What does flotilla mean?
Word: Flotilla
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: Flotilla means a small group of boats or ships travelling together.
Word origin: From Spanish flotilla, formed from the word flota.
How do you spell flotilla?
Syllables: flo - til - la
Tricky part: Only one letter doubles here, and it is the l: students double the t as well and write flottilla, or lose an l and write flotila.
Watch out for: flottilla, flotila, flottila
Memory tip: Picture two tall masts side by side near the stern: they are the pair of l letters close to the end of the word.
Flotilla in a sentence
Example 1: A flotilla of decorated boats circled the lake on Founders' Day.
Example 2: We watched a flotilla of fishing boats head out from Kochi at sunrise.
Example 3: The rowing club's little flotilla waited for the starter's whistle.
Fun Fact
The Spanish ending -illa makes things small, so the word has a sense of littleness built in; vanilla got its name in the same way, from a word for a little pod.
Practise the CREST Way
Spell Probe
Fill the blanks of each word with 'o' and 'i'. Which option gives the meaning of the word that takes them?
1. fl_x_ble 2. fl_m_ngo 3. fl_t_lla 4. fl_nn_l
a) a tall pink bird with long thin legs
b) a soft cloth used for washing the face
c) a line of little craft crossing in company
d) able to bend easily without breaking
Show answer
c) a line of little craft crossing in company. Flamingo, flexible and flannel need other vowels, so o and i complete the word for little craft.
Back to the Roots
Choose the correct option:
Flotilla comes from Spanish, from the word flota. What did flota mean?
a) a harbour
b) a fleet
c) a sail
d) an anchor
Show answer
b) a fleet. Add the small ending to the Spanish word and you have a little fleet.
Spell Spies
Choose the misspelt word/s in the given sentence:
A flotilla of white yatchs glided past the old customs house.
a) only yatchs
b) only customs
c) flotilla and yatchs
d) glided and customs
Show answer
a) only yatchs. Yacht has a silent ch before the t; every other word is correct.
Jumble Tumble
Choose the correct sequence of the jumbled letters to form a meaningful word:
alitolfl 12345678
a) 72563841
b) 72543681
c) 12543786
d) 75342681
Show answer
b) 72543681. Start at f, letter 7, and follow the word through to the final a, letter 1.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Which scene best fits this word?
a) a flock of gulls over a beach
b) one large ferry tied up at a jetty
c) a long row of cars on a bridge
d) twelve sailing boats crossing a bay
Show answer
d) twelve sailing boats crossing a bay
2. Where would you stand to get the best view of a flotilla?
a) in a clearing inside a forest
b) in a tunnel under the city
c) on a pier overlooking the harbour
d) on a balcony facing a mountain
Show answer
c) on a pier overlooking the harbour
