Basic Details
Word: Independent
Part of Speech: Adjective
Meaning: Free from the control of others; able to look after yourself without help.
Synonyms: self-reliant, free, self-governing, autonomous
Antonyms: dependent, reliant
How to Spell Independent
Syllables: in - de - pend - ent
Tricky part: The end is ent, not ant. Independant is the mistake almost everyone makes at some point.
Watch out for: independant, indipendent, indepedent
Memory tip: After the first i, every vowel in independent is an e: in-d-e-p-e-nd-e-nt. There is no a anywhere.
Usage Examples
Example 1: India became an independent country on 15 August 1947.
Example 2: My sister is very independent; she travels to college on her own.
Example 3: Green plants make their own food, so they are independent of animals for it.
Fun Fact
More than 190 countries are independent members of the United Nations today, compared with 51 when it was founded in 1945.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Connection
Choose the antonym of the word: independent
a) sovereign
b) reliant
c) self-reliant
d) autonomous
Show answer
b) reliant. Being reliant means depending on someone else, the opposite of being independent.
Word Cookie
Insert the correct pair of letters to form a word:
indep_nd_nt
a) i, e
b) e, a
c) e, e
d) a, e
Show answer
c) e, e. Both blanks take e; independent has no a at all.
Mingle-Mangle
Form a meaningful word from the jumbled letters:
dentnipeden
a) independent
b) indignant
c) independence
d) dependent
Show answer
a) independent. Independence ends in ce and dependent is too short, so the eleven letters spell independent.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. An independent child is one who ____.
a) never leaves home
b) always needs help to dress
c) cries when alone
d) can do many things without help
Show answer
d) can do many things without help
2. Which pupil is being independent?
a) Asha waits for her mother to tie her laces
b) Asha cries until someone opens her lunchbox
c) Asha mends her torn book cover by herself
d) Asha asks a friend to do her sums
Show answer
c) Asha mends her torn book cover by herself
