What does vortex mean?
Word: Vortex
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: Vortex means a mass of air or water that spins quickly and pulls things towards its centre.
Synonyms: whirlpool, whirlwind
Word origin: A Latin word taken into English unchanged in the 1600s; vertex is another form of the same Latin word.
How do you spell vortex?
Syllables: vor - tex
Tricky part: The last vowel is weak, so students write vortix, and the k sound leads to vortecks. Take care not to confuse it with vertex, a separate word just one letter away.
Watch out for: vortix, vortecks, vorteks
Memory tip: Let one letter do the work: x covers the whole of the last sound, so no k or c is needed.
Vortex in a sentence
Example 1: The tiny vortex in my cup vanished when I stopped stirring the tea.
Example 2: Strong winds lifted a spinning vortex of dust above the dry field.
Example 3: The boat stayed well clear of the vortex near the rocks.
Fun Fact
Weather reports use the term polar vortex for the huge ring of cold air that circles high above each of the Earth's poles.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Twins
Choose the correct option to fill both blanks:
1. A swimmer's paddle left a small ___ turning on the surface of the pool. 2. Each corner of a triangle is called a ___.
a) vertex/vortex
b) 'vortex' in both
c) vortex/vertex
d) 'vertex' in both
Show answer
c) vortex/vertex. Spinning water needs the word on this page; the point of a shape needs its twin.
Jumble Tumble
What is the meaning of the word that can be formed from the given letters?
tovxer
a) a whirling funnel with a hollow core
b) a thin band of cloud at the edge of the sky
c) a long narrow valley cut by a slow river
d) a flat top of land on a high hill
Show answer
a) a whirling funnel with a hollow core. The other three describe land and cloud, not a whirling mass.
Back to the Roots
Choose the correct option:
Vortex comes from Latin. What did the Latin word mean?
a) a flash of light
b) an eddy of water
c) a narrow gate
d) a heavy stone
Show answer
b) an eddy of water. An eddy is a small circling current, and the word has kept that idea of turning.
Word Tally
How many words are misspelt in the given sentence?
Dry leaves spun in a small vortex at the corner of the playground before settling beside the bicycle shed.
a) 1
b) 0
c) 3
d) 2
Show answer
b) 0. Every word in this sentence is correctly spelt, so the count is zero.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Where in a home might you most easily see a small vortex?
a) above the plughole of a draining sink
b) on the surface of a frozen pond
c) behind a mirror on the wall
d) inside a closed and dusty book
Show answer
a) above the plughole of a draining sink
2. Which shape does a vortex follow as it turns?
a) a triangle
b) a spiral
c) a square
d) a straight line
Show answer
b) a spiral
