What does uneven mean?
Word: Uneven
Part of Speech: Adjective
Meaning: Uneven means having bumps and dips, not flat or level; or not equal, with one side bigger or better than the other.
Synonyms: bumpy, rough, irregular
Antonyms: even, flat, level
How do you spell uneven?
Syllables: un - e - ven
Tricky part: The second vowel sound is weak, so children write unevan or unevin; even ends in en.
Watch out for: unevan, uneaven, unevin
Memory tip: In even, the v sits between two e's like the middle of a see-saw: e-v-e. Un tips the see-saw over.
Uneven in a sentence
Example 1: The village road is so uneven that our bike bells ring by themselves.
Example 2: Oliver's handwriting is uneven: some letters are big and some are tiny.
Example 3: The teams were uneven, with eight players on one side and six on the other.
Fun Fact
In Old English, even was spelt efen and meant level or equal. Evening is not related: it grew from a different Old English word, aefen.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Connection
Choose the antonym of the word:
uneven
a) stony
b) narrow
c) muddy
d) smooth
Show answer
d) smooth. A smooth road has no bumps at all, the reverse of an uneven one.
Mingle-Mangle
Form a meaningful word from the jumbled letters:
nevune
a) seven
b) venue
c) unseen
d) uneven
Show answer
d) uneven. Venue is one n short, while unseen and seven both need an s.
Word Cookie
Find the misspelt word in the sentence:
Grandpa planted the tomatoes in uneven rows along the garden fense.
a) tomatoes
b) uneven
c) fense
d) planted
Show answer
c) fense. Fence ends in ce, as hence and since do.
Word Makeup
Choose the correct prefix to make a new word:
even
a) dis
b) un
c) in
d) non
Show answer
b) un. Un gives even the sense of not even, as in a path full of bumps.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Which surface is uneven?
a) a rocky hill path
b) a glass table top
c) a new marble floor
d) a bathroom mirror
Show answer
a) a rocky hill path
2. Grandma cut the cake into uneven slices. What does that tell you?
a) the knife was blunt
b) every slice was the same
c) some slices were bigger
d) the cake was too dry
Show answer
c) some slices were bigger
