What does gravel mean?
Word: Gravel
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: Gravel means small stones used to cover paths and roads.
How do you spell gravel?
Syllables: grav - el
Tricky part: The word ends in el, not le, and that ending is hard to hear. Gravle is a common slip.
Watch out for: gravle, gravul
Memory tip: Say the end of the word as the name of the letter l: the e comes first, just as it does in that name.
Gravel in a sentence
Example 1: The gardener spread fresh gravel along the path to the gate.
Example 2: Small bits of gravel got stuck in my sandal.
Example 3: The lorry tipped a heap of gravel beside the new school building.
Fun Fact
The word came into English from Old French, where it grew out of a word for a shore, the kind of place covered in small stones.
Practise the CREST Way
Jumble Tumble
Choose the correct sequence of the jumbled letters to form a meaningful word:
vrgela 123456
a) 326514
b) 326145
c) 261534
d) 413265
Show answer
b) 326145. Taken in this order, the letters give the word for small stones on a path.
Spellacadabra
From which option does a letter need to be removed to make a meaningful word?
a) gravvel
b) pebble
c) concrete
d) cement
Show answer
a) gravvel. One v must go, because the word has a single v.
Sound Check
Which of the following words rhymes with the given word?
gravel
a) travel
b) level
c) shovel
d) marvel
Show answer
a) travel. Travel has the same short a; the others look alike but sound different.
Word Champ
Choose the correct word for the blank:
The wheels crunched over the ___ as the car turned into the farmhouse yard.
a) shovel
b) level
c) grovel
d) gravel
Show answer
d) gravel. Tyres crunch over loose stones, and that is the only word here that fits.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Why do builders add gravel when they mix concrete?
a) to make it smell clean
b) to change its colour
c) to make it softer
d) to make it stronger
Show answer
d) to make it stronger
2. Out of these, what is made of bits smaller than gravel?
a) logs
b) sand
c) bricks
d) boulders
Show answer
b) sand
