What does lectern mean?
Word: Lectern
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: Lectern means a tall, sloping stand that holds notes or a book for someone speaking to an audience.
How do you spell lectern?
Syllables: lec - tern
Tricky part: Lecture leads pupils astray, because a lectern is used for lectures. The word ends in ern, with no u in it.
Watch out for: lecturn, lecturen
Memory tip: Stern speakers stand at lecterns, and both words are spelt with ern.
Lectern in a sentence
Example 1: The principal gripped the lectern and smiled at the new Class 6 pupils.
Example 2: Our debate club borrowed a wooden lectern from the town hall.
Example 3: Standing at the lectern with her notes, Sana felt her nerves melt away.
Fun Fact
Lectern comes from a Latin verb meaning to read, so it is, quite literally, a reading stand. Legible comes from the same verb.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Cookie
Find the extra letter in the word:
lecctern
a) t
b) c
c) r
d) n
Show answer
b) c. One c closes the first beat, as it does in lecture.
Word Cookie
Find the misspelt word in the sentence:
The visiting astronomer stepped up to the lectern, adjusted the reading lamp and thanked the students of Class 8 for their thoutful questions about the rings of Saturn.
a) astronomer
b) adjusted
c) lectern
d) thoutful
Show answer
d) thoutful. Thoughtful is built on thought, with all of its letters kept.
Mingle-Mangle
Unjumble the letters to find the word that fits the sentence:
The host placed her notes on the tecnlre before she welcomed the prizewinners.
a) lectern
b) lecture
c) lecturer
d) lantern
Show answer
a) lectern. With two e's, no a, no u and one r, the jumble fits a single option.
Spell-o-Spell
Only one of these words is spelt correctly. Choose its meaning:
1. auditorum 2. microfone 3. lectern 4. podiem
a) a small platform for a speaker or conductor
b) a large hall for concerts and talks
c) a device that makes a voice louder
d) a sloped desk that a speaker reads from
Show answer
d) a sloped desk that a speaker reads from. Podium ends in ium, auditorium has an i before the um, and microphone takes ph.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Where would you most expect to see a lectern?
a) beside a pool in a sports club
b) at the front of a school hall
c) on a shelf in a kitchen
d) in the boot of a family car
Show answer
b) at the front of a school hall
2. A speaker stands behind a lectern mainly because it ____.
a) keeps the speech in easy view
b) makes the voice sound louder
c) hides the speaker from view
d) stops the hall getting warm
Show answer
a) keeps the speech in easy view
