Basic Details
Word: Invitation
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: A request asking someone to come to an event or to do something; also the card or message that asks them.
Synonyms: request, invite, call
How to Spell Invitation
Syllables: in - vi - ta - tion
Tricky part: Invite drops its e and takes ation. Students keep the e (inviteation) or write tetion; there is one t in vit and one in tion.
Watch out for: inviteation, invitetion, invitasion
Memory tip: Invite loses its e and takes ation: invit + ation. Count the t's as you write: one in vit, one in tion.
Usage Examples
Example 1: We received a wedding invitation printed in gold.
Example 2: The invitation said the party would start at six.
Example 3: She accepted the invitation to speak at the science club.
Fun Fact
RSVP, often printed on invitations, comes from the French phrase repondez s'il vous plait, which means please reply.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Cookie
Find the extra letter in the word:
inviteation
a) t
b) e
c) i
d) a
Show answer
b) e. The e of invite falls away before ation.
Mingle-Mangle
Unjumble the word in the sentence and choose it:
Did you get an nitavintoi to Rohan's birthday party?
a) irritation
b) invitation
c) invention
d) imitation
Show answer
b) invitation. The jumble has a v and three i's; invention has only two i's, and imitation and irritation have no v.
Spell-o-Spell
Only one word in the list is spelt correctly. Choose the meaning of that word.
1. hesitaition 2. limitetion 3. invitation 4. recitasion
a) saying a poem aloud from memory
b) a request to come to an event
c) a pause before acting because one is unsure
d) a rule or fact that restricts something
Show answer
b) a request to come to an event. Invitation is the only correct spelling; recitation, limitation and hesitation all end in ation.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. If you decline an invitation, you ____.
a) arrive early
b) send a second invitation
c) bring a friend
d) say you will not come
Show answer
d) say you will not come
2. What does an invitation usually tell you?
a) the guest list's phone numbers
b) the price of the gift
c) the place and time of the event
d) the weather report
Show answer
c) the place and time of the event
