Basic Details
Word: Howling
Part of Speech: Adjective
Meaning: Making a long, loud, wailing cry, like a wolf or a strong wind; as a verb form, crying out in this way.
Synonyms: wailing, roaring, shrieking, yowling
Antonyms: quiet, silent
How to Spell Howling
Syllables: howl - ing
Tricky part: The vowel sound is spelt ow, and the l stays single before ing. Students write houling, or double the l.
Watch out for: houling, howlling, howlin
Memory tip: An owl is hiding inside howl: h + owl. Add ing and you have howling.
Idioms and Phrases
- a howling success: a very great success (informal) Example: "The school fete was a howling success and raised enough money for new books."
Usage Examples
Example 1: The howling wind kept us awake all night in the tent.
Example 2: We heard jackals howling near the village after dark.
Example 3: The baby was howling because his balloon had burst.
Fun Fact
Wolves howl to keep in touch with their pack, and on a still night a howl can be heard several kilometres away.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Connection
Choose the synonym of the word howling as used in the sentence:
The howling storm tore tiles off the roofs all along the coast.
a) gentle
b) mild
c) roaring
d) silent
Show answer
c) roaring. A roaring storm is loud and fierce, like a howling one; gentle and mild are opposites.
Word Cookie
Find the extra letter in the word:
howlling
a) l
b) i
c) o
d) w
Show answer
a) l. Howl ends in a single l, and ing does not double it.
Mingle-Mangle
Unjumble the letters in the sentence to form a meaningful word:
Somewhere in the forest, a pack of wolves kept lowhgin at the moon.
a) glowing
b) growling
c) howling
d) blowing
Show answer
c) howling. Glowing needs two g's, blowing a b, and growling an r, so the h in the jumble points to howling.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Which of these sounds is most like howling?
a) a long, loud cry
b) a soft click
c) a low hum
d) a sharp tap
Show answer
a) a long, loud cry
2. People who are 'howling with laughter' are ____.
a) pretending to laugh
b) laughing very loudly
c) laughing at a sad story
d) trying not to laugh
Show answer
b) laughing very loudly
