What does quicksand mean?
Word: Quicksand
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: Quicksand means soft wet sand that gives way under anything heavy, so that it slowly sinks.
How do you spell quicksand?
Syllables: quick - sand
Tricky part: The k sound in the middle needs both c and k. Children who say the word fast often write only one of them.
Watch out for: quiksand, quicsand
Memory tip: A c and a k hold hands in the middle of this word, as they do in duck and clock.
Quicksand in a sentence
Example 1: The guide told us to stay away from the quicksand near the old bridge.
Example 2: In the adventure story, the camel stepped carefully around the quicksand.
Example 3: Rangers put up signs to mark the patch of quicksand on the beach.
Fun Fact
Adventure films get this wrong: quicksand is denser than the human body, so a person would float rather than sink right under.
Practise the CREST Way
Mingle-Mangle
Form a meaningful word from the jumbled letters:
ksuandciq
a) quantity
b) quicksand
c) quotation
d) question
Show answer
b) quicksand. The jumble has a k, and none of the others does.
Word Makeup
Choose the correctly spelt compound word:
a) quicksand
b) sunflowar
c) waterfal
d) earthquaik
Show answer
a) quicksand. Earthquake ends in ake, waterfall has a double l, and sunflower ends in er.
Word Cookie
Insert the correct pair of letters to form a word:
q_icks_nd
a) u, a
b) u, u
c) o, a
d) u, e
Show answer
a) u, a. The letter after q is u, as so often, and the vowel near the end is a.
Word Cookie
Find the extra letter in the word:
quickesand
a) e
b) u
c) a
d) s
Show answer
a) e. Nothing sits between the k and the s in this word.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Where are you most likely to come across quicksand?
a) on a city footpath
b) in a school playground
c) on a wet riverbank
d) on a dry hilltop
Show answer
c) on a wet riverbank
2. What makes quicksand unlike the firm sand on a dry beach?
a) it is always very hot
b) it has large rocks in it
c) it is bright red in colour
d) it holds a lot of water
Show answer
d) it holds a lot of water
