What does misdeed mean?
Word: Misdeed
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: Misdeed means an action that is wrong or naughty, such as breaking a rule.
Word origin: An Old English word, misdaed, which has been in use for more than a thousand years.
How do you spell misdeed?
Syllables: mis - deed
Tricky part: The 'ee' sound in the second syllable is a double e, so misded, misdead and misdeid are wrong.
Watch out for: misded, misdead, misdeid
Memory tip: Two e's in misdeed, like two eyes that saw the naughty act.
Misdeed in a sentence
Example 1: Grandma always forgave our little misdeeds, like sneaking an extra spoonful of mango pickle.
Example 2: The cat's misdeed was easy to spot: a broken flowerpot and muddy pawprints on the floor.
Example 3: In the story, the prince makes up for his misdeeds by helping the villagers rebuild the well.
Fun Fact
The mis- in misdeed is the same prefix as in misplace and mislead, but the word mistake is not an Old English word at all: it came into English from Old Norse.
Practise the CREST Way
Spell Spies
Choose the misspelt word/s in the given sentence:
Rohan owned up to his misdeed: he had eaten the last ladoo and hidden the empty box behind the cuboard.
a) only misdeed
b) misdeed and cuboard
c) hidden and cuboard
d) only cuboard
Show answer
d) only cuboard. Cupboard is cup + board, and the p stays though it is not heard.
Spellacadabra
Choose the misspelt word:
a) misspell
b) missdeed
c) mislead
d) misspent
Show answer
b) missdeed. Mis- joins deed with one s; misspell and misspent have two only because spell and spent begin with s.
Word Puzzle
Match the words with the correct options:
1. misdeed 2. apology 3. pardon a. forgiveness for a mistake b. a wrong or naughty action c. words saying that you are sorry
a) 1-b, 2-a, 3-c
b) 1-c, 2-b, 3-a
c) 1-a, 2-c, 3-b
d) 1-b, 2-c, 3-a
Show answer
d) 1-b, 2-c, 3-a. A misdeed is the wrong act, an apology is the sorry message, and a pardon is the forgiveness that follows.
Word Champ
In which option are the given words arranged in alphabetical order?
1. miser 2. misdeed 3. misery 4. misdirect
a) 4213
b) 2143
c) 2413
d) 2431
Show answer
c) 2413. All four start m-i-s; misdeed (d-e) comes before misdirect (d-i), and miser comes before misery because it is shorter.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Which of these is a misdeed?
a) helping a friend with homework
b) drawing on the classroom wall
c) returning a library book on time
d) watering the school garden
Show answer
b) drawing on the classroom wall
2. Another word for a misdeed is a ___.
a) promise
b) kindness
c) holiday
d) wrongdoing
Show answer
d) wrongdoing
