Spell Bee Word: Thistle

What does thistle mean?

Word: Thistle

Part of Speech: Noun

Meaning: Thistle means a wild plant with prickly leaves and round purple flowers, whose seeds float away on soft white fluff.

How do you spell thistle?

Syllables: this - tle

Tricky part: The t in the middle is silent: you write it but never say it. Pupils who spell by sound leave it out and write thissle.

Watch out for: thissle, thisle

Memory tip: Say it to yourself as this-tle when you write it, so the hidden t gets onto the page, then drop the t sound when you speak.

Thistle in a sentence

Example 1: A goldfinch was pulling seeds out of a thistle at the edge of the field.

Example 2: Dhruv touched a thistle by mistake and quickly pulled his hand back from the prickles.

Example 3: In late summer the thistle heads burst open and white fluff drifts across the meadow.

Fun Fact

The thistle is the national emblem of Scotland, and the Scotland rugby team wears it on its shirts.

Practise the CREST Way

Word Cookie

Insert the correct pair of letters to form a word:

th_stl_

a) i, e
b) y, e
c) i, a
d) e, e

Word Cookie

Find the extra letter in the word:

thistlle

a) l
b) s
c) h
d) t

Word Makeup

Only one of these compound words is spelt correctly. Choose it:

a) sunflowar
b) thistledown
c) grashopper
d) blackbery

Spell-o-Spell

Choose the incorrectly spelt word:

a) thistle
b) dandelian
c) daffodil
d) nettle

Multiple Choice Questions

1. A thistle's light seeds reach new places mainly with the help of ____.

a) the wind
b) running water
c) falling rain
d) burrowing ants

2. A thistle's purple flower is a good place to spot ____.

a) a crab
b) a bumblebee
c) a tortoise
d) an earthworm