What does porous mean?
Word: Porous
Part of Speech: Adjective
Meaning: Porous means full of tiny holes that let water or air pass through.
Synonyms: permeable
How do you spell porous?
Syllables: po - rous
Tricky part: The word sounds as if water could pour through it, so pupils write pourous. Only one u belongs here, and it sits near the end.
Watch out for: pourous, poreous
Memory tip: Water may pour through the tiny holes, yet the word has no pour in it.
Porous in a sentence
Example 1: Loose soil is porous, so the rain vanishes within minutes.
Example 2: Our science teacher dropped ink on a porous tile and watched it sink in.
Example 3: The potters of Kutch use a porous clay for their water jars.
Fun Fact
Pumice is a rock so porous that many pieces of it float on water.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Cookie
One letter in this word is not needed. Find it:
porouss
a) u
b) s
c) o
d) r
Show answer
b) s. Words ending in the common ous finish on a single letter, as famous does.
Mingle-Mangle
The sentence contains a jumbled word. Choose the word it hides:
Chalk is a rpusoo rock, so rainwater sinks straight through it.
a) perilous
b) pompous
c) populous
d) porous
Show answer
d) porous. Two o's and an r, but no m or l: that is the only match.
Word Connection
Choose the antonym of the word porous as used in the sentence:
The builders chose a porous brick so that the wall could breathe.
a) watertight
b) spongy
c) sandy
d) leaky
Show answer
a) watertight. A porous wall lets water through; the opposite keeps every drop out.
Spell-o-Spell
Only one of these words is misspelt. Choose its meaning:
1. absorbent 2. fragile 3. porous 4. britle
a) full of tiny openings
b) hard but easily cracked
c) easily broken or damaged
d) able to soak up liquid
Show answer
b) hard but easily cracked. Brittle has a double t, as little does.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Which item on the kitchen shelf is porous?
a) a steel plate
b) a washing-up sponge
c) a glass tumbler
d) a plastic lid
Show answer
b) a washing-up sponge
2. Water stays cool in an unglazed clay pot because its porous walls ____.
a) let a little water seep and evaporate
b) keep the cooler air trapped inside
c) stop any air from touching the water
d) block every ray of the morning sun
Show answer
a) let a little water seep and evaporate
