What does mysterious mean?
Word: Mysterious
Part of Speech: Adjective
Meaning: Mysterious means strange and hard to understand or explain, so that it makes you curious.
Synonyms: strange, puzzling, secret
Antonyms: clear
How do you spell mysterious?
Syllables: mys - te - ri - ous
Tricky part: It begins with mys, with a y and not an i, even though you hear a short i sound.
Watch out for: misterious, mysteryous
Memory tip: Mysterious things make you ask why, so keep the y of why near the start.
Mysterious in a sentence
Example 1: The magician's mysterious smile made us wonder about his next trick.
Example 2: We heard a mysterious tapping from the kitchen; it was only the cat.
Example 3: The old fort has a mysterious tunnel that nobody has explored.
Fun Fact
English has used mysterious since the 1600s; it goes back to a Greek word for a secret ceremony.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Connection
Choose the antonym of the word: mysterious
a) obvious
b) spooky
c) hidden
d) unusual
Show answer
a) obvious. Something obvious is easy to see and understand, the reverse of mysterious.
Spell-o-Spell
Choose the incorrectly spelt word:
a) adventure
b) mysterius
c) detective
d) curious
Show answer
b) mysterius. The ending needs an o before the u.
Word Cookie
Insert the correct pair of letters to form a word:
myst_r_ous
a) e, e
b) i, i
c) e, i
d) a, i
Show answer
c) e, i. The vowel after the t is e, and the next vowel is i.
Word Cookie
Find the extra letter in the word:
mysterrious
a) t
b) r
c) s
d) i
Show answer
b) r. There is only one r in mysterious.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Which of these sounds the most mysterious?
a) a locked box with no key and no label
b) a cup of tea on the kitchen table
c) a bus that arrives exactly on time
d) a school bag hanging on its hook
Show answer
a) a locked box with no key and no label
2. A gift arrived for Meera with no name on the card. Why did it seem mysterious?
a) nobody knew who sent it
b) it came on her birthday
c) it was wrapped in red paper
d) it was very heavy to lift
Show answer
a) nobody knew who sent it
