What does essence mean?
Word: Essence
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: Essence means a strong liquid taken from a plant and used to add flavour or smell, like vanilla essence. It can also mean the most important part of something.
Synonyms: extract, core, heart
How do you spell essence?
Syllables: es - sence
Tricky part: Essence has a double s straight after the first e. Children who hear only one hiss often write esence.
Watch out for: esence, eccence
Memory tip: Remember Every Sweet Smell: e, s, s, the three letters that start essence.
Essence in a sentence
Example 1: Mum added two drops of vanilla essence to the cake batter.
Example 2: Rose essence gives the pudding a lovely smell.
Example 3: The essence of the story is that kindness always matters.
Fun Fact
Essence comes from the Latin word esse, which means to be.
Practise the CREST Way
Spell Spies
Choose the misspelt word/s in the given sentence:
Our class made lemon squash with sugar, water and a drop of lemon essance.
a) only essance
b) water and lemon
c) sugar and essance
d) only squash
Show answer
a) only essance. Essence ends in -ence, as silence does.
Jumble Tumble
Choose the correct sequence of the jumbled letters to form a meaningful word:
cnseese 1234567
a) 4365217
b) 4356271
c) 3465217
d) 4312657
Show answer
a) 4365217. Start with e (letter 4), add s (3) and s (6), then e, n, c and e from 5, 2, 1 and 7.
Word Champ
Choose the correct word for the blank:
To flavour the ice cream, Grandma stirred in a few drops of mango ______.
a) absence
b) presence
c) licence
d) essence
Show answer
d) essence. Only a flavouring liquid comes in drops; absence, presence and licence are not things you add to food.
Spellacadabra
From which option does a letter need to be removed to make a meaningful word?
a) cardamomm
b) saffron
c) cinnamon
d) essence
Show answer
a) cardamomm. Cardamom ends in a single m; one must go.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Grandma buys a small bottle of rose essence. Where will it most likely end up?
a) in the mopping water
b) in a tray of fudge
c) in a pot of wall paint
d) in the flower vase
Show answer
b) in a tray of fudge
2. The essence of a lesson is its ...
a) title page
b) final page
c) main idea
d) longest word
Show answer
c) main idea
