What does intangible mean?
Word: Intangible
Part of Speech: Adjective
Meaning: Intangible means real but impossible to touch, and often hard to describe or measure.
How do you spell intangible?
Syllables: in - tan - gi - ble
Tricky part: The ending is ible, not able. The weak vowel gives pupils no help, so many guess an a.
Watch out for: intangable, intangeble, intangibel
Memory tip: You cannot touch it, so it is impossible to hold, and impossible finishes the same way.
Intangible in a sentence
Example 1: There is an intangible charm about an old bookshop.
Example 2: Trust is intangible, yet a team cannot do without it.
Example 3: The coach spoke of the intangible benefits of playing fair.
Fun Fact
UNESCO keeps a list of the world's intangible cultural heritage: living traditions such as India's Chhau dance, which no museum case could ever hold.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Cookie
Find the misspelt word in the sentence:
When the judges praised the choir, they spoke of an intanjible quality in the singing that no score sheet could record.
a) record
b) quality
c) judges
d) intanjible
Show answer
d) intanjible. The soft sound in the middle of this word is spelt with a g, as in magic.
Mingle-Mangle
The sentence contains a jumbled word. Choose the word it hides:
The warm feeling of belonging to a team is gnltnaibie, yet every player knows it is there.
a) invisible
b) inflexible
c) incredible
d) intangible
Show answer
d) intangible. Look for the g: neither inflexible, incredible nor invisible has one.
Word Connection
Choose the antonym of the word intangible as used in the sentence:
Her cheerful spirit gave the team an intangible advantage over their rivals.
a) abstract
b) unseen
c) elusive
d) physical
Show answer
d) physical. Physical things can be touched, which abstract, unseen and elusive things cannot.
Spell-o-Spell
Only one word in the list is correct. Choose the meaning of that word.
1. abstrackt 2. invizible 3. imaginery 4. intangible
a) based on general ideas and not on real examples
b) present and felt, yet not something the hand can hold
c) existing only in the mind
d) not able to be seen by the eye
Show answer
b) present and felt, yet not something the hand can hold. Imaginary has an a before its ry, abstract ends in ct, and invisible has an s in the middle.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. What might a school be proud of that is intangible?
a) the rows of computers in its lab
b) the new science block on its campus
c) the friendly spirit among its pupils
d) the shiny trophies in its display case
Show answer
c) the friendly spirit among its pupils
2. A shop owner lists everything her business has. Which item is intangible?
a) the stock of rice and flour
b) the good name she has built up
c) the shelves and counters in the shop
d) the delivery van parked outside
Show answer
b) the good name she has built up
