What does mirage mean?
Word: Mirage
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: Mirage means something you seem to see, such as a pool of water in a hot desert or on a road, that is not really there. It can also mean a hope that looks real but never comes true.
How do you spell mirage?
Syllables: mi - rage
Tricky part: The ending came from French and keeps its soft French sound, 'ahzh'. Nothing in that sound tells you how it is written, so children try to spell what they hear.
Watch out for: miraje, mirahge, mirarge
Memory tip: A mirage fools your eyes, and its ending fools your ears: you hear 'ahzh', but you write the plain word age.
Mirage in a sentence
Example 1: From the bus window the hot road ahead looked wet, but it was only a mirage.
Example 2: Far out on the salt flats of the Rann of Kutch, a mirage made the horizon shimmer.
Example 3: The promise of a long holiday in May proved to be a mirage once the exam dates came out.
Fun Fact
Mirages do not belong only to deserts. Over very cold seas, sailors have reported ships and coastlines that seem to float in the air above the horizon.
Practise the CREST Way
Spell Spies
Choose the misspelt word/s in the given sentence:
The thirsty travellers pointed at a sparkling lake, but their guide explained that it was only a mirrage.
a) mirrage and travellers
b) travellers and explained
c) only mirrage
d) only travellers
Show answer
c) only mirrage. Travellers is right in British English with its double l; the shimmering sight has a single r.
Spellacadabra
Choose the correct option to make a meaningful word:
m_rage
a) a
b) y
c) e
d) i
Show answer
d) i. The first vowel is short, like the one in mitten.
Sound Check
In which word is 'age' pronounced differently?
a) montage
b) massage
c) cabbage
d) mirage
Show answer
c) cabbage. Cabbage ends in an 'ij' sound; the other three keep the soft French ending.
Word Puzzle
Match each word with its meaning:
1. mirage 2. oasis 3. dune a. a green place in a desert where water comes to the surface b. a hill of sand heaped up by the wind c. a shimmering sight that disappears as you come closer
a) 1-b, 2-a, 3-c
b) 1-a, 2-c, 3-b
c) 1-c, 2-a, 3-b
d) 1-c, 2-b, 3-a
Show answer
c) 1-c, 2-a, 3-b. Water is really there at an oasis, a dune is made of real sand, and only the shimmering sight melts away.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. The 'water' in a desert mirage is really ___.
a) water hidden under the sand
b) light bent by hot air
c) dew left on the rocks
d) rain from the night before
Show answer
b) light bent by hot air
2. The team's hopes of an easy win turned out to be a mirage. What does this tell you?
a) the fans could see the game clearly
b) the match was played in a desert
c) the easy win never came
d) the team won by a wide margin
Show answer
c) the easy win never came
