Basic Details
Word: Inconvenience
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: Trouble or difficulty that upsets your comfort or plans; it can also be a verb, meaning to cause someone such trouble.
Synonyms: trouble, bother, nuisance, hassle
Antonyms: convenience, comfort, ease
How to Spell Inconvenience
Syllables: in - con - ve - ni - ence
Tricky part: Students often miss the i before ence, writing inconvenence, or write vin instead of ven. The ending is ience, as in experience.
Watch out for: inconvenence, inconvinience, inconveniance
Memory tip: Say every syllable slowly: in-con-VEN-i-ence. Ven comes first, then i, then ence, the same ience that ends experience and patience.
Usage Examples
Example 1: The power cut was a small inconvenience, but we finished dinner by candlelight.
Example 2: I hope my late reply has not caused you any inconvenience.
Example 3: Please don't inconvenience your neighbours by parking across their gate.
Fun Fact
Convenience comes from the Latin verb convenire, to come together or to suit, so an inconvenience is something that does not suit your plans.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Cookie
Find the misspelt word in the sentence:
The airline apologised for the inconvenence after thick winter fog at Delhi airport delayed the early morning flight by more than four hours.
a) airport
b) delayed
c) inconvenence
d) apologised
Show answer
c) inconvenence. An i is missing: the word ends in ience, like experience.
Word Connection
Choose the word closest in meaning to inconvenience as used in the sentence:
The roadworks outside our building caused great inconvenience to the shopkeepers for a whole month.
a) celebration
b) profit
c) trouble
d) comfort
Show answer
c) trouble. The shopkeepers were put to trouble, which is what inconvenience means; comfort is its opposite.
Spell-o-Spell
Only one word in the list is spelt correctly. Choose the meaning of that word.
1. frustation 2. inconvenience 3. disapointment 4. annoyence
a) trouble or difficulty that upsets your plans
b) sadness because something hoped for did not happen
c) a feeling of anger at not being able to do something
d) the feeling of being slightly angry
Show answer
a) trouble or difficulty that upsets your plans. Inconvenience is right; disappointment has a double p, frustration has an r after the t, and annoyance ends in ance.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Which of these is an inconvenience rather than a disaster?
a) A lift that is out of order for a day
b) A flood that destroys homes
c) A forest fire
d) An earthquake
Show answer
a) A lift that is out of order for a day
2. We are sorry to inconvenience you. Here inconvenience is used as ____.
a) an adjective
b) a noun
c) a verb
d) an adverb
Show answer
c) a verb
