Basic Details
Word: Haste
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: Great speed in doing something, often too much speed, so that mistakes are made.
Synonyms: hurry, speed, rush
Antonyms: slowness, delay
How to Spell Haste
Syllables: haste
Tricky part: The long a sound comes from the e at the end, not from ai or ay. Students write haist or hayst by sound.
Watch out for: haist, hayst, haiste
Memory tip: Haste rhymes with paste and taste and is spelt the same way: only the first letter changes.
Idioms and Phrases
- haste makes waste: doing things too quickly leads to mistakes and lost effort Example: "I rushed my map and had to draw it again; haste makes waste."
Usage Examples
Example 1: In his haste to catch the bus, Vikram left his lunch box on the table.
Example 2: She packed her bag in haste and forgot her phone charger.
Example 3: The decision was made in haste, and the team regretted it later.
Fun Fact
The British saying 'more haste, less speed' sounds like a riddle, but it means that rushing causes mistakes that slow you down in the end.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Connection
Choose the antonym of the word haste as used in the sentence:
The bridge was built with such haste that cracks appeared within a year.
a) rush
b) slowness
c) hurry
d) speed
Show answer
b) slowness. Hurry, speed and rush all repeat the idea of haste, so the opposite is slowness.
Spell-o-Spell
Only one of these words is misspelt. Choose the meaning of the misspelt word:
1. caution 2. hayst 3. leisure 4. patience
a) too much speed in doing something
b) the ability to wait calmly
c) free time for rest or fun
d) care taken to avoid danger or mistakes
Show answer
a) too much speed in doing something. Patience, leisure and caution are all spelt correctly; hayst is the slip, because haste gets its long a from the e at the end.
Mingle-Mangle
Unjumble the letters in the sentence to form a meaningful word:
He wrote the letter in teash, without reading it through, and made three spelling mistakes.
a) hates
b) haste
c) heats
d) taste
Show answer
b) haste. Haste, heats and hates use exactly these five letters, so the sentence decides: only in haste, meaning in a hurry, makes sense. Taste would need a second t.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Doing something in haste usually means doing it ____.
a) with a friend
b) too quickly
c) very carefully
d) for the second time
Show answer
b) too quickly
2. Which job needs care far more than haste?
a) catching a ball
b) running for a bus
c) mending a wristwatch
d) ringing a bell
Show answer
c) mending a wristwatch
