Basic Details
Word: Settlement
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: A place where people have come to live and build homes; also an official agreement that ends a dispute.
Synonyms: colony, village, agreement, deal
Antonyms: dispute
How to Spell Settlement
Syllables: set - tle - ment
Tricky part: Two t's from settle, then the e of settle stays before ment. Setlement and settlment are the usual mistakes.
Watch out for: setlement, settlment, settelment
Memory tip: Settle stays whole: write settle, with its double t and its final e, and only then put ment after it.
Usage Examples
Example 1: A small fishing settlement grew up around the bay.
Example 2: The landlord and the tenant finally reached a settlement over the unpaid rent.
Example 3: Early human settlements were often built close to rivers.
Fun Fact
Harappa and Mohenjo-daro were large planned settlements of the Indus Valley, with brick drains and straight streets, more than 4,000 years ago.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Makeup
Only one of these words takes the suffix -ment to form a noun. Choose it:
ment
a) destroy
b) refuse
c) settle
d) arrive
Show answer
c) settle. The nouns of the others are arrival, refusal and destruction, so settle is the one that adds -ment.
Word Cookie
Find the misspelt word in the sentence:
Archaeologists working near the river found the remains of an ancient setlement with brick houses, wells and a large grain store.
a) archaeologists
b) remains
c) setlement
d) ancient
Show answer
c) setlement. Settlement keeps both t's of settle; the long word archaeologists is in fact correct.
Word Connection
Pick the synonym of settlement as it is used here:
After months of talks, the two companies reached a settlement outside the court.
a) verdict
b) quarrel
c) agreement
d) delay
Show answer
c) agreement. The talks ended in an agreement; a verdict is given by a judge in court, which they avoided.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. A settlement on a river bank is most likely ____.
a) a kind of fishing boat
b) a festival held in spring
c) a place where people live
d) a fish found in rivers
Show answer
c) a place where people live
2. When you settle a bill, you ____.
a) pay it
b) lose it
c) tear it up
d) print it
Show answer
a) pay it
