What does leeway mean?
Word: Leeway
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: Leeway means the room you are given to act or decide in your own way, or a little extra time or space allowed for something.
How do you spell leeway?
Syllables: lee - way
Tricky part: The long ee sound at the start is spelt with two e's, and students sometimes write only one.
Watch out for: leway, liway
Memory tip: Picture a tall tree with room to sway in the wind; tree and leeway share their double e.
Leeway in a sentence
Example 1: Our coach gives us some leeway on practice days when we have exams.
Example 2: The tailor left a little leeway at the waist so the trousers would still fit next year.
Example 3: Good planners build some leeway into a timetable in case of traffic jams.
Fun Fact
Leeway began as a sailing word for the sideways drift of a ship pushed by the wind, away from the side the wind blows on.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Makeup
Choose the correctly spelt compound word:
a) headquaters
b) leeway
c) lifegaurd
d) earthquak
Show answer
b) leeway. Lifeguard ends in guard, earthquake keeps its final e, and headquarters has an r before the t.
Word Cookie
Insert the correct pair of letters to form a word:
lee_a_
a) w, i
b) w, e
c) v, y
d) w, y
Show answer
d) w, y. The second half is the everyday word for a path or road, as in highway.
Word Connection
Choose the synonym of the word:
leeway
a) pressure
b) freedom
c) limit
d) hurry
Show answer
b) freedom. Leeway gives you room to choose; pressure, hurry and a limit all squeeze that room.
Mingle-Mangle
Form a meaningful word from the jumbled letters:
yeeawl
a) leeway
b) gateway
c) leeward
d) walkway
Show answer
a) leeway. Six letters with no k, g, t, r or d among them: only one option is that short and that free of extras.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. The teacher gave the class some leeway with the project deadline. What does this mean?
a) they could hand it in a bit later
b) they had to start it all over
c) they had to hand it in early
d) they had to work on it in pairs
Show answer
a) they could hand it in a bit later
2. Which rule gives students the most leeway?
a) Use the exact words from the textbook.
b) Finish speaking in exactly two minutes.
c) Speak on the topic written on the board.
d) Choose any topic you like for your speech.
Show answer
d) Choose any topic you like for your speech.
