Basic Details
Word: Rascal
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: A naughty or mischievous person, often said in a playful, fond way about a child.
Synonyms: scamp, rogue, imp
How to Spell Rascal
Syllables: ras - cal
Tricky part: The ending is cal, with a c and an a, not cle or kal. There is only one l.
Watch out for: rascle, raskal, rascall
Memory tip: Look at the two halves: ras and cal. Both have an a in the middle, so the word has two a's and no e.
Usage Examples
Example 1: The little rascal hid his father's spectacles in the flour tin.
Example 2: Our puppy is a rascal who chews every slipper in the house.
Example 3: The rascal in the story tricked the king into giving away his crown.
Fun Fact
In the 1300s, rascal meant a mob or the common rabble, not a single naughty person. It came from an Old French word for a crowd.
Practise the CREST Way
Mingle-Mangle
Unjumble the letters in the sentence and choose the word they make:
That little scaral next door hid my slippers under the sofa again.
a) rustic
b) rasher
c) rascal
d) radical
Show answer
c) rascal. Six letters with a c and two a's: rasher has h and e, radical has d and i, and rustic has u and t.
Word Connection
Choose the synonym of the word 'rascal' as used in the sentence:
The rascal from the next lane rang our doorbell and ran away giggling.
a) guest
b) scamp
c) saint
d) hero
Show answer
b) scamp. A scamp is a cheeky, mischievous child, just like a rascal.
Word Cookie
Find the misspelt word in the sentence:
Our pet monkey was a real rascle, stealing bananas from the kitchen and hiding them high in the coconut tree.
a) kitchen
b) rascle
c) coconut
d) stealing
Show answer
b) rascle. The ending is spelt cal, so rascle is the misspelt word.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Calling a child a little rascal usually means the child is ____.
a) extremely quiet
b) playfully naughty
c) very unwell
d) always hungry
Show answer
b) playfully naughty
2. A rascal is most likely to ____.
a) sit quietly all day long
b) play a trick on his sister
c) finish every lesson early
d) tidy the whole house alone
Show answer
b) play a trick on his sister
