Basic Details
Word: Sultana
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: A small, light golden-brown dried grape without seeds, used in cakes and sweets. It is also a title for the wife, mother or daughter of a sultan.
Synonyms: raisin, kishmish
How to Spell Sultana
Syllables: sul - ta - na
Tricky part: Two a's follow the t: ta-na. Students write sultanna, sultena or soltana.
Watch out for: sultanna, sultena, soltana, sulltana
Memory tip: Start with sultan, the ruler, and add an a at the end: sultan + a. Single l, single n.
Usage Examples
Example 1: Nani always tops her suji halwa with a few sultanas and cashews.
Example 2: Razia Sultana ruled from Delhi in the thirteenth century.
Example 3: Sultanas are softer and paler than the dark raisins in the trail mix.
Fun Fact
Sultanas are usually made from pale, seedless green grapes, which is why they are lighter in colour than most raisins.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Cookie
Insert the correct letters to form a word:
s_lt_na
a) a, a
b) o, a
c) u, e
d) u, a
Show answer
d) u, a. It starts with the word sultan, so the first vowel is u and the second is a.
Mingle-Mangle
Unjumble the letters in the sentence and choose the word they make:
The baker pressed one tsanlua into the top of each sweet bun.
a) salami
b) sultana
c) sultan
d) satsuma
Show answer
b) sultana. Sultan is one letter short, and satsuma and salami need an m that the jumble does not have.
Spell-o-Spell
Choose the meaning of the correctly spelt word:
1. almund 2. pistashio 3. cashue 4. sultana
a) a small dried grape with no seeds
b) a curved kidney-shaped nut
c) a small green nut in a shell
d) a flat oval nut
Show answer
a) a small dried grape with no seeds. A packet label would show almond with an o, cashew ending in ew and pistachio with ch; only sultana needs no correction.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. As a royal title, a sultana is the wife or close relative of a ____.
a) sultan
b) scholar
c) sailor
d) soldier
Show answer
a) sultan
2. Sultanas are made by ____ grapes.
a) boiling
b) drying
c) pickling
d) freezing
Show answer
b) drying
