What are definition clues?

Definition clues are hints that help you understand what a word means, just like when someone gives you a clue to guess a game show answer.

Imagine you’re playing Guess Who? and your friend says, “This person has glasses, wears a blue shirt, and loves ice cream.” These are clues, they help you figure out who it is. In reading, definition clues work the same way. They give you hints about what a word means so you can guess it more easily.

Think of a sentence like a puzzle. If you see the word “giggled” and the sentence says, “The little boy giggled when he saw his favorite cartoon,” that’s a clue! It helps you understand that giggled means something happy and funny, maybe like laughed or snickered.

Sometimes, definition clues are in the same sentence. Other times, they’re in the next one. Either way, they're like little helpers that make reading easier and more fun!