What does invert mean?
Word: Invert
Part of Speech: Verb
Meaning: Invert means to turn something upside down, or the other way round, so that it faces the opposite way.
How do you spell invert?
Syllables: in - vert
Tricky part: The ending sounds like urt, so children write invurt or invirt. It is spelt with er, as in expert.
Watch out for: invurt, invirt
Memory tip: Picture an expert chef flipping a pancake. An expert can invert it, and the two words finish with the same three letters.
Invert in a sentence
Example 1: Invert the jar of honey for a few minutes so that it pours more easily.
Example 2: If you invert the number 6, it looks like a 9.
Example 3: In art class we inverted our drawings to check the shapes with fresh eyes.
Fun Fact
In maths you invert a fraction by swapping its top and bottom numbers, so 2/3 becomes 3/2.
Practise the CREST Way
Jumble Tumble
Choose the correct sequence of the jumbled letters to form a meaningful word:
123456 tneivr
a) 452361
b) 163524
c) 425316
d) 425361
Show answer
d) 425361. Taken in that order, the letters give the word for turning something over.
Word Puzzle
Match each word with its meaning:
1. invert 2. inhale 3. invite a. to breathe air deep into your chest b. to ask a friend to come over to your home c. to set a glass down with its rim facing the table
a) 1-c, 2-b, 3-a
b) 1-b, 2-a, 3-c
c) 1-a, 2-c, 3-b
d) 1-c, 2-a, 3-b
Show answer
d) 1-c, 2-a, 3-b. To inhale is to breathe in and to invite is to ask someone over, which leaves the glass turned over.
Spell Spies
Choose the pair which has a spelling error:
a) offer : offerred
b) invert : inverted
c) permit : permitted
d) visit : visited
Show answer
a) offer : offerred. Offer is stressed on its first part, so its r is not doubled.
Sound Check
Which word does not rhyme with invert?
a) alert
b) hurt
c) skirt
d) concert
Show answer
d) concert. Concert is stressed at the start, so its ending is a weak sound, not the strong one in the others.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Hannah inverts an hourglass. What happens next?
a) the glass splits neatly into two halves
b) the sand begins to flow into the other half
c) the sand pours straight out of the top
d) the sand stays still in the bottom half
Show answer
b) the sand begins to flow into the other half
2. Which of these is an example of inverting something?
a) carrying a bucket to the tap
b) painting a bucket bright red
c) turning a bucket over to sit on it
d) filling a bucket with water
Show answer
c) turning a bucket over to sit on it
