What does wavy mean?
Word: Wavy
Part of Speech: Adjective
Meaning: Wavy means having curves that go up and down, like the waves of the sea. Hair, lines and paths can all be wavy.
Synonyms: curly, rippled
Antonyms: straight
How do you spell wavy?
Syllables: wa - vy
Tricky part: The silent e of the base word drops off before the y is added. Many students write wavey because they keep that e.
Watch out for: wavey, wavi, wayvy
Memory tip: When y joins a word that ends in a silent e, the e steps off, just as shake becomes shaky and smoke becomes smoky.
Wavy in a sentence
Example 1: My aunt has long, wavy hair that she ties in a plait.
Example 2: Draw a wavy line under each heading in blue.
Example 3: After the tide went out, the sand had little wavy ridges.
Fun Fact
Wind blowing over a sand dune pushes the grains into small wavy ripples, much as wind makes waves on water.
Practise the CREST Way
Sound Check
Which of the following words rhymes with wavy?
a) savvy
b) gravy
c) ivy
d) heavy
Show answer
b) gravy. Gravy shares the long a and the 'vee' ending of wavy; heavy and savvy only look as though they should rhyme.
Jumble Tumble
What is the meaning of the word that can be formed from the given letters?
vyaw
a) having curves that rise and fall again and again
b) making a soft, low humming sound
c) covered with a thin layer of dust
d) feeling cold and wet after the rain
Show answer
a) having curves that rise and fall again and again. Rearranged, v-y-a-w gives a word for hair or lines that go up and down.
Spellacadabra
From which option does a letter need to be removed to make a meaningful word?
a) puddle
b) drizzle
c) wavvy
d) breeze
Show answer
c) wavvy. Wavy keeps the single v of wave, so the extra v has to go.
Spell Spies
Choose the option with no spelling errors:
a) wavy, frizzy, silkey, glosy
b) wavy, frizy, silky, glossey
c) wavy, frizzy, silky, glossy
d) wavy, frizzi, silcky, glossy
Show answer
c) wavy, frizzy, silky, glossy. Frizzy keeps its double z, silky ends in a plain y and glossy has a double s.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Which of these usually has a wavy shape?
a) the top of a flat table
b) the side of a square box
c) the trail left by a crawling snake
d) the edge of a steel ruler
Show answer
c) the trail left by a crawling snake
2. Which word is made from its base word just as wavy is made from wave?
a) sunny
b) bony
c) dusty
d) windy
Show answer
b) bony
