What does nightfall mean?
Word: Nightfall
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: Nightfall means the time in the evening when the light fades and it begins to get dark.
Synonyms: dusk
Antonyms: dawn
How do you spell nightfall?
Syllables: night - fall
Tricky part: After the i come two letters you never hear, g and h. Pupils who write what they hear end up with nitefall.
Watch out for: nitefall, nihgtfall
Memory tip: Write the letters you cannot hear: a silent g-h waits between the i and the t, as in bright and flight.
Nightfall in a sentence
Example 1: The fishing boats came back to the shore at Kovalam just before nightfall.
Example 2: By nightfall the whole street was lit with strings of tiny lights.
Example 3: We set up our tents early so that we would be ready before nightfall.
Fun Fact
Before clocks and street lights were common, many walled towns closed their gates at nightfall, and late travellers had to wait outside until morning.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Connection
Choose the antonym of the word:
nightfall
a) daybreak
b) midnight
c) sunset
d) evening
Show answer
a) daybreak. Daybreak is when light returns in the morning, the opposite end of the day.
Mingle-Mangle
Form a meaningful word from the jumbled letters:
tlhliagfn
a) nightgown
b) nightshirt
c) nightfall
d) nightingale
Show answer
c) nightfall. Only nightfall can use up the f and both l's.
Word Cookie
Find the misspelt word in the sentence:
The farmers drove the goats back to the village before nightfal so that none of them got lost.
a) village
b) lost
c) farmers
d) nightfal
Show answer
d) nightfal. The ending has a double l, as in small and wall.
Spell-o-Spell
Choose the correctly spelt word:
a) lanturn
b) nightfall
c) twilite
d) horison
Show answer
b) nightfall. Each wrong option shows a slip: s for z in horizon, ite for ight in twilight, urn for ern in lantern.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Soon after nightfall, the bird you would expect to hear calling is ____.
a) a rooster
b) a sparrow
c) an owl
d) a kingfisher
Show answer
c) an owl
2. Which of these do you usually see at nightfall?
a) the sun rising in the east
b) street lights coming on
c) dew drying on the grass
d) children arriving at school
Show answer
b) street lights coming on
