What does enemy mean?
Word: Enemy
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: Enemy means a person or group that is against you and wants you to lose or fail.
Synonyms: foe, rival
How do you spell enemy?
Syllables: en - e - my
Tricky part: The middle vowel is e, but it is said so softly that children write enimy or enamy.
Watch out for: enimy, enamy, enumy
Memory tip: Picture the middle e sitting quietly between two loud letters: you hardly hear it, but it is always there.
Idioms and Phrases
- be your own worst enemy: to cause your own problems by the way you behave. Example: "If you never sleep before a test, you are your own worst enemy."
Enemy in a sentence
Example 1: In the story, the two kings stopped being enemies and shared a feast.
Example 2: Laziness is the enemy of good marks.
Example 3: Cats and mice are natural enemies.
Fun Fact
Enemy comes from an old Latin word that meant someone who is not friendly. Amicable, a word for friendly, comes from the same Latin family.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Cookie
Find the extra letter in the word:
enemmy
a) m
b) e
c) y
d) n
Show answer
a) m. Two m's make it wrong; enemy needs one, after the middle e.
Spell-o-Spell
Choose the incorrectly spelt word:
a) partner
b) cousin
c) stranger
d) ennemy
Show answer
d) ennemy. Enemy has just one n at the start.
Word Connection
Choose the antonym of the word:
enemy
a) challenger
b) opponent
c) friend
d) competitor
Show answer
c) friend. A friend is on your side, the opposite of an enemy.
Word Cookie
Find the misspelt word in the sentence:
Weeds are the enemey of our garden.
a) our
b) garden
c) enemey
d) Weeds
Show answer
c) enemey. Enemy ends in a plain y, with no e before it.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Which animal is a natural enemy of the snake?
a) the sheep
b) the mongoose
c) the rabbit
d) the cow
Show answer
b) the mongoose
2. Too much screen time is called the enemy of sleep. What does this mean?
a) it is a kind of bed
b) it stops you sleeping well
c) it makes you hungry
d) it helps you sleep longer
Show answer
b) it stops you sleeping well
