What does hemisphere mean?
Word: Hemisphere
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: Hemisphere means one of the two halves of a sphere; especially one half of the earth, such as the Northern Hemisphere, or one half of the brain.
Synonyms: half
Word origin: Comes from Greek words meaning 'half' and 'ball'.
How do you spell hemisphere?
Syllables: hem - i - sphere
Tricky part: The f sound in the middle is spelt ph, so hemisfere is wrong.
Watch out for: hemisfere, hemispere, hemesfere
Memory tip: Picture a photo of the globe cut in two: photo and sphere both spell the f sound with ph.
Hemisphere in a sentence
Example 1: Most of the world's land lies in the Northern Hemisphere.
Example 2: Our science teacher cut an orange into two hemispheres to show us the idea.
Example 3: On a world map, India sits well inside the Northern Hemisphere.
Fun Fact
When it is winter in Europe, in the Northern Hemisphere, it is summer in Australia, in the Southern Hemisphere, because the earth is tilted.
Practise the CREST Way
Spell-o-Spell
Only one of these words is spelt correctly. Choose its meaning:
1. longitute 2. lattitude 3. equater 4. hemisphere
a) distance north or south of the middle line
b) an imaginary line around the middle of the earth
c) either the northern or the southern half of the globe
d) distance east or west of a fixed line
Show answer
c) either the northern or the southern half of the globe. Three slips to spot: equater has the wrong vowel before its final r, lattitude has a t too many, and longitute has a t in place of its d.
Mingle-Mangle
Unjumble the letters in the sentence to form a meaningful word:
The left ehrepihsem of the brain controls the right side of the body.
a) biosphere
b) hemisphere
c) stratosphere
d) atmosphere
Show answer
b) hemisphere. There is no a, t or o in the jumble, which leaves out atmosphere and stratosphere, and biosphere needs a b.
Word Cookie
Insert the correct letters to form a word:
h_m_sphere
a) e, e
b) i, i
c) a, i
d) e, i
Show answer
d) e, i. The first part is hemi, the Greek word for half.
Word Cookie
Find the extra letter in the word:
hemispheare
a) h
b) a
c) p
d) e
Show answer
b) a. Sphere ends in ere, just like here, so the a is the extra letter.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Which country lies wholly in the Southern Hemisphere?
a) Mongolia
b) Portugal
c) Argentina
d) Thailand
Show answer
c) Argentina
2. Which everyday object is shaped most like a hemisphere?
a) an upturned bowl
b) a sheet of paper
c) a new pencil
d) a cricket bat
Show answer
a) an upturned bowl
