What does misunderstand mean?
Word: Misunderstand
Part of Speech: Verb
Meaning: Misunderstand means to fail to understand someone correctly; to get the wrong idea about what was said or meant.
Synonyms: misread, misjudge
Antonyms: understand
How do you spell misunderstand?
Syllables: mis - un - der - stand
Tricky part: It is a long word said quickly, so letters in the middle blur. Saying all four beats, mis-un-der-stand, keeps each one in place.
Watch out for: misunderstan, misunderstnd, misundestand
Memory tip: Build it like blocks: mis, then under, then stand. Under and stand are both words you already spell.
Misunderstand in a sentence
Example 1: Please do not misunderstand my silence.
Example 2: Grandma sometimes misunderstands my text messages.
Example 3: The guide spoke clearly so that no one would misunderstand the route.
Fun Fact
Understand is an Old English word made of under and stand, and nobody is quite sure how standing under came to mean grasping an idea.
Practise the CREST Way
Spell-o-Spell
Choose the incorrectly spelt word:
a) misunderstand
b) explain
c) confussion
d) disagree
Show answer
c) confussion. Confusion has a single s.
Mingle-Mangle
Form a meaningful word from the jumbled letters:
nmsdeudistran
a) mistreatment
b) misunderstand
c) misunderstood
d) understanding
Show answer
b) misunderstand. Misunderstood needs two o's, and the jumble has none.
Word Cookie
Find the misspelt word in the sentence:
Many visitors misunderstand the rules of rugby when they watch their first tournamant.
a) visitors
b) misunderstand
c) rugby
d) tournamant
Show answer
d) tournamant. Tournament ends in ment.
Word Connection
Choose the antonym of the word:
misunderstand
a) grasp
b) mistake
c) confuse
d) puzzle
Show answer
a) grasp. To grasp an idea is to understand it fully, the opposite of misunderstanding it.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. When friends misunderstand each other, it usually leads to ____.
a) confusion
b) friendship
c) agreement
d) praise
Show answer
a) confusion
2. A misunderstanding between friends is best fixed by ____.
a) talking calmly
b) running away
c) shouting
d) ignoring each other
Show answer
a) talking calmly
