What does insufficient mean?
Word: Insufficient
Part of Speech: Adjective
Meaning: Insufficient means not enough for what is needed.
How do you spell insufficient?
Syllables: in - suf - fi - cient
Tricky part: The sh sound near the end is spelt with a c and an i. Pupils who write what they hear put sh or ti there, or lose the i altogether.
Watch out for: insufficent, insuffishent, insufitient
Memory tip: Remember the ending with a saying about money that is not enough: Cash In Envelope, Not There.
Insufficient in a sentence
Example 1: A short note was insufficient to explain why the whole team arrived late.
Example 2: There was insufficient water in the tank, so the garden went without a soak.
Example 3: Two days proved insufficient for seeing everything in Jaipur.
Fun Fact
Cricket umpires may stop play when they judge the light insufficient for safe batting, and that is why a Test match can pause on a cloudy afternoon.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Cookie
Find the misspelt word in the sentence:
The volunteers at the inter-school science fair had insuficient space, so the final few teams displayed their models on the library floor.
a) science
b) insuficient
c) library
d) volunteers
Show answer
b) insuficient. A single f is not enough here; the word needs a pair.
Mingle-Mangle
The sentence contains a jumbled word. Choose the word it hides:
Two hours of practice a week is iecfsitnnufi if you want to reach the state finals.
a) indifferent
b) inefficient
c) magnificent
d) insufficient
Show answer
d) insufficient. A u among the letters is the clue here.
Word Connection
Choose the antonym of the word insufficient as used in the sentence:
The hall had insufficient seating for all the parents on Annual Day.
a) adequate
b) scanty
c) sparse
d) meagre
Show answer
a) adequate. Meagre, scanty and sparse all describe too little; adequate means there is enough.
Word Makeup
Only one of these words takes the prefix in to make a real word. Choose it.
in
a) legal
b) sufficient
c) possible
d) mature
Show answer
b) sufficient. The other three take im or il instead.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. A bank refuses a payment because of insufficient funds. What has happened?
a) the bank's branch had closed for the day
b) the shop's card machine was switched off
c) the account held less money than the bill
d) the customer's card had been left at home
Show answer
c) the account held less money than the bill
2. Pick the insufficient amount.
a) ten rupees for a bus fare of twenty
b) fifty rupees for a bus fare of twenty
c) twenty rupees for a bus fare of twenty
d) thirty rupees for a bus fare of twenty
Show answer
a) ten rupees for a bus fare of twenty
