What does variety mean?
Word: Variety
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: Variety means a number of different kinds of things; or one particular kind or type, such as a variety of mango.
Synonyms: range, mixture
Antonyms: sameness
How do you spell variety?
Syllables: va - ri - e - ty
Tricky part: Say every beat as you write: the e in the third beat is the letter most often lost.
Watch out for: varity, variaty
Memory tip: Variety is the spice of life, and a spice box has many small pots: give each of the four beats its own pot as you write.
Idioms and Phrases
- variety is the spice of life: doing different things makes life more interesting Example: "Mum tries a new recipe every Sunday because, she says, variety is the spice of life."
Variety in a sentence
Example 1: The sweet shop has a huge variety of toffees.
Example 2: Our garden grows a variety of herbs, from mint to curry leaves.
Example 3: Alphonso is a variety of mango grown in Ratnagiri.
Fun Fact
The saying variety is the spice of life comes from a poem called The Task by William Cowper, published in 1785.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Cookie
Insert the correct pair of letters to form a word:
v_r_ety
a) a, i
b) e, i
c) a, e
d) e, e
Show answer
a) a, i. Variety grows from vary, so it starts var, and the second beat is ri.
Word Connection
Choose the synonym of the word:
variety
a) pattern
b) quantity
c) assortment
d) shortage
Show answer
c) assortment. An assortment is a mix of different kinds, which is what a variety is.
Spell-o-Spell
Choose the incorrectly spelt word:
a) selection
b) mixture
c) quantity
d) varietty
Show answer
d) varietty. Variety has just one t, right before the final y.
Mingle-Mangle
Form a meaningful word from the jumbled letters:
aerivty
a) vanity
b) variety
c) variant
d) various
Show answer
b) variety. Vanity has an n but no r or e, various ends in ous, and variant has an n and no e or y.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. In 'Basmati is a variety of rice', variety means ____.
a) a kind or type
b) a large sack
c) a way of cooking
d) a price per kilo
Show answer
a) a kind or type
2. A shop with a variety of toys has ____.
a) toys for babies only
b) many copies of one toy
c) toys of many kinds
d) only very costly toys
Show answer
c) toys of many kinds
