What does kindle mean?
Word: Kindle
Part of Speech: Verb
Meaning: Kindle means to light a fire, or to make a feeling such as interest or hope start to grow.
Synonyms: light, ignite, spark, arouse
Antonyms: quench
How do you spell kindle?
Syllables: kin - dle
Tricky part: It ends in -le, not -el or -al. The d is said quickly, so a few students leave it out.
Watch out for: kindel, kindal, kinle
Memory tip: Kindle and candle both end in -dle, and you kindle a candle.
Kindle in a sentence
Example 1: Dadaji kindled the Lohri bonfire with dry twigs and cow-dung cakes.
Example 2: The trip to the planetarium kindled Riya's interest in the stars.
Example 3: Wet wood is hard to kindle.
Fun Fact
Kindle reached English from the Old Norse kynda, to light a fire, more than 700 years ago.
Practise the CREST Way
Sound Check
In which word is 'i' pronounced differently?
a) kindle
b) spindle
c) dwindle
d) bridle
Show answer
d) bridle. Bridle's i says its name, like eye; the other three have the short i of kid.
Word Puzzle
Match the words with their meanings:
1. kindle 2. trickle 3. stumble a. to trip and almost fall b. to make a fire start burning c. to flow slowly in a thin stream
a) 1-b, 2-c, 3-a
b) 1-c, 2-a, 3-b
c) 1-c, 2-b, 3-a
d) 1-a, 2-b, 3-c
Show answer
a) 1-b, 2-c, 3-a. A fire is kindled, water trickles down a window, and a person who trips on a stone stumbles.
Spellacadabra
Choose the misspelt word:
a) matchstick
b) flicker
c) lantern
d) cindle
Show answer
d) cindle. Kindle begins with a k, even though candle begins with a c; matchstick, lantern and flicker are spelt correctly.
Spell Spies
Choose the pair which has a spelling error:
a) kindle : kindleing
b) crackle : crackling
c) giggle : giggling
d) twinkle : twinkling
Show answer
a) kindle : kindleing. Kindle drops its final e before -ing, as the other three do.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. In 'The story kindled her curiosity', kindled means ____.
a) put out
b) shut away
c) stirred up
d) calmed down
Show answer
c) stirred up
2. Which word is the opposite of kindle in 'kindle a fire'?
a) extinguish
b) examine
c) expand
d) explain
Show answer
a) extinguish
