ashoka the Mauryan empier stretched from present-day Afghanistan to Bengal, and his edicts carved on rocks and pillars spread his message.
a) empier
b) edicts
c) message
d) stretched
Show answer
a) empier. Empire ends in -ire, the same three letters that end fire and wire.
Word Connection
Choose the synonym of the word empire as used in the sentence:
Over many years the tea merchant built a trading empire that reached Burma and Ceylon.
a) quarrel
b) festival
c) cottage
d) kingdom
Show answer
d) kingdom. A trading empire is a large area under one person's control, much like a kingdom.
Mingle-Mangle
Unjumble the word in the sentence and choose it:
At its height the British reipme ruled about a quarter of the world's land.
a) empire
b) impure
c) expire
d) umpire
Show answer
a) empire. Umpire and impure need a u, and expire needs an x; two e's with m, p, i and r make empire.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. The ruler of an empire is usually called ____.
a) a captain
b) a mayor
c) an emperor
d) a sarpanch
Show answer
c) an emperor
2. Which word comes from the same root as empire?
a) imperfect
b) imperial
c) impatient
d) impolite
Show answer
b) imperial
