What does nation mean?
Word: Nation
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: Nation means a country and all the people who live in it.
Synonyms: country
How do you spell nation?
Syllables: na - tion
Tricky part: The ending sounds like shun but is spelt tion. The a is long, as in name, with no i after it.
Watch out for: nashun, nashion, naition
Memory tip: Take station, swap its st for an n, and you have nation.
Nation in a sentence
Example 1: Australia became a nation in 1901, when its six colonies joined together.
Example 2: The whole nation watched the cricket final.
Example 3: People across the nation cheered when the spacecraft landed on the moon.
Fun Fact
Nation comes from the Latin natio, meaning birth or a people born in the same place. Native comes from the same root.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Fusion
Add the correct option to the following to make a new word:
nation__
a) al
b) ul
c) ol
d) el
Show answer
a) al. Nation and al together give national, as in national park.
Word Champ
In which option are the given words arranged in alphabetical order?
1. nature 2. nation 3. native
a) 321
b) 123
c) 231
d) 213
Show answer
c) 231. Nation and native match for four letters, so the fifth decides: o before v; nature is last because u comes after i.
Spell Spies
Choose the option with no spelling errors:
a) nation, flagg, anthum, citizen
b) nation, flag, antham, sitizen
c) nation, falg, anthem, citizan
d) nation, flag, anthem, citizen
Show answer
d) nation, flag, anthem, citizen. Only one list is free of slips; the others go wrong on flag, anthem or citizen.
Sound Check
Which of the following words does not rhyme with 'nation'?
a) fashion
b) creation
c) relation
d) station
Show answer
a) fashion. Fashion has the short a of cat, while station, relation and creation share the ay-shun sound of nation.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. A nation's leaders usually meet in its ___.
a) oldest school
b) tallest hill
c) capital city
d) biggest farm
Show answer
c) capital city
2. Which name in this list is a nation?
a) Nile
b) Japan
c) Paris
d) Everest
Show answer
b) Japan
