What does skeleton mean?
Word: Skeleton
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: Skeleton means the frame of bones that supports the body of a person or animal; also the basic outline of something.
Synonyms: frame, framework
How do you spell skeleton?
Syllables: skel - e - ton
Tricky part: Both vowels before the t are e: skel-e-ton. Skeliton and skelaton are common errors.
Watch out for: skeliton, skelaton
Memory tip: A skeleton has two eye sockets, and the word has two matching e's: one after the k and one before the t.
Idioms and Phrases
- a skeleton in the cupboard: a secret from the past that someone is embarrassed about. Example: "The old film star feared that reporters would find the skeleton in his cupboard."
Skeleton in a sentence
Example 1: The museum has the skeleton of a blue whale hanging from the ceiling.
Example 2: Our science teacher used a plastic skeleton to name the bones.
Example 3: She wrote a skeleton of the story first and added details later.
Fun Fact
A newborn baby has about 300 bones, but many of them join together as the child grows. An adult skeleton has 206 bones.
Practise the CREST Way
Spell-o-Spell
Choose the incorrectly spelt word:
a) skeletan
b) cartilage
c) tendon
d) ligament
Show answer
a) skeletan. The last part is ton, as in cotton.
Mingle-Mangle
Form a meaningful word from the jumbled letters:
tolkesen
a) skeletal
b) singleton
c) skillet
d) skeleton
Show answer
d) skeleton. There is a k and two e's but no a or i, so it is skeleton.
Word Cookie
Find the extra letter in the word:
skelleton
a) e
b) t
c) k
d) l
Show answer
d) l. Skel has one l: skel-e-ton.
Word Cookie
Find the misspelt word in the sentence:
Our teacher used a model skeleton to show how the musles of the arm pull on the bones.
a) skeleton
b) musles
c) teacher
d) model
Show answer
b) musles. Muscles has a silent c after the s.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. What is one main job of the skeleton?
a) to break down the food we eat
b) to carry blood around the body
c) to support and protect the body
d) to send messages to the brain
Show answer
c) to support and protect the body
2. A skeleton staff at an office means ____.
a) staff who work without pay
b) the smallest number of workers needed
c) staff who are new trainees
d) the workers on the night shift
Show answer
b) the smallest number of workers needed
