Basic Details
Word: Fluttered
Part of Speech: Verb
Meaning: Moved or flapped lightly and quickly, like a butterfly's wings or a flag in the wind. A heart that flutters beats fast because of excitement or nerves.
Synonyms: flapped, flickered, waved, quivered
How to Spell Fluttered
Syllables: flut - tered
Tricky part: Flutter has a double t. When ed is added, the r stays single because the stress falls on flut, not on ter.
Watch out for: flutered, flutterred, fluttred
Memory tip: Flutter has the double t of butter. Think of butter-coloured wings: flutter + ed.
Usage Examples
Example 1: A yellow butterfly fluttered from one marigold to the next.
Example 2: The tricolour fluttered above the school on Independence Day.
Example 3: Her heart fluttered when her name was announced for the prize.
Fun Fact
Flutter goes back to Old English floterian, to float to and fro. It is a cousin of the word float.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Cookie
Find the extra letter in the word:
flutterred
a) e
b) r
c) t
d) u
Show answer
b) r. The stress is on flut, so the final r of flutter is not doubled before ed.
Word Connection
Choose the synonym of the word fluttered as used in the sentence:
Pages of the open notebook fluttered in the breeze from the ceiling fan.
a) sank
b) flapped
c) froze
d) tore
Show answer
b) flapped. Pages that flutter move lightly to and fro, which is what flapped describes.
Mingle-Mangle
Rearrange the jumbled letters in the sentence to form the right word:
As the bus pulled away, a dozen handkerchiefs rudettlef from the windows.
a) fluttered
b) flattered
c) flustered
d) littered
Show answer
a) fluttered. Flustered needs an s and flattered an a; the jumble has a u and two t's, which gives fluttered.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. When a flag flutters, it ____.
a) changes its colour
b) hangs completely still
c) falls to the ground
d) moves quickly in the wind
Show answer
d) moves quickly in the wind
2. Someone whose heart fluttered at the news was probably ____.
a) excited or nervous
b) calm and relaxed
c) angry and loud
d) bored and sleepy
Show answer
a) excited or nervous
