What does warn mean?
Word: Warn
Part of Speech: Verb
Meaning: Warn means to tell someone about something bad or unpleasant that might happen, so that they can be careful.
Synonyms: caution
Sounds like: worn (the past form of wear, as in clothes she has worn)
How do you spell warn?
Syllables: warn
Tricky part: The vowel sounds like the or in fork, but it is written ar. Pupils who spell by sound often write worn, which is a different word.
Watch out for: worne, waurn
Memory tip: Warm and warn differ only in their last letter, and both write that 'or' sound with ar.
Warn in a sentence
Example 1: The weather report warned that heavy rain would reach Mumbai by evening.
Example 2: Mum warned us to wear our caps in the hot sun.
Example 3: A sign at the gate warns visitors that the path is slippery.
Fun Fact
Road signs that warn drivers of a bend or a school ahead are triangles with a red border, in India and in the UK.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Makeup
Choose the prefix that completes the word:
warn
a) four
b) fore
c) forr
d) fowr
Show answer
b) fore. Fore means before, so to forewarn people is to warn them ahead of time.
Mingle-Mangle
Form a meaningful word from the jumbled letters:
rnwa
a) ward
b) wren
c) yarn
d) warn
Show answer
d) warn. Ward ends in d, yarn starts with y and wren uses an e, so only one word fits these four letters.
Word Connection
Choose the synonym of the word:
warn
a) invite
b) praise
c) thank
d) alert
Show answer
d) alert. To alert people is to let them know about a problem so they can get ready.
Spell-o-Spell
Choose the correctly spelt word:
a) cautian
b) remmind
c) signall
d) warn
Show answer
d) warn. Signal ends with one l, caution ends like station, and remind has just one m.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Why might a teacher warn the class before a test?
a) so they can swap their seats
b) so they can skip the lesson
c) so they can leave school early
d) so they can prepare in time
Show answer
d) so they can prepare in time
2. Which of these is most likely to warn people that a train is coming?
a) a bench beside the platform
b) a bell ringing at the crossing
c) a flower growing by the track
d) a poster about a new film
Show answer
b) a bell ringing at the crossing
