What does spruce mean?
Word: Spruce
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: Spruce means a tall evergreen tree with needle-shaped leaves. As an adjective, spruce describes someone who looks neat and smart.
How do you spell spruce?
Syllables: spruce
Tricky part: The soft s sound at the end tempts children to write s and e. Here that sound comes from c and e.
Watch out for: spruse, sprus
Memory tip: A spruce stands in snow and ice all winter. Let the c of ice remind you which letter makes the soft s sound here.
Spruce in a sentence
Example 1: A tall spruce stood beside the winding hill road.
Example 2: The spruce kept its green needles all through the snowy winter.
Example 3: Uncle looked very spruce in his new blazer.
Fun Fact
Spruce wood is light but strong, which is why the front of many violins and guitars is made from it.
Practise the CREST Way
Spell Spies
Choose the incorrectly spelt word:
a) tamarind
b) cedar
c) sprooce
d) banyan
Show answer
c) sprooce. The long oo sound in this tree is not written with two o's; cedar, banyan and tamarind are all correct.
Word Champ
Which of the words cannot be made using the letters in the given word?
spruce
a) super
b) sure
c) pure
d) press
Show answer
d) press. The given word gives you only one s, so press cannot be built.
Jumble Tumble
Which option has letters that you can rearrange to form the name of a tree?
a) cesrup
b) cesrupa
c) cesrip
d) cesrub
Show answer
a) cesrup. Cesrip makes prices, which is no tree, cesrub has a b that does not belong and cesrupa has one letter too many.
Sound Check
Which of the following words rhymes with spruce?
a) horse
b) mice
c) goose
d) face
Show answer
c) goose. Goose has the same long vowel and soft ending, although it is written differently.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Where would you be most likely to see a spruce growing?
a) in a Sundarbans swamp
b) in a hot Rajasthan desert
c) on a cold Himalayan slope
d) on a sandy Goa beach
Show answer
c) on a cold Himalayan slope
2. Aman's father looks spruce on the school prize day. What has he most likely done?
a) slept in his clothes the night before
b) worn his old and muddy garden shoes
c) run all the way there in the rain
d) ironed his shirt and combed his hair
Show answer
d) ironed his shirt and combed his hair
