Do You Know the Definition of These 3-Letter Words?

By: Isadora Teich
Estimated Completion Time
2 min
Do You Know the Definition of These 3-Letter Words?
Image: Catherine Ledner / DigitalVision / Getty Images

About This Quiz

Are you an English language lover who kills at a game of Scrabble? The English Language is notoriously tricky to tackle, with a lot of rules, but almost as many exceptions. While other languages are phonetic, meaning that the words in it sound the way they are spelled most of the time, or use accent marks to clue you into how they are pronounced, there is nothing like that in English! You just have to remember it all!  

From pronunciation to spelling to definitions, all of this can be incredibly tricky in English, so keep your wits about you! 

While some English words are massive, there are many unique smaller words that don't get enough love. After all, as any good Scrabble player knows, a word doesn't have to be 15 letters long to get those big points! English has a lot of quirky little 3-letter words that pack a big punch!   

If you know the English language like the back of your hand, see if you can get it right. Do you know the meaning of the English language's 3-letter words? Find out if you are a good egg or a definition dud with this 3-letter word quiz! 

If someone is "sly," what are they like?
Beautiful
Old
Cunning
Sly is an adjective. It means clever, cunning, stealthy, deceitful or playfully mischievous.
Married

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What does it mean to "mar" something?
Wreck it
Mar is both a noun and a verb. It means to damage, spoil or ruin something. A mar is also an obvious disfiguring mark.
Improve it
Ignore it
Make it

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If something is up to "par," it is:
Horrible
Unusual
Average
Par is both a noun and verb. It is either a standard level of acceptability or to meet that average standard.
Extraordinary

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To "woo" a person is to:
Offend them
Sabotage them
Gain their favor
Woo is a verb. It can be used to mean to seek the affection of another person as part of the steps of beginning a relationship with them. It can also mean to influence someone to like you or do something through kind acts or words.
Forget them

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If you "nab" something, you _______ it.
Lose
Taste
Grab
Nab is a verb. It means to grab, snatch or seize something. Informally, it is also used to mean to get something in general.
Hate

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The "rim" of an object is which part of it?
The edge
Rim is a noun. It is the upper or outer edge of an object. This is especially used for objects which are curved or circular at their edges.
The bottom
The left side
The lid

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A "sin" is a:
Transgression
Sin is both a noun and a verb. A sin is a violation of religious or moral law. To sin is the act of violating a religious or moral law.
Good deed
Plot
Currency

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What is a "mew"?
A chirp
A disease
A catlike sound
Mew is both a noun and verb. It is the cry that cat makes, to cry in that fashion, or any sound that resembles it.
A tragedy

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Something that is "lax" is:
Beautiful
Loose
Lax is an adjective. It describes something that is lacking in strictness, is not firm or is not easily retained or controlled.
Compact
Expensive

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If something is "apt," it is:
Green
Lost
Appropriate
Apt is an adjective. It means that something is suitable or appropriate. It can also mean that a person is naturally inclined to something and can learn or understand it with ease.
Illegal

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What does it mean to "vie"?
To lie
To contend
Vie is a verb. It means to strive for victory over another. Vie used to be used to mean "to wager" but it is no longer used in this way.
To object
To create

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An "arc" is something that is:
Broken
Curved
Arc is both a noun and a verb, and has numerous uses across common language, math, physics and astronomy. In general usage, an arc is something curved in shape. When something arcs, it forms a curved shape.
Old
Yellow

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To "sow" means to:
Kill
Cry
Believe
Scatter
Sow is a verb. It traditionally relates to farming and the act of scattering seeds over land so they grow. You can also sow rumors, however.

