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Spell Bee Word: Onus


Basic Details

Word: Onus

Part of Speech: Noun

Meaning: The duty or responsibility for doing something. People often say the onus is on someone.

Synonyms: responsibility, burden, duty, obligation

How to Spell Onus

Syllables: o - nus

Tricky part: It ends in us, not ous. The o at the start is long, as in open.

Watch out for: onous, ownus, onuss

Memory tip: The onus is on us: the word ends with us.

Idioms and Phrases

  1. the onus is on (someone): It is that person's duty or responsibility. Example: "You broke the vase, so the onus is on you to tell Mumma."

Usage Examples

Example 1: The onus of planning the class trip fell on the monitors.

Example 2: With the captain injured, the onus was on the young bowler.

Example 3: Parents share the onus of keeping children safe on the road.

Fun Fact

Onus is a Latin word that meant a load or burden, and English uses it without any change.

Practise the CREST Way

Spellacadabra

Choose the misspelt word:

a) bonus
b) onous
c) census
d) chorus

Show answer

b) onous. Onus ends in us, just like bonus, census and chorus.

Sound Check

Which word rhymes with onus?

a) bonus
b) census
c) minus
d) focus

Show answer

a) bonus. Bonus has the same long o and the same nus ending; minus and census start with other vowels, and focus ends in cus.

Word Tally

How many words are misspelt in the sentence?

With Papa away on work, the onus was on my elder brother to water the plants and feed the goldfish until Wensday.

a) 0
b) 2
c) 1
d) 3

Show answer

c) 1. Wednesday has a silent d after the We; the rest of the sentence is fine.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Which word could replace onus in 'The onus of cooking fell on Raju'?

a) feast
b) hunger
c) duty
d) recipe

Show answer

c) duty

2. If the onus is on you, you ____.

a) have won it
b) must deal with it
c) can sell it
d) may forget it

Show answer

b) must deal with it

Associated Words

ultrasonicblatantevilforerunnersurreal
inhospitablecolumnistunkemptdignifyadulterated

Next steps

How to participate in CREST International Spell Bee

The CREST International Spell Bee (CSB) is conducted in two editions – CREST International Spell Bee - Summer (CSB) and CREST International Spell Bee - Winter (CSBW) – giving students across the globe an opportunity to showcase and enhance their spelling proficiency. Designed for young learners from Senior KG to Class 8, the competition focuses on word-building, pronunciation, and vocabulary enrichment, helping students develop strong linguistic skills.

Steps to Participate:

Step 1: Visit the registration page and complete the registration with your desired subject.

Step 2: After Registration done, do login at www.crestolympiads.com/login.

Step 3: After login, go to dashboard and click on Book slot/Take Exam

Step 4: Schedule your exam date and preferred time.

Step 5: Log in with your credentials on the exam day at the scheduled time and take the exam.

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