What does uncanny mean?
Word: Uncanny
Part of Speech: Adjective
Meaning: Uncanny means strange in a way that is hard to explain.
Synonyms: weird
How do you spell uncanny?
Syllables: un - can - ny
Tricky part: After the a comes a double n. Writing only one is the usual slip.
Watch out for: uncany, uncanney
Memory tip: A nanny helps out with the double n: both words have it.
Uncanny in a sentence
Example 1: Asha's memory for phone numbers is uncanny.
Example 2: There was an uncanny silence in the usually noisy corridor.
Example 3: The parrot does an uncanny copy of my dad's whistle.
Fun Fact
Robot designers talk about the uncanny valley, an idea put forward by the Japanese engineer Masahiro Mori in 1970: a robot that looks nearly, but not quite, human can feel oddly uncomfortable.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Connection
Choose the antonym of the word uncanny as used in the sentence:
The likeness between the two cousins is quite uncanny, and teachers often mix them up.
a) surprising
b) peculiar
c) ordinary
d) unusual
Show answer
c) ordinary. An ordinary likeness would make nobody look twice.
Word Cookie
Find the misspelt word in the sentence:
Everyone at the chess club remarked on her unkanny ability to predict, several moves ahead, exactly how her opponent would respond to every clever plan on the board.
a) unkanny
b) ability
c) respond
d) opponent
Show answer
a) unkanny. The letter after the un is a c, not a k.
Mingle-Mangle
Rearrange the jumbled letters in the sentence to form the right word.
My dog has an nynancu sense of when the school bus is about to arrive.
a) unhappy
b) unclean
c) uncanny
d) uncommon
Show answer
c) uncanny. The jumble has a y but no p, m or l, which leaves one word.
Spell-o-Spell
Three words in the list are spelt correctly and one is misspelt. Choose the meaning of the misspelt word.
1. uncanny 2. quaint 3. extravagent 4. picturesque
a) pretty enough to be painted
b) odd and not easy to account for
c) spending far too much money
d) charmingly old-fashioned
Show answer
c) spending far too much money. Extravagant takes an a before the nt.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Which situation shows an uncanny likeness?
a) You and your friend both enjoy eating mangoes.
b) A stranger on a train looks exactly like your uncle.
c) Your new shoes are the same size as your old ones.
d) Two buses on one route are both painted red.
Show answer
b) A stranger on a train looks exactly like your uncle.
2. A batter has an uncanny knack of finding gaps in the field. The commentator means that ____.
a) the skill has faded in recent years
b) the skill comes from a new bat
c) the skill is very easy to copy
d) the skill seems too good to explain
Show answer
d) the skill seems too good to explain
