Basic Details
Word: Fitful
Part of Speech: Adjective
Meaning: Happening in short bursts, stopping and starting again; not regular or steady.
Synonyms: irregular, broken, uneven, restless
Antonyms: steady, regular, continuous
How to Spell Fitful
Syllables: fit - ful
Tricky part: The suffix -ful has only one l, even though it comes from the word full. The t is single too.
Watch out for: fitfull, fittful, fitfel
Memory tip: Full loses an l whenever it becomes a suffix: hopeful, careful, fitful. Fit stays as it is.
Usage Examples
Example 1: The old fan gave a fitful breeze that came and went.
Example 2: There was only fitful sunshine on the day of our picnic in Lodhi Garden.
Example 3: The puppy's fitful barking kept us guessing whether a stranger was at the gate.
Fun Fact
Fitful is built on fit in its old sense of a sudden short attack, the same fit we still use in a fit of coughing or a fit of giggles.
Practise the CREST Way
Spell Spies
Choose the incorrectly spelt word:
a) fitfull
b) fretful
c) boastful
d) wistful
Show answer
a) fitfull. As an ending, -ful has a single l, the same as in wistful and fretful.
Spell Probe
Find the misspelt word in the sentence and choose its meaning:
After the long train ride, Nanaji had a fittful night's sleep, waking every hour to the creak of the ceiling fan.
a) stopping and starting, not steady
b) a trip in a car, bus or train
c) the top surface inside a room
d) the sound an old door or wooden floor makes when it moves
Show answer
a) stopping and starting, not steady. Fitful keeps the single t of fit, and fitful sleep keeps breaking off.
Word Puzzle
Match the words with the correct options:
1. fitful 2. grave 3. eager a. irregular b. serious c. keen
a) 1-a, 2-c, 3-b
b) 1-b, 2-a, 3-c
c) 1-a, 2-b, 3-c
d) 1-c, 2-b, 3-a
Show answer
c) 1-a, 2-b, 3-c. These are synonyms: fitful matches irregular, grave matches serious and eager matches keen.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Fitful rain is rain that ___.
a) falls on and off
b) falls only at night
c) is always warm
d) never stops at all
Show answer
a) falls on and off
2. Which of these could be described as fitful?
a) a river in a steady flow
b) a road that runs dead straight
c) a radio signal that keeps cutting out
d) a clock that keeps perfect time
Show answer
c) a radio signal that keeps cutting out
