What does mudguard mean?
Word: Mudguard
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: Mudguard means a curved strip of metal or plastic fixed above the tyre of a bicycle or motorbike, which stops dirt and water from splashing up.
How do you spell mudguard?
Syllables: mud - guard
Tricky part: The vowel sound near the end is 'ah', but the spelling is ua, with a silent u straight after the g. Mudgaurd and mudgard are the usual slips.
Watch out for: mudgaurd, mudgard
Memory tip: As you write, think 'g, then u, then a': the silent u always gets in line before the a.
Mudguard in a sentence
Example 1: Oliver's new cycle has shiny red mudguards.
Example 2: After the rainy ride home, my mudguard was covered in brown splashes.
Example 3: Dad bent the mudguard back into shape so it stopped rubbing the tyre.
Fun Fact
Mudguard is the British English word for this part; in American English it usually goes by a different name.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Fusion
Add the correct option to the following to make a new word:
______guard
a) mad
b) mood
c) mudd
d) mud
Show answer
d) mud. Only mud, with one d, joins guard to name the cover on a bike; the others make no word.
Jumble Tumble
Which option has letters that you can rearrange to form the name of a part of a bicycle?
a) drumdag
b) drumdaguu
c) drumdagu
d) dramdagu
Show answer
c) drumdagu. Drumdagu has the eight letters you need, with two d's and two u's; the others have a letter missing, extra or changed.
Sound Check
Which of the following words has the 'ah' sound as in mudguard?
a) cool
b) curl
c) call
d) calm
Show answer
d) calm. Calm has a silent l and the long 'ah' sound; call, curl and cool each have a different vowel.
Spell Spies
Choose the option with no spelling errors:
a) peddal, saddle, mudguard, handlbar
b) pedal, saddle, mudguard, handlebar
c) pedle, saddle, mudguard, handelbar
d) pedal, sadle, mudguard, handlebarr
Show answer
b) pedal, saddle, mudguard, handlebar. Pedal ends in al, saddle has two d's and handlebar has no extra letters, so this is the clean list.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Why is a cyclist glad of mudguards after the rain?
a) Their tyres stay full of air
b) Their clothes stay cleaner
c) Their brakes work better
d) Their bicycle goes faster
Show answer
b) Their clothes stay cleaner
2. Which of these is most likely to have mudguards?
a) a sailing boat
b) a kite
c) a scooter
d) a skateboard
Show answer
c) a scooter
