What does fencing mean?
Word: Fencing
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: Fencing means a sport in which two players compete with long, thin swords and score points by touching each other. It can also mean fences, or the wire or wood used to build them.
How do you spell fencing?
Syllables: fen - cing
Tricky part: The silent e at the end of the base word drops out before ing, so fenceing is the usual slip.
Watch out for: fenceing, fencin, fenching
Memory tip: A fencer lunges forward so fast that the silent e flies off the end before ing can join on.
Fencing in a sentence
Example 1: Fencing players salute each other before every bout.
Example 2: My cousin goes to fencing classes every Saturday.
Example 3: The new wooden fencing round the school garden is painted green.
Fun Fact
Bhavani Devi became the first Indian fencer to compete at the Olympic Games, at the Tokyo Olympics held in 2021.
Practise the CREST Way
Spell-o-Spell
Choose the correctly spelt word:
a) boxxing
b) runing
c) swiming
d) fencing
Show answer
d) fencing. Boxing has one x, and swimming and running double their last letter; only fencing is spelt right here.
Mingle-Mangle
Form a meaningful word from the jumbled letters:
gincenf
a) fencign
b) fecning
c) fenicng
d) fencing
Show answer
d) fencing. Find ing for the end first; the three letters left make the start of the word.
Word Cookie
Insert the correct pair of letters to form a word:
f_n_ing
a) e, s
b) a, c
c) e, c
d) i, s
Show answer
c) e, c. Fencing is built on fence, so it keeps the e and the c of fence.
Word Cookie
Find the misspelt word in the sentence:
Meera won a silver medel at the school fencing contest.
a) silver
b) medel
c) contest
d) fencing
Show answer
b) medel. Medal ends in al; fencing is spelt right here.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Which piece of kit does a fencer wear over the face?
a) a mesh mask
b) a swimming cap
c) a cricket helmet
d) a pair of goggles
Show answer
a) a mesh mask
2. A builder is putting up fencing. What is he putting up?
a) a brick path to the front door
b) glass and frames for windows
c) posts and wire round a garden
d) tiles and beams on a roof
Show answer
c) posts and wire round a garden
