What does gait mean?
Word: Gait
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: Gait means the particular way in which a person or animal walks.
Synonyms: walk, stride, step, pace
Sounds like: gate (a door in a wall or fence)
How do you spell gait?
Syllables: gait
Tricky part: It sounds exactly like gate, the door in a fence, so the two are easily mixed. The way of walking is spelt ai.
Watch out for: gayt, gaitt, gayte
Memory tip: You walk through a gate, but your gait is the way you walk; the walking word has ai, like trail.
Gait in a sentence
Example 1: I knew it was Dadaji from far away by his slow, steady gait.
Example 2: The camel moved across the sand with a rolling gait.
Example 3: After the injury, the doctor watched the athlete's gait closely.
Fun Fact
Horses have named gaits, such as the walk, trot, canter and gallop, each with its own pattern of footfalls.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Puzzle
Match the words with their meanings:
1. gait 2. gaze 3. grin a. a long, steady look b. a wide smile c. a way of walking
a) 1-a, 2-c, 3-b
b) 1-b, 2-a, 3-c
c) 1-c, 2-a, 3-b
d) 1-c, 2-b, 3-a
Show answer
c) 1-c, 2-a, 3-b. A gait is how you walk, a gaze is how you look and a grin is how you smile.
Spell Spies
Choose the incorrectly spelt word:
a) trait
b) acquaint
c) complaint
d) gaite
Show answer
d) gaite. Gait ends in t, with no e after it; the e belongs to gate.
Sound Check
Which word does not rhyme with gait?
a) height
b) straight
c) eight
d) weight
Show answer
a) height. Height is said like kite; weight, straight and eight all rhyme with gait.
Word Tally
How many of these words are misspelt?
gait, stride, sauntar, shuffle, ambel, march
a) 3
b) 1
c) 2
d) 4
Show answer
c) 2. Saunter ends in er and amble ends in le; the other four are correct.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Which animal is known for a slow, swaying gait?
a) the sparrow
b) the elephant
c) the hare
d) the cheetah
Show answer
b) the elephant
2. A horse's gait changes from a trot to a gallop when it ____.
a) lies down
b) speeds up
c) stops to drink
d) eats grass
Show answer
b) speeds up
