What does odyssey mean?
Word: Odyssey
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: Odyssey means a long trip full of adventures and difficulties.
Synonyms: quest, expedition
Word origin: From the Odyssey, a long Greek poem by Homer about the hero Odysseus and his ten-year struggle to sail home to his island, Ithaca.
How do you spell odyssey?
Syllables: od - ys - sey
Tricky part: The vowel straight after the d is a y, not an i, and the s in the middle is doubled.
Watch out for: odissey, odysey, odessey
Memory tip: Picture the hero's ship: two y's stand like masts, one near the front and one at the back, with the double s as sails between them.
Odyssey in a sentence
Example 1: Their trip across Canada by train became a real odyssey.
Example 2: The lost kitten's odyssey ended when it found its way home.
Example 3: The film tells of a family's odyssey through the mountains.
Fun Fact
The Romans called the hero of the poem Ulixes, which became Ulysses in English, and that name appears in many books, ships and even a space probe.
Practise the CREST Way
Spell-o-Spell
Choose the incorrectly spelt word:
a) odyssy
b) adventure
c) character
d) mythology
Show answer
a) odyssy. Odyssey ends in ey, so the e before the last y cannot be left out.
Word Cookie
Find the extra letter in the word:
oddyssey
a) o
b) s
c) d
d) y
Show answer
c) d. Odyssey has one d; the double letters are the s's.
Word Connection
Choose the synonym of the word: odyssey
a) treasure
b) voyage
c) harbour
d) mystery
Show answer
b) voyage. A voyage is a long trip, especially by sea, just like an odyssey.
Mingle-Mangle
Form a meaningful word from the jumbled letters:
ysodyes
a) osprey
b) oyster
c) odyssey
d) oddity
Show answer
c) odyssey. Oddity, osprey and oyster each need a letter that is not here, such as an i, a p or an r.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Daniel called his trip an odyssey. It was probably ____.
a) a quick visit to a neighbour
b) a short ride to the market
c) an hour at the local park
d) a month-long trek through the hills
Show answer
d) a month-long trek through the hills
2. In which sentence is odyssey used well?
a) We sang an odyssey at the school assembly.
b) After a twelve-hour odyssey, the bus finally reached Leh.
c) The teacher gave us an odyssey to solve in maths.
d) Please put the odyssey back on the top shelf.
Show answer
b) After a twelve-hour odyssey, the bus finally reached Leh.
