What does erratic mean?
Word: Erratic
Part of Speech: Adjective
Meaning: Erratic means not regular or steady; changing often and in a way you cannot predict.
Synonyms: unpredictable, irregular, unsteady
Antonyms: steady, regular, consistent
How do you spell erratic?
Syllables: er - rat - ic
Tricky part: There is a double r at the start but only one t. Students write eratic, missing an r, or errattic, adding a t.
Watch out for: eratic, errattic, erratick
Memory tip: Picture an erratic driver who swerves twice and brakes once: two r's for the two swerves, one t for the single sudden stop.
Erratic in a sentence
Example 1: The power supply in our village was erratic all summer, so we studied by an emergency lamp.
Example 2: Adam's bowling was erratic: one ball went wide, the next hit the stumps.
Example 3: The doctor was worried about the patient's erratic heartbeat.
Fun Fact
Geologists use erratic as a noun too: an erratic is a large boulder that a glacier carried far away and dropped on ground made of a different kind of rock.
Practise the CREST Way
Spellacadabra
Choose the option in which the following letters will fit in the given order:
e, a, i
a) __rr__t__c
b) m__j__st__c
c) f__n__t__c
d) r__m__nt__c
Show answer
a) __rr__t__c. Only erratic appears with e, a and i; fanatic needs a, a, i, majestic a, e, i and romantic o, a, i.
Word Tally
How many words are misspelt in the given sentence?
The erratic Wi-Fi in our flat kept freezing my online class, so I moved to a diffrent room near the router.
a) 3
b) 1
c) 0
d) 2
Show answer
b) 1. Different has three syllables and keeps the e after the double f; erratic is correct.
Word Puzzle
Match the words with the correct options:
1. erratic 2. humble 3. idle a. arrogant b. constant c. busy
a) 1-c, 2-a, 3-b
b) 1-a, 2-c, 3-b
c) 1-c, 2-b, 3-a
d) 1-b, 2-a, 3-c
Show answer
d) 1-b, 2-a, 3-c. Every word here meets its opposite: erratic against constant, humble against arrogant, idle against busy.
Sound Check
Which word does not rhyme with erratic?
a) dramatic
b) automatic
c) critic
d) static
Show answer
c) critic. Critic has the short i of sit before -tic; dramatic, static and automatic share the ending sound of erratic.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. A student whose marks are erratic ___.
a) comes first in the class every single time
b) has stopped writing any tests at all
c) gets exactly the same marks in every test
d) does well in some tests and badly in others
Show answer
d) does well in some tests and badly in others
2. Which of these is an example of erratic weather?
a) the same cool breeze every evening
b) clear blue skies for a whole week
c) a light drizzle that lasts all day long
d) sun, then hail, then sun within an hour
Show answer
d) sun, then hail, then sun within an hour
