Spelling.School · How to spell

How to spell contain

What it means: To hold or include something.

In a sentence: The box can contain all the toys. ▶

The part people get wrong

Often misspelled as contian or contane.

Same family: contains, contained, containing, container, containment. If you can spell one, the shared part carries to the others.

Where it comes from: “Contain” comes from Latin *continēre*, meaning “to hold together” (*con-* = together + *tenere* = to hold). It is related to other English words with *-tain*, like “maintain,” “obtain,” and “retain.”

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You will hear the word and a sentence. Type it and press Enter. Then four more words from the same level, so you know where you stand.

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