What does propeller mean?
Word: Propeller
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: Propeller means a set of spinning blades that pushes a ship or an aircraft forward.
How do you spell propeller?
Syllables: pro - pel - ler
Tricky part: The last syllable is only a weak 'uh', so your ears cannot tell you which vowel it uses. Children guess, and they often guess wrong.
Watch out for: propellar, propellur, proppeller
Memory tip: Many machines named after the job they do finish in er, like a mixer or a heater. This one is no different.
Propeller in a sentence
Example 1: The fishing boat's propeller churned the water into white foam behind us.
Example 2: For our science project we made a paper propeller and watched it spin in the breeze from the fan.
Example 3: The old plane's propeller coughed, turned slowly and then became a blur.
Fun Fact
The Wright brothers made their own wooden propellers for their 1903 aeroplane, treating each blade as a small wing that spins.
Practise the CREST Way
Spell Spies
Choose the pair which has a spelling error:
a) wheel : bicycle
b) sail : yacht
c) propeler : ship
d) rotor : helicopter
Show answer
c) propeler : ship. Each pair names a part and the thing it belongs to, but the first word here has lost one of its two l's.
Spellacadabra
Choose the option in which the following letters will fit in the given order: o, e
a) pr_p_ller
b) c_nt_nent
c) m_ss_nger
d) tr_v_ller
Show answer
a) pr_p_ller. Traveller, messenger and continent all need a different first or second vowel.
Sound Check
Which word does not rhyme with propeller?
a) cellar
b) teller
c) collar
d) stellar
Show answer
c) collar. Collar has the vowel of hot, while cellar, stellar and teller all match the stressed 'el' sound here.
Word Puzzle
Match each word with its meaning:
1. propeller 2. rudder 3. anchor a. a heavy metal weight that holds a ship in one place b. a flat piece at the back of a boat, used for steering c. the whirling part that drives a boat through the water
a) 1-c, 2-a, 3-b
b) 1-c, 2-b, 3-a
c) 1-b, 2-c, 3-a
d) 1-a, 2-c, 3-b
Show answer
b) 1-c, 2-b, 3-a. One part drives the boat, one steers it and one keeps it still.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. If a boat's propeller gets tangled in weeds, what will probably happen?
a) the boat slows down or stops
b) the anchor lifts by itself
c) the sails fill with wind
d) the boat starts to sink at once
Show answer
a) the boat slows down or stops
2. Which of these moves with the help of a propeller?
a) a cart behind a bullock
b) a train running on its rails
c) a ferry crossing a river
d) a sledge sliding downhill
Show answer
c) a ferry crossing a river
