Spell Bee Word: sparse

Basic Details

Word: Sparse

Part of Speech: Adjective

Meaning: Thinly spread out, with only a little of something here and there.

Synonyms: scanty, thin, scattered, meagre

Antonyms: dense, thick, plentiful, abundant

How to Spell Sparse

Syllables: sparse

Tricky part: It ends in se, not ce. Students mix it up with scarce, which ends in ce.

Watch out for: sparce, sparese, sparsse

Memory tip: Sparse and disperse come from the same Latin word for scatter, and both end in r-s-e. Scarce is the odd one out with ce.

Usage Examples

Example 1: The crowd at the morning show was sparse, so we sat in the front row.

Example 2: Grandpa's hair has become sparse on top.

Example 3: Rainfall was sparse this year, and the well nearly dried up.

Fun Fact

The Thar Desert has sparse plant life, mostly thorny shrubs and tough grasses, because it gets very little rain each year.

Practise the CREST Way

Word Connection

Choose the antonym of the word: sparse

a) dense
b) scattered
c) scanty
d) meagre

Spell-o-Spell

Choose the correctly spelt word:

a) immence
b) sparse
c) scarse
d) intence

Word Cookie

Insert the correct pair of letters to form a word:

sp_rs_

a) o, e
b) a, a
c) a, e
d) e, e

Multiple Choice Questions

1. A sparse forest has ____.

a) trees packed close together
b) only tall buildings
c) no ground at all
d) trees far apart from one another

2. Where would you usually find sparse traffic?

a) in a city market at noon
b) at a railway station at rush hour
c) on a village road at midnight
d) outside a stadium after a match