What does need mean?
Word: Need
Part of Speech: Verb
Meaning: Need means to be unable to manage without something. Plants need water to grow.
Sounds like: knead (to press and fold dough with your hands)
How do you spell need?
Syllables: need
Tricky part: Need sounds exactly like knead, the word for pressing dough, but need has no silent k at the start.
Watch out for: neede, nid, neade
Memory tip: Bakers knead dough with their knuckles, so that word gets the k. The need that means must have starts with plain n.
Idioms and Phrases
- a friend in need is a friend indeed: A true friend helps you when you are in trouble. Example: "Arjun shared his lunch when I forgot mine; a friend in need is a friend indeed."
Need in a sentence
Example 1: I need a sharp pencil for the test.
Example 2: Puppies need lots of sleep.
Example 3: Do you need help with your bag?
Fun Fact
Need is one of the oldest words in English. More than a thousand years ago, in Old English, it also meant hardship and trouble.
Practise the CREST Way
Spell-o-Spell
Choose the correctly spelt word:
a) need
b) nede
c) nead
d) neid
Show answer
a) need. The long e sound in need is written ee.
Word Connection
Choose the synonym of the word:
need
a) require
b) refuse
c) borrow
d) forget
Show answer
a) require. If you require something, you cannot do without it, which is just what need means.
Word Cookie
Insert the correct letter to form a word:
nee_
a) l
b) k
c) d
d) t
Show answer
c) d. Need ends with a d sound, so d fills the gap.
Word Cookie
Find the misspelt word in the sentence:
I need my umbrela on rainy days.
a) my
b) rainy
c) umbrela
d) days
Show answer
c) umbrela. Umbrella has a double l before the last a.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Riya has a cold and a high temperature. What does she need most?
a) a long run
b) rest in bed
c) a late night
d) a cold bath
Show answer
b) rest in bed
2. Choose the sentence that uses need correctly.
a) I need to the market.
b) I need a coat in the cold.
c) We need under the tree.
d) She needs happy today.
Show answer
b) I need a coat in the cold.
