What does instil mean?
Word: Instil
Part of Speech: Verb
Meaning: Instil means to make a feeling, idea or habit grow in someone's mind little by little, usually by teaching or by setting an example.
How do you spell instil?
Syllables: in - stil
Tricky part: British English ends the word with a single l, and the l doubles only when -ed or -ing is added: instilled, instilling. American English writes it with two l's at the end.
Watch out for: instile, insstil
Memory tip: Fulfil, enrol, distil and instil: in British English this team of four never doubles up the l at the end.
Instil in a sentence
Example 1: Kenji's grandmother tried to instil a love of reading in him by taking him to the library every Saturday.
Example 2: The aim of the road safety talk was to instil good habits, such as always looking both ways before crossing.
Example 3: Kenji hopes to instil the same care for animals in his little sister by letting her help feed the rabbits.
Fun Fact
Instil comes from a Latin verb meaning to put in drop by drop, a neat picture of how a habit or a feeling builds up slowly.
Practise the CREST Way
Spellacadabra
Choose the option in which the following letters will fit in the given order:
i, i
a) l_nt_l
b) t_ns_l
c) p_nc_l
d) _nst_l
Show answer
d) _nst_l. Pencil and lentil need e before the i, and tinsel needs i then e, so only the verb takes i twice.
Word Puzzle
Match the words with their meanings:
1. instil 2. inspect 3. insist a. to look at something closely to check its condition b. to say firmly that something must happen c. to fix an attitude firmly in a person over time
a) 1-a, 2-b, 3-c
b) 1-c, 2-a, 3-b
c) 1-b, 2-c, 3-a
d) 1-c, 2-b, 3-a
Show answer
b) 1-c, 2-a, 3-b. Inspect is about checking, insist is about being firm, and instil is about slowly passing on a feeling or habit.
Spell Spies
Choose the misspelt word/s in the given sentence:
Our swimming coach tries to instil patience in her pupils by making them practise each stroak slowly before they are allowed to race.
a) only practise
b) patience and stroak
c) pupils and practise
d) only stroak
Show answer
d) only stroak. Stroke ends in oke, like spoke and broke; the rest of the sentence is spelt correctly, including practise, the British verb.
Word Champ
In which option are the given words arranged in alphabetical order?
1. instinct 2. institute 3. instil 4. instead
a) 4312
b) 3412
c) 4132
d) 4321
Show answer
a) 4312. All four begin inst, so the fifth letter puts instead first; then l, n and t decide the order of the other three.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. A teacher who wants to instil honesty in her class would most likely do what?
a) keep the whole class in at break time
b) let pupils copy one another's answers
c) always tell the truth about her own mistakes
d) set extra homework for the whole week
Show answer
c) always tell the truth about her own mistakes
2. Which of these is something you might instil in a younger child?
a) a sense of fair play
b) a winter coat
c) a pair of shoes
d) a red bicycle
Show answer
a) a sense of fair play
