What does jinx mean?
Word: Jinx
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: Jinx means a person or thing believed to bring bad luck; as a verb, to bring bad luck to something.
Synonyms: curse, hex
Antonyms: mascot
Sounds like: jinks (a separate word with the same sound; check which spelling a sentence needs)
Word origin: American English of the early 1900s, possibly from jynx, the wryneck, a bird with a strangely twisting neck.
How do you spell jinx?
Syllables: jinx
Tricky part: The ks sound at the end is spelt with a single x; its sound-alike, jinks, is a separate word, so do not mix them up.
Watch out for: jincs, jinxe
Memory tip: A jinx crosses out your luck, so end it with a cross-shaped x.
Jinx in a sentence
Example 1: Don't say we have won yet; you will jinx it.
Example 2: Grandpa laughs at the idea that the number 13 is a jinx.
Example 3: Dev believes wearing new boots on match day is a jinx.
Fun Fact
The wryneck, a relative of the woodpecker, can twist its neck round to look almost straight backwards, and its scientific name is Jynx.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Twins
Choose the option that fills both blanks correctly:
1. The children got up to high ___ at the wedding, dancing on the lawn until midnight. 2. Do not talk about our winning streak, or you will ___ it.
a) jinks/jinx
b) jinx/jinks
c) 'jinx' in both
d) 'jinks' in both
Show answer
a) jinks/jinx. High jinks means noisy fun and is spelt ks; bringing bad luck is jinx with an x.
Word Puzzle
Match the words with their meanings:
1. jinx 2. forecast 3. fluke a. a statement of what is likely to happen in the future b. a lucky chance that nobody planned c. something blamed when things keep going wrong
a) 1-a, 2-c, 3-b
b) 1-c, 2-b, 3-a
c) 1-c, 2-a, 3-b
d) 1-b, 2-c, 3-a
Show answer
c) 1-c, 2-a, 3-b. A fluke is the lucky one, a forecast only tells what is coming, and a jinx gets the blame for bad luck.
Spell Probe
Choose the meaning of the misspelt word in the sentence:
Our captain jokes that he is a jinx because the team loses every match he watches from the pavillion.
a) a building beside a sports ground
b) someone thought to cause misfortune
c) the person who leads a team
d) a game played between two teams
Show answer
a) a building beside a sports ground. Pavilion has one l, so it is the misspelt word; jinx is spelt correctly.
Sound Check
Which word does not rhyme with jinx?
a) thinks
b) lynx
c) sphinx
d) zinc
Show answer
d) zinc. Zinc ends in a plain k sound with no s, while sphinx, lynx and thinks all end in inks.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Dev's sister refuses to say 'we will win' before a match because she fears she will jinx it. She is being ____.
a) forgetful
b) lazy
c) superstitious
d) rude
Show answer
c) superstitious
2. Some fans thought their team's new kit was a jinx. This means they believed the kit ____.
a) looked old-fashioned
b) was made in another country
c) was causing their losses
d) was too expensive
Show answer
c) was causing their losses
