What does labyrinth mean?
Word: Labyrinth
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: Labyrinth means a complicated network of paths or passages in which it is very easy to lose your way.
How do you spell labyrinth?
Syllables: lab - y - rinth
Tricky part: The letter after lab is y, not i, even though it sounds like a short i.
Watch out for: labrinth, labirinth, labyrinthe
Memory tip: In a labyrinth you keep asking why, why, why? That y sits right after lab.
Labyrinth in a sentence
Example 1: The old city of Fez, in Morocco, is a labyrinth of narrow lanes.
Example 2: We got lost in the hedge labyrinth at the park for twenty minutes.
Example 3: Ants dig a labyrinth of tunnels under the ground.
Fun Fact
In a Greek myth, the hero Theseus escaped the Labyrinth of Crete by following a thread given to him by Ariadne.
Practise the CREST Way
Spell-o-Spell
Choose the incorrectly spelt word:
a) mystery
b) labyrynth
c) tunnel
d) pyramid
Show answer
b) labyrynth. Only the vowel after lab is a y; the last part is rinth, with an i.
Word Connection
Choose the synonym of the word:
labyrinth
a) palace
b) bridge
c) garden
d) maze
Show answer
d) maze. A maze is a puzzle of paths, which is what a labyrinth is.
Word Cookie
Find the extra letter in the word:
labyrrinth
a) r
b) y
c) b
d) n
Show answer
a) r. Say lab-y-rinth: the r starts the last part and is never doubled.
Mingle-Mangle
Form a meaningful word from the jumbled letters:
thryinlab
a) labourer
b) library
c) labyrinth
d) librarian
Show answer
c) labyrinth. Library and librarian have no t or h, and labourer has no y, so all nine letters make only labyrinth.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Why is a labyrinth hard to get out of?
a) its walls are made of glass
b) its floor is always wet
c) its paths twist and turn
d) its gate is always locked
Show answer
c) its paths twist and turn
2. The office building was a labyrinth of corridors. What does this tell you?
a) It had only one long room.
b) Finding the right room was hard.
c) The rooms were very small.
d) Every room was freshly painted.
Show answer
b) Finding the right room was hard.
