Basic Details
Word: Indigestible
Part of Speech: Adjective
Meaning: Hard or impossible for the stomach to break down; also, too heavy or complicated to understand easily.
Synonyms: heavy, stodgy
Antonyms: digestible, light
How to Spell Indigestible
Syllables: in - di - gest - i - ble
Tricky part: The ending is -ible, not -able, and the vowel after the d is i. Students also write j for the g sound.
Watch out for: indegestible, indijestible, indigestibal
Memory tip: Count the i's: in-dI-gest-I-ble, plus the first one, gives three i's and not a single a anywhere in the word.
Usage Examples
Example 1: Fried snacks late at night can be indigestible for many people.
Example 2: The report was full of numbers and almost indigestible for ordinary readers.
Example 3: Plastic is indigestible, so cows that eat it from garbage heaps fall ill.
Fun Fact
Cellulose, the material of plant cell walls, is indigestible for humans and passes through as fibre, but cows can break it down with the help of microbes in their stomachs.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Cookie
Fill in the missing letters to complete the word:
ind_gest_ble
a) a, i
b) i, i
c) i, e
d) e, i
Show answer
b) i, i. Digest is spelt with an i after the d, and the ending is -ible.
Word Connection
Choose the antonym of the word indigestible as used in the sentence:
The leftover rajma was so heavy and indigestible that Dadi refused a second helping.
a) light
b) cold
c) stodgy
d) spicy
Show answer
a) light. A light meal is easy on the stomach, the reverse of indigestible; stodgy means heavy too.
Spell-o-Spell
Only one of these words is spelt correctly. Choose its meaning:
1. indigestible 2. nutritous 3. delisious 4. apetite
a) hard for the stomach to break down
b) the wish to eat food
c) having a very pleasant taste
d) good for health and growth
Show answer
a) hard for the stomach to break down. Nutritious needs an i before ous, delicious has a c, and appetite starts with two p's.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. For people, the most indigestible item here is ____.
a) a rubber band
b) a ripe banana
c) a boiled egg
d) a bowl of dal
Show answer
a) a rubber band
2. A speech described as indigestible is one that ____.
a) is about cooking
b) is too heavy to follow easily
c) is short and funny
d) makes people hungry
Show answer
b) is too heavy to follow easily
