Basic Details
Word: Rumour
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: A story or piece of news that spreads from person to person but may not be true.
Synonyms: gossip, hearsay, whisper, talk
Antonyms: fact, truth
How to Spell Rumour
Syllables: ru - mour
Tricky part: The British and Indian spelling ends in -our. Students write rumer or rumoure.
Watch out for: rumer, rumoure, rummour
Memory tip: Rumour and humour differ only in their first letter, and both end in -our.
Usage Examples
Example 1: A rumour spread that school would be shut on Friday.
Example 2: Never forward a rumour on WhatsApp without checking it first.
Example 3: The rumour of a tiger in our colony started when someone saw a big jungle cat at night.
Fun Fact
A 2018 study by MIT researchers found that false news on Twitter spread faster and reached more people than true news.
Practise the CREST Way
Spell-o-Spell
Choose the meaning of the only correctly spelt word:
1. humourous 2. rumour 3. vigourous 4. labourious
a) funny and amusing
b) a story passed around that may not be true
c) needing a lot of hard work
d) strong and full of energy
Show answer
b) a story passed around that may not be true. Humour, vigour and labour drop their u when -ous is added: humorous, vigorous, laborious. Rumour itself keeps -our.
Word Connection
Choose the antonym of the word rumour as used in the sentence:
The rumour that the bridge had collapsed caused panic in the market.
a) tale
b) hearsay
c) gossip
d) fact
Show answer
d) fact. A rumour may be untrue; a fact is known to be true.
Mingle-Mangle
Unjumble the letters in the sentence to form a meaningful word:
Do not believe every rurmuo you hear in the canteen.
a) murmur
b) humour
c) rumble
d) rumour
Show answer
d) rumour. Humour needs an h and murmur two m's, and rumble has a b, l and e; these six letters spell rumour.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. What is the best way to stop a rumour?
a) forward it to more people
b) check the facts before sharing
c) post it on every group
d) add a few new details
Show answer
b) check the facts before sharing
2. The American spelling of rumour is ____.
a) roomor
b) rumor
c) rumur
d) rumer
Show answer
b) rumor
