What does watchmaker mean?
Word: Watchmaker
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: Watchmaker means a person whose job is to build and repair the small timepieces people wear on their wrists, and often clocks too.
How do you spell watchmaker?
Syllables: watch - mak - er
Tricky part: The ch sound is spelt tch here. The t is easy to leave out because you hardly hear it, which gives wachmaker.
Watch out for: wachmaker, watchmacker
Memory tip: After a short vowel, the ch sound is usually written tch: the t stands guard in front, as it does in catch, kitchen and stretch.
Watchmaker in a sentence
Example 1: The watchmaker opened the back of my watch and found a loose spring.
Example 2: Our neighbour, a retired watchmaker, still repairs clocks for everyone on the street.
Example 3: A watchmaker needs steady hands and very sharp eyes.
Fun Fact
In 2020 UNESCO added the craft of Swiss and French watchmakers to its list of the world's living cultural heritage.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Makeup
Choose the correctly spelt compound word:
a) watchmaker
b) fingernale
c) cupbord
d) grasshoper
Show answer
a) watchmaker. Grasshopper doubles the p, fingernail ends in ail and cupboard keeps the oa of board.
Mingle-Mangle
Form a meaningful word from the jumbled letters:
tkhrwaemca
a) watchmaker
b) watchtower
c) matchmaker
d) caretaker
Show answer
a) watchmaker. The single w and single m point the way: matchmaker has two m's and no w, watchtower needs an o, and caretaker has no w or h.
Word Cookie
Insert the correct pair of letters to form a word:
watchm_k_r
a) e,e
b) a,e
c) a,o
d) o,e
Show answer
b) a,e. Read it aloud: the first gap is a long a sound, and the second is the usual er of a person who does a job.
Word Cookie
Find the misspelt word in the sentence:
The watchmaker peered at the tiny gears through a magnifing glass before closing the case.
a) peered
b) magnifing
c) watchmaker
d) gears
Show answer
b) magnifing. Magnify keeps its y before ing, so the glass is a magnifying glass.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Which tool would a watchmaker use most often?
a) a heavy hammer
b) a tiny screwdriver
c) a garden spade
d) a paint roller
Show answer
b) a tiny screwdriver
2. A watchmaker fitted new hands on an old clock. Here hands means ____.
a) workers who help out on a farm
b) a round of loud clapping
c) the pointers that show the time
d) the parts at the ends of our arms
Show answer
c) the pointers that show the time
