What does galleon mean?
Word: Galleon
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: Galleon means a large sailing ship with several decks, used especially by Spain hundreds of years ago.
How do you spell galleon?
Syllables: gal - le - on
Tricky part: The ending is -eon, not -ion, so gallion is a common slip. Gallon is a different word, so check which one a sentence needs.
Watch out for: gallion, gallean
Memory tip: Picture a pigeon perched high on the mast: the bird's name and the ship's both hide an e before the on.
Galleon in a sentence
Example 1: The painting showed a galleon with tall masts riding a huge wave.
Example 2: My brother built a galleon from matchsticks for the school exhibition.
Example 3: Divers found timbers from an old galleon on the sea bed.
Fun Fact
The Manila galleons sailed across the Pacific for about 250 years, carrying goods between Asia and the Americas.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Twins
Choose the option that fills both blanks correctly:
1. In the museum we saw a wooden model of a Spanish ___ with three tall masts. 2. Mum bought a ___ of paint for the garden fence.
a) galleon/gallon
b) 'galleon' in both
c) 'gallon' in both
d) gallon/galleon
Show answer
a) galleon/gallon. Masts belong to a ship in the first sentence; paint is measured in the second.
Spell Spies
Choose the incorrectly spelt word:
a) gallop
b) gallant
c) gallery
d) galeon
Show answer
d) galeon. Like the other three, the sailing ship needs a double l.
Sound Check
In which word is 'all' pronounced differently?
a) galleon
b) small
c) challenge
d) valley
Show answer
b) small. Small has the long sound of ball; in the others the a is short, as in cat.
Jumble Tumble
Choose the correct sequence of the jumbled letters to form a meaningful word:
nlaoegl 1234567
a) 5372461
b) 4623571
c) 5612473
d) 6327541
Show answer
d) 6327541. Those positions spell the old sailing ship.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. A galleon sailing to Asia would most likely bring back which of these?
a) silks and spices
b) bags of cement
c) plastic toys
d) bicycles and radios
Show answer
a) silks and spices
2. Which job would someone on board a galleon most likely do?
a) climb ropes to tie up the sails
b) radio the port for the weather
c) steer by a satellite map
d) refuel the engine with diesel
Show answer
a) climb ropes to tie up the sails
