What does pittance mean?
Word: Pittance
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: Pittance means an amount of money so small that it is hardly worth having, especially as pay.
How do you spell pittance?
Syllables: pit - tance
Tricky part: The t is doubled, although the related word pity has only one, so a t often goes missing.
Watch out for: pitance, pittanse, pittants
Memory tip: Two t's, like two small coins: a pittance is barely more than two coins in your hand.
Pittance in a sentence
Example 1: The farm hands were paid a pittance at harvest time.
Example 2: He bought the old bicycle for a pittance and spent the summer repairing it.
Example 3: Saving even a pittance each week taught Divya to look after money.
Fun Fact
Pittance goes back through Old French to the same Latin word as pity. Long ago it meant a small portion of food handed out as a kindness.
Practise the CREST Way
Spell-o-Spell
One of these words is spelt right. Pick the meaning of that word.
1. pittance 2. conscientous 3. remunaration 4. extravagent
a) small pay that no one would be happy with
b) spending far more than is sensible
c) money paid in return for work
d) careful to do a task well and thoroughly
Show answer
a) small pay that no one would be happy with. Remuneration has an e after the n, conscientious keeps an i before the ous, and extravagant ends in ant.
Word Cookie
Find the misspelt word in the sentence:
The young apprentice accepted a pittence in his opening year because he wanted to learn the trade from the finest tailor in town.
a) pittence
b) apprentice
c) tailor
d) accepted
Show answer
a) pittence. This noun takes the same ending as distance, not the ending of silence.
Mingle-Mangle
The sentence contains a jumbled word. Choose the word it hides:
Many street musicians earn only a apetinct for hours of playing in the cold.
a) premium
b) payment
c) pension
d) pittance
Show answer
d) pittance. The jumble holds two t's and a c, which only one choice can use.
Word Connection
Choose the antonym of the word pittance as used in the sentence:
The young artist sold her earliest painting for a pittance at the town fair.
a) allowance
b) fortune
c) trifle
d) stipend
Show answer
b) fortune. The sale brought in very little, so the opposite must be a huge sum.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Someone calls their wage a pittance. How do they feel about it?
a) proud of how fast it has grown
b) curious about how it is taxed
c) unhappy that it is so low
d) relieved that it arrives on time
Show answer
c) unhappy that it is so low
2. Which payment would a newspaper most likely describe as a pittance?
a) Rs 20,000 for a week's consulting
b) Rs 50 for a full day of farm work
c) Rs 900 for an hour of tuition
d) Rs 5,000 for a short photo shoot
Show answer
b) Rs 50 for a full day of farm work
