What does headmistress mean?
Word: Headmistress
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: Headmistress means a woman who is in charge of a school.
Synonyms: principal, head teacher
How do you spell headmistress?
Syllables: head - mis - tress
Tricky part: The first part is spelt ea, as in bread, even though it sounds like the e in bed. Children often write hed.
Watch out for: hedmistress, headmistres
Memory tip: After the h, think Every Apple: picture an apple on her desk, and write e and then a, side by side.
Headmistress in a sentence
Example 1: Our headmistress spoke to the parents about the science fair.
Example 2: The headmistress gave prizes to the winners of the drawing contest.
Example 3: When the new headmistress joined, she planted a mango tree in the school garden.
Fun Fact
Many schools in Britain now use the title head teacher, or simply the head, for the person in charge, whether that person is a man or a woman.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Connection
Select the masculine form of the word: headmistress
a) headmistor
b) headmister
c) headmaster
d) headmastor
Show answer
c) headmaster. Mistress and master are a matching pair, so the man in charge has the master title.
Spell-o-Spell
Choose the correctly spelt word:
a) libarian
b) assemblly
c) disipline
d) headmistress
Show answer
d) headmistress. Assembly has one l before the y, discipline needs sc, and librarian keeps the r after the b.
Mingle-Mangle
Form a meaningful word from the jumbled letters:
smerdiahtess
a) headmistress
b) hairdresser
c) headquarters
d) headstrong
Show answer
a) headmistress. Headquarters wants a q and a u, hairdresser has no m, and headstrong needs n, o and g.
Word Cookie
Insert the correct pair of letters to form a word:
headm_str_ss
a) e, i
b) e, e
c) i, e
d) i, a
Show answer
c) i, e. The middle is the word mistress: an i after the m and an e after the r.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Which task belongs to a headmistress?
a) cooking the midday meal
b) leading the school assembly
c) mending the classroom fans
d) driving the school bus
Show answer
b) leading the school assembly
2. A headmistress is to a school as a captain is to a ____.
a) stadium
b) team
c) trophy
d) whistle
Show answer
b) team
