What does spindle mean?
Word: Spindle
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: Spindle means a rod used for twisting wool or cotton into thread. It also means a rod in a machine that turns round and round.
How do you spell spindle?
Syllables: spin - dle
Tricky part: The word ends in le, not el or al: you hear 'dul' but write dle, as in candle.
Watch out for: spindel, spindal
Memory tip: Picture the tall l as the rod and the little e curled at its foot as the thread wound round it.
Spindle in a sentence
Example 1: At the craft fair, a woman spun soft wool on a wooden spindle.
Example 2: Our science teacher showed us a spindle from an old sewing machine.
Example 3: The spindle inside the old fan had to be oiled so it would turn smoothly.
Fun Fact
On the simple spinning wheel that Gandhi made famous, the cotton thread winds onto a thin metal spindle.
Practise the CREST Way
Spellacadabra
Choose the correct option to make a meaningful word:
sp__ndle
a) u
b) i
c) a
d) e
Show answer
b) i. The rod for thread has the short i of spin.
Word Champ
Which of the words cannot be made using the letters in the given word?
spindle
a) spend
b) slide
c) needle
d) lined
Show answer
c) needle. Needle needs three e's, and the given word has just one.
Spell Spies
Choose the option with no spelling errors:
a) cotton, thread, spindle, wool
b) coton, thred, spindle, wool
c) cottan, threed, spindle, wooll
d) cotten, thread, spindle, woole
Show answer
a) cotton, thread, spindle, wool. Cotton has a double t, thread has ea, and wool ends in a single l, so this list is clean.
Sound Check
Which of the following words has the same vowel sound as the first part of spindle?
a) bind
b) build
c) bond
d) bend
Show answer
b) build. Build is said 'bild', with a short vowel; bind has a long 'eye' sound, and bend and bond have other vowels.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Which word best describes the shape of a spindle?
a) round like a ball
b) flat and wide
c) square like a box
d) long and thin
Show answer
d) long and thin
2. Which person would use a spindle at work?
a) someone who paints walls
b) someone who bakes bread
c) someone who mends shoes
d) someone who makes yarn
Show answer
d) someone who makes yarn
