What does principal mean?
Word: Principal
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: Principal means the person in charge of a school. As an adjective, principal means main or most important.
Sounds like: principle (a rule or belief that guides how you act)
How do you spell principal?
Syllables: prin - ci - pal
Tricky part: The ending is -pal, not -ple or -pel. Children mix it up with principle, which means a rule you believe in.
Watch out for: principel, principall, principul
Memory tip: The principal of your school should be your pal, so the word ends in pal.
Principal in a sentence
Example 1: Our principal speaks at the morning assembly every Monday.
Example 2: The principal gave prizes to the winners of the quiz.
Example 3: Rice is the principal food in many homes in Kerala.
Fun Fact
Principal has a money meaning too: it is the sum you first borrow or save, before any interest is added.
Practise the CREST Way
Spell-o-Spell
Choose the incorrectly spelt word:
a) prinsipal
b) playground
c) assembly
d) certificate
Show answer
a) prinsipal. The soft sound in the middle of principal is written with a c, not an s.
Word Cookie
Insert the correct pair of letters to form a word:
pr_nc_pal
a) i, i
b) i, a
c) i, e
d) e, i
Show answer
a) i, i. Both missing letters are i: prin-ci-pal.
Mingle-Mangle
Form a meaningful word from the jumbled letters:
nlipcarip
a) pricnipal
b) principal
c) pirncipal
d) prinicpal
Show answer
b) principal. Pirncipal, prinicpal and pricnipal all end in pal, but two letters have swapped places.
Word Connection
Choose the synonym of the word:
principal
a) librarian
b) caretaker
c) classmate
d) headteacher
Show answer
d) headteacher. In British English, the person who runs a school is often called the headteacher.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Which sentence uses principal correctly?
a) Honesty is a principal I follow.
b) Kindness is my first principal.
c) The principal opened the sports day.
d) He is a man of strong principal.
Show answer
c) The principal opened the sports day.
2. Which of these would a principal most likely do?
a) repair a leaking tap
b) sign the report cards
c) fly a passenger plane
d) sell vegetables at a stall
Show answer
b) sign the report cards