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"Dal" is something that you:
Throw away
Eat
Dal is a noun which can also be spelled daal or dhal. It is a split grain that is common in Indian cuisines.
Avoid
Spend

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Someone who has "lammed" has:
Eaten too much
Made a bad choice
Escaped
Lam is both a noun and a verb. It can mean to beat, strike or escape. Those who are on the run from law enforcement are also described as "on the lam."
Lost

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If something is "beyond your ken" it's:
Not your responsibility
Not something you understand
Ken is a noun that means perception, understanding or sight. It is also a verb that means to know or recognize.
Not something you care about
Not important

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Someone who is "coy" is:
Cruel
Dumb
Stubbornly outdated
Flirtatiously shy
Coy is an adjective with a few meanings. It can mean someone is flirtatiously shy or modest, unwilling to make a commitment or give up information, or that they are just reserved.

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The British "Raj" was the British rule over:
The Americas
France
Thailand
India
Raj is a noun. It is most often used to refer to the British rule over India, which lasted from 1757-1947. It comes from the Hindi word meaning "king."

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What is a "fay"?
A fairy
Fay is a noun. It refers to an elf or fairy.
A cat
A singer
A unit of measurement

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What does it mean to "igg" someone?
Stalk them
Ignore them
Igg is both a noun and a verb. It can be to ignore or snub someone. It can also be a snub or rebuff.
Help them
Cheat them

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The word "kin" relates to:
Violence
Economy
Family
Kin is both an adjective and a noun. It refers to those who are related to you and in your family.
Death

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Where can you find a "lea"?
In a butcher shop
Outside
Lea is a noun. It refers to a grassland or meadow. The word comes from the Middle English word Leie.
In the ocean
In the sky

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An "orb" has which shape?
Hexagon
Sphere
Orb is a noun. It can describe an eye, celestial body or sphere. Centuries ago, the earth itself was referred to in this way.
Rhombus
Triangle

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Where can you find a "pew?"
The drugstore
A church
Pew is a noun. Pews are the long-backed benches that members of a church congregation sit on.
A lake
A school

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"Pup" is the word for an animal's:
Heart
Organs
Ancestors
Young
Pup is a noun. It refers to young dogs, wolves, seals, sharks and other animals. It can also refer to a young person who is very inexperienced.

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If you are eating "sal," what are you eating?
Vegetables
Tea
Soup
Salt
Sal is a noun. It is a less commonly used word for salt.

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The word "cad" is used to describe:
Objects
The weather
Animals
Men
Cad is an adjective and informal old-fashioned British word. It was used to describe men who did not behave in a gentlemanly way.

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What does the word "ago" mean?
Gross
Gone by
Ago is both an adverb and an adjective. It can mean that something is in the past or that it has already gone by.
Rich
Maybe

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If someone looks "wan," how do they look?
Pale
Wan is an adjective. Someone who looks wan appears pale and sickly from either physical or emotional distress.
Sunburned
Angry
Bloated

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"Chi" refers to:
Medicine
Chi refers to the vital life force that is a part of Chinese medicinal practice. They believe that when your chi is balanced and flows harmoniously in your body, your health is good.
Winners
Math
Cuisine

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"Din" involves which of these?
Love
Noise
Din is both a noun and a verb. It can refer to a chaotic jumble of noise. It can also mean to stun someone with intense noise.
Success
Childbirth

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When does the "eve" occur?
Before a holiday
Before an event
In the evening
All of the above
Eve is a noun with many meanings. As well as being the first woman in the Bible, it also refers to the period of time right before events or holidays. It can also just refer to the evening in general.

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A "fir" is a kind of________.
Disease
Dance
Tree
All evergreen trees of the genus Abies are firs. There are about 50 species of fir trees, including the Syrian Fir, Silver Fir, Korean Fir and Douglas Fir.
Gem

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What does "sic" mean?
Thus
Thus is an adverb. It means thus. It is used in writing to indicate a quoted passage that has errors in it was used, and those errors were left on purpose to maintain the integrity of the original source.
Please
No
Even though

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A "mot" is a remark that is:
Awkward
Insulting
Correct
Witty
Mot is a noun. It is a witty or incisive remark. It comes from the French phrase "bon mot," although the two-word form is far more widely used.

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You Got:
/35
Catherine Ledner / DigitalVision / Getty Images