What does piranha mean?
Word: Piranha
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: Piranha means a small freshwater fish of South America with very sharp teeth.
How do you spell piranha?
Syllables: pi - ra - nha
Tricky part: The h near the end makes no sound, so pupils leave it out or put it in the wrong place.
Watch out for: pirana, piranah, pirahna
Memory tip: Imagine the fish laughing ha at everyone who forgets the silent letter in its name.
Piranha in a sentence
Example 1: Rohan drew a piranha for his project on Amazon wildlife.
Example 2: Our biology teacher showed us a close-up photograph of a piranha's jaw.
Example 3: The guidebook lists the piranha among the fish of the Amazon basin.
Fun Fact
The name reached English through Portuguese from Tupi, a South American language, and is often explained as meaning toothed fish.
Practise the CREST Way
Spell-o-Spell
Only one word in the list is correct. Choose the meaning of that word.
1. platipus 2. porcupene 3. chimpanze 4. piranha
a) a toothy fish of Amazon waters
b) an egg-laying Australian mammal with a bill like a duck's
c) a rodent covered in long sharp spines
d) an intelligent African ape
Show answer
a) a toothy fish of Amazon waters. Piranha is right as it stands; platypus, chimpanzee and porcupine are the proper forms of the others.
Word Cookie
Insert the correct pair of letters to form a word:
p_r_nha
a) e, a
b) i, a
c) i, o
d) a, i
Show answer
b) i, a. The name starts like the word pick, and the stressed sound in the middle is the a of father.
Word Cookie
Find the extra letter in the word:
pirranha
a) a
b) h
c) n
d) r
Show answer
d) r. Portuguese gave English this name with one r, and it has stayed that way.
Mingle-Mangle
Unjumble the letters in the sentence to form a meaningful word:
The guide at the aquarium pointed out a rahnpai darting among the reeds.
a) python
b) piranha
c) pelican
d) pangolin
Show answer
b) piranha. Only one choice is made of these letters: note the h and the two a's.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. What do a piranha and a salmon have in common?
a) both give birth to live young
b) both feed only on plants
c) both spend their lives at sea
d) both breathe through gills
Show answer
d) both breathe through gills
2. Where would you be most likely to find a piranha living wild?
a) in a salty lagoon in Australia
b) in a cold mountain lake in Norway
c) in a shallow coral reef off Fiji
d) in a warm, slow river in Brazil
Show answer
d) in a warm, slow river in Brazil
