Basic Details
Word: Pedlar
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: A person who goes from place to place selling small things such as cloth, toys or trinkets.
Synonyms: hawker, vendor
How to Spell Pedlar
Syllables: ped - lar
Tricky part: British spelling has one d and ends in ar. Students often double the d or write er or or at the end.
Watch out for: peddlar, pedlor, pedlur
Memory tip: Start with pedal, slide the a so it comes after the l, then add r: p-e-d-l-a-r. A pedlar on a bicycle pedals from village to village.
Usage Examples
Example 1: A pedlar with a tin box of hair clips and bangles called out in our lane every Sunday.
Example 2: In the old story, a poor pedlar walked all the way to London to follow a dream.
Example 3: Grandma still remembers the pedlar who sold glass marbles outside her school.
Fun Fact
In The Pedlar of Swaffham, an English folk tale, a pedlar dreams he will hear good news on London Bridge, walks there, and is told of a stranger's dream that leads him to treasure buried in his own garden back home.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Cookie
Find the extra letter in the word:
peddlar
a) e
b) d
c) a
d) l
Show answer
b) d. In British spelling the word keeps a single d: ped-lar.
Spell-o-Spell
Read the four words. Choose the meaning of the only correctly spelt word:
1. pedlar 2. bargin 3. merchendise 4. auctionear
a) a person who travels about selling small goods
b) a person who sells things to whoever offers the most money
c) something bought for less than its usual price
d) goods that are bought and sold
Show answer
a) a person who travels about selling small goods. Merchandise, auctioneer and bargain are each missing or changing a letter; pedlar is the one spelt correctly.
Mingle-Mangle
Unjumble the letters in the sentence to form a meaningful word:
The rdlape spread his wares on a cloth beside the temple gate.
a) peddle
b) paddler
c) pedlar
d) pedal
Show answer
c) pedlar. Paddler needs a second d, while pedal and peddle have no r; pedlar is the only fit.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. A pedlar usually ____.
a) repairs bicycles in a big shop
b) grows rice and wheat on a farm
c) teaches children in a village
d) travels about selling small goods
Show answer
d) travels about selling small goods
2. Which person does work most like that of a pedlar?
a) a banker
b) a surgeon
c) a pilot
d) a hawker
Show answer
d) a hawker
