What does halibut mean?
Word: Halibut
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: Halibut means a very large flat fish of cold northern seas. It lies on its side on the sea floor, with both eyes on the upper side of its head.
Word origin: From Middle English: the second part of the old word meant a flat fish, which is just what a halibut is.
How do you spell halibut?
Syllables: hal - i - but
Tricky part: The last part is spelt but, like the little word, not bat or bit. Children who spell by sound often get that vowel wrong.
Watch out for: halibute, halibat, halibit
Memory tip: It ends with the little word but: a halibut is huge, but flat. Hold on to that but and the ending takes care of itself.
Halibut in a sentence
Example 1: The fishermen needed two people to lift the giant halibut onto the deck.
Example 2: A halibut lay flat on the sand, waiting for a small fish to swim past.
Example 3: We read that some halibut can grow longer than a grown-up man.
Fun Fact
A baby halibut swims upright with one eye on each side, but as it grows, one eye slowly moves across so both end up on the same side.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Cookie
Insert the correct pair of letters to form a word:
h_l_but
a) a, i
b) a, a
c) e, i
d) e, a
Show answer
a) a, i. The first vowel is a, as in hat, and the one after the l is i.
Mingle-Mangle
Form a meaningful word from the jumbled letters:
tubliah
a) alibi
b) habitual
c) built
d) halibut
Show answer
d) halibut. Habitual needs a second a, and alibi and built leave letters over, so all seven letters spell halibut.
Spell-o-Spell
Choose the incorrectly spelt word:
a) hallibut
b) lobster
c) swordfish
d) anchovy
Show answer
a) hallibut. This flat fish has only one l.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. A halibut is dark on top and white underneath. Why does the dark side face up?
a) so other fish can find it
b) so its eggs stay safe and dry
c) so it is hard to spot from above
d) so it can soak up warm sunlight
Show answer
c) so it is hard to spot from above
2. A halibut is a flatfish. Which of these is also a flatfish?
a) tuna
b) sole
c) eel
d) shark
Show answer
b) sole
