Basic Details
Word: Simile
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: A way of describing something by comparing it to something else using the word like or as, for example as brave as a lion.
Synonyms: comparison
How to Spell Simile
Syllables: sim - i - le
Tricky part: The final e is said as a separate syllable, sim-i-lee, but it is spelt with a single e. There is one m, and similie is a common slip.
Watch out for: similie, simily, simmile, similee
Memory tip: A simile shows that two things are similar. Write the simil- from similar and end with an e.
Usage Examples
Example 1: As busy as a bee is a simile that many children learn first.
Example 2: The poet used a simile to compare the moon to a silver plate.
Example 3: Try to write a fresh simile instead of a tired one in your essay.
Fun Fact
Simile is a Latin word in its own right. It meant a like thing, a comparison, and comes from similis, which means like or similar.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Cookie
Find the extra letter in the word:
simmile
a) e
b) l
c) i
d) m
Show answer
d) m. Simile has the same single m as similar.
Spell-o-Spell
Only one of these words is spelt correctly. Choose its meaning:
1. simile 2. metafor 3. personnification 4. aliteration
a) repeating the same first sound in nearby words
b) describing something as if it were something else
c) a comparison using like or as
d) giving human qualities to things
Show answer
c) a comparison using like or as. Metaphor needs ph, personification a single n after the o and alliteration two l's. That leaves simile.
Mingle-Mangle
Unjumble the letters in the sentence to form a meaningful word:
As cool as a cucumber is a well-known eismil in English.
a) smile
b) simile
c) mile
d) slime
Show answer
b) simile. All six letters must be used, which smile, slime and mile cannot do.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Which of these is a simile?
a) time is money
b) as light as a feather
c) the wind howled
d) buzz went the bee
Show answer
b) as light as a feather
2. Which word usually signals a simile?
a) but
b) like
c) and
d) so
Show answer
b) like
