Basic Details
Word: Wafted
Part of Speech: Verb
Meaning: Was carried gently through the air, usually said of a smell, a sound or a light breeze.
Synonyms: drifted, floated, carried
How to Spell Wafted
Syllables: waft - ed
Tricky part: Waft has an a that sounds like the o in soft, and only one f. Students write wofted or waffted.
Watch out for: wofted, waffted, waftted
Memory tip: Change the r of raft to a w and you have waft, though the two do not rhyme. A smell wafts across a room the way a raft drifts across a pond.
Usage Examples
Example 1: The smell of fresh jalebis wafted across the street from the sweet shop.
Example 2: Soft music wafted up from the garden below.
Example 3: A cool breeze wafted through the open window of the train.
Fun Fact
A smell can reach you from the next room because tiny particles from its source spread through the air until some of them reach your nose.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Connection
Choose the synonym of the word wafted as used in the sentence:
The scent of jasmine wafted through the courtyard after the evening rain had cooled the air.
a) drifted
b) crashed
c) rushed
d) dripped
Show answer
a) drifted. A scent moves gently and slowly through the air, so it drifted rather than rushed.
Word Cookie
Find the extra letter in the word:
waffted
a) d
b) t
c) f
d) a
Show answer
c) f. Waft has a single f, so one f is enough before the t.
Spell-o-Spell
Only one of these words is spelt correctly. Choose its meaning:
1. glidded 2. hovverred 3. fluttred 4. wafted
a) moved smoothly and quietly
b) stayed in one place in the air
c) moved the wings quickly and lightly
d) carried gently through the air
Show answer
d) carried gently through the air. Fluttered keeps the e before the r, hovered has one v and one r, and glided has a single d before -ed.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Which of these could have wafted into the classroom?
a) a falling brick
b) a parked school bus
c) the smell of rain
d) a heavy wooden desk
Show answer
c) the smell of rain
2. Which sentence uses wafted correctly?
a) She wafted her exam answers in blue ink.
b) The aroma of coffee wafted from the kitchen.
c) The car wafted into the wall at high speed.
d) He wafted the heavy suitcase up the stairs.
Show answer
b) The aroma of coffee wafted from the kitchen.
