What does quagmire mean?
Word: Quagmire
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: Quagmire means an area of soft, wet ground that is hard to walk through. It can also mean a difficult situation that is hard to get out of.
Synonyms: bog, marsh, swamp
Word origin: Formed in English in the 1500s from two older words for marshy, muddy ground.
How do you spell quagmire?
Syllables: quag - mire
Tricky part: The end causes the trouble. Students hear a long sound and write mier or myer, but the spelling is mire.
Watch out for: quagmier, quagmyre, quagmyer
Memory tip: Mire is an old word for deep mud, and that same spelling closes this word.
Quagmire in a sentence
Example 1: The cattle track had become a quagmire by the end of August.
Example 2: We left our shoes at the edge of the quagmire and walked round it.
Example 3: The tangled paperwork was a quagmire that took a month to clear.
Fun Fact
Some word historians link the word's opening to the shaking of marshy ground underfoot, which gives a vivid picture of how it feels.
Practise the CREST Way
Spell Probe
Find the misspelt word in the sentence and choose its meaning:
Heavy monsoon rain turned the lane behind the dairy into a quogmire, and the milk cart stuck fast near the mango orchard.
a) a piece of land planted with fruit trees
b) a stretch of land that has turned to deep mud
c) a narrow road between houses or fields
d) a small farm building for handling milk
Show answer
b) a stretch of land that has turned to deep mud. The boggy word opens with qua, not quo.
Jumble Tumble
Choose the correct sequence of the jumbled letters to form a meaningful word:
12345678 EMGRUIAQ
a) 85732461
b) 58732641
c) 85372641
d) 85732641
Show answer
d) 85732641. The Q at position 8 opens the word, and its u is at position 5.
Sound Check
In which word is 'qu' pronounced differently?
a) quagmire
b) quiver
c) quiche
d) quench
Show answer
c) quiche. Quiche comes from French and starts with a plain k sound; the others start with kw.
Word Champ
Choose the correct word for the blank:
The club's accounts had become such a ____ that nobody dared to sort them out.
a) quagmire
b) pinnacle
c) paradigm
d) mirage
Show answer
a) quagmire. Only this word gives the picture of a mess that is hard to climb out of.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. What should a hiker expect after stepping into a quagmire?
a) sharp rocks along the path
b) boots sinking into wet ground
c) hot sand under each foot
d) dry leaves crackling underfoot
Show answer
b) boots sinking into wet ground
2. Which place could easily become a quagmire?
a) a sandy dune in a desert
b) a paved car park in spring
c) a rocky hilltop in summer
d) a low field after a flood
Show answer
d) a low field after a flood
