What does ensconce mean?
Word: Ensconce
Part of Speech: Verb
Meaning: Ensconce means to place someone, or yourself, in a safe and very comfortable spot.
How do you spell ensconce?
Syllables: en - sconce
Tricky part: Most slips come at the end. The last sound is a plain s, so pupils close the word with se, but it finishes with ce instead.
Watch out for: ensconse, enscons
Memory tip: Think Cosy End: the capitals C and E give you the two letters that close the word.
Ensconce in a sentence
Example 1: Grandmother ensconced herself on the veranda swing with a cup of ginger tea.
Example 2: By four o'clock the twins were ensconced in the reading corner, surrounded by atlases.
Example 3: The new kitten has ensconced itself in a shoebox under the study table.
Fun Fact
In The Merry Wives of Windsor, Shakespeare's Falstaff says he will ensconce himself behind a wall hanging, so the word has long carried the idea of a safe hiding place.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Cookie
Insert the correct pair of letters to complete the word:
_nsc_nce
a) e, o
b) e, a
c) i, o
d) i, a
Show answer
a) e, o. It opens like enjoy, and the middle vowel is the one you hear in pond.
Mingle-Mangle
Unjumble the letters in the sentence and choose the word they make:
Each afternoon the old cat would nncoeces itself in the warmest corner of the library.
a) announce
b) ensconce
c) enforce
d) enhance
Show answer
b) ensconce. The jumble holds two c's, which no other option can use up.
Word Connection
Choose the synonym of the word ensconce as used in the sentence:
On rainy Sundays my brother will ensconce himself beneath a blanket with a pile of comics.
a) settle
b) excuse
c) distance
d) remove
Show answer
a) settle. He is getting comfortable under the blanket, and just one option says so.
Spell-o-Spell
Only one of these words is spelt correctly. Choose its meaning:
1. sanctuery 2. comfortible 3. seclusoin 4. ensconce
a) to tuck a person or pet away somewhere cosy
b) giving ease to the body and mind
c) the state of being private and apart
d) a quiet place of safety and shelter
Show answer
a) to tuck a person or pet away somewhere cosy. Sanctuary needs an a before the r, comfortable needs an a before the b, and seclusion finishes in ion.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Ravi is ensconced in the library armchair. What is he most likely doing?
a) hunting for a lost book on the shelves
b) rushing out to catch the school bus
c) waiting in a queue at the issue counter
d) reading at ease with no plan to leave
Show answer
d) reading at ease with no plan to leave
2. Where would you be likeliest to find someone ensconced?
a) a padded seat by the window
b) a muddy path in the rain
c) a long queue at the ticket office
d) the crowded aisle of a bus
Show answer
a) a padded seat by the window
