What does inferno mean?
Word: Inferno
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: Inferno means a very large fire that is out of control. It is also used for a place that is uncomfortably hot.
Synonyms: blaze
Word origin: From Italian inferno, from Latin infernus, 'lying beneath' or 'underground'.
How do you spell inferno?
Syllables: in - fer - no
Tricky part: The middle syllable sounds like 'fur' but is spelt fer, so students write infurno or infirno.
Watch out for: infurno, infirno
Memory tip: Picture a fern growing in the middle of a fire: fern hides inside inferno.
Inferno in a sentence
Example 1: Without a fan, the top-floor classroom was an inferno by noon.
Example 2: Firefighters worked through the night to bring the warehouse inferno under control.
Example 3: The furnace at the steel plant glows like an inferno, at well over a thousand degrees Celsius.
Fun Fact
The Italian poet Dante wrote a famous long poem in the early 1300s called Inferno, and its fame helped the word come into English.
Practise the CREST Way
Back to the Roots
Choose the correct option:
This word came into English from Italian and means a very large fire that is out of control.
a) inferno
b) graffiti
c) volcano
d) fiasco
Show answer
a) inferno. A volcano is a mountain that can erupt, a fiasco is a complete failure, and graffiti is writing on walls.
Sound Check
In which word is 'er' pronounced differently?
a) permanent
b) nervous
c) inferno
d) hero
Show answer
d) hero. In hero, er sounds like 'ear'; in inferno, nervous and permanent it is the 'ur' sound of fur.
Spell Spies
Choose the misspelt word/s in the given sentence:
The kitchin of the roadside dhaba was an inferno in May, so the cooks took turns to rest under the neem tree outside.
a) only inferno
b) cooks and neem
c) kitchin and inferno
d) only kitchin
Show answer
d) only kitchin. Kitchen ends in -en; inferno, cooks and neem are all correct.
Jumble Tumble
Choose the correct sequence of the jumbled letters to form a meaningful word:
rnofien 1234567
a) 5246173
b) 3716425
c) 5426173
d) 5246137
Show answer
a) 5246173. Reading positions 5, 2, 4, 6, 1, 7 and 3 gives i, n, f, e, r, n, o.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Which of these is most like an inferno?
a) a small diya at Diwali
b) a candle on a birthday cake
c) a huge fire spreading through a forest
d) a match being struck
Show answer
c) a huge fire spreading through a forest
2. Which sense of inferno is used in 'By noon the bus was an inferno'?
a) a place that is very noisy
b) a place that is very hot
c) a place that is very crowded
d) a fire that is out of control
Show answer
b) a place that is very hot
