What does substantiate mean?
Word: Substantiate
Part of Speech: Verb
Meaning: Substantiate means to show with evidence that something is true.
Synonyms: corroborate
How do you spell substantiate?
Syllables: sub - stan - ti - ate
Tricky part: The sh sound in the middle is spelt ti, as in initial. Pupils try sh, c or s instead.
Watch out for: substanshiate, substanciate, substansiate
Memory tip: Say the word next to initial. The soft sh in both is written the same way.
Substantiate in a sentence
Example 1: Can you substantiate what you said about the school's old records?
Example 2: The team used satellite photos to substantiate their report on the glacier.
Example 3: Without figures, Farhan could not substantiate his point in the debate.
Fun Fact
When it first appeared in the 1600s, the word meant to give something real, solid form. The sense of backing up a claim with evidence came later.
Practise the CREST Way
Spell-o-Spell
Only one word in the list is spelt correctly. Choose the meaning of that word.
1. hypothisis 2. obzervation 3. substantiate 4. experament
a) a test carried out to learn something
b) the careful noting of what you see
c) an idea that has yet to be tested
d) to back up what you say using solid facts
Show answer
d) to back up what you say using solid facts. Hypothesis, experiment and observation each have a wrong letter in the list.
Word Connection
Choose the antonym of the word substantiate as used in the sentence:
Zoya used three years of rainfall records to substantiate her claim in the science debate.
a) confirm
b) verify
c) disprove
d) support
Show answer
c) disprove. Three choices would strengthen Zoya's claim; this one would knock it down.
Mingle-Mangle
The sentence contains a jumbled word. Choose the word it hides:
The young reporter needed photographs to aitesbtnusta her story about the rare bird.
a) substantial
b) substitution
c) obstinate
d) substantiate
Show answer
d) substantiate. Three t's, two s's and two a's are all there, with an e and no l or o.
Word Cookie
Insert the correct three letters to form a word:
s_bst_ntia_e
a) u, a, t
b) u, e, t
c) u, a, d
d) a, a, t
Show answer
a) u, a, t. The prefix is sub, the next vowel is a, and the verb closes with ate.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. What would best substantiate a claim that a student won a chess trophy?
a) a dated photo of the prize ceremony
b) a promise to win the next match
c) a wish written in a private diary
d) a rumour heard in the school canteen
Show answer
a) a dated photo of the prize ceremony
2. A historian cannot substantiate an old story about a lost palace. What does this mean?
a) She has been told not to tell it
b) She has heard it told many times
c) She has found too many records to read
d) She has found no records to support it
Show answer
d) She has found no records to support it
