Hurdle and hurtle

These words are often confused.

A hurdle is an obstacle or barrier.

  • The racer couldn’t clear the last hurdle.

Hurdle can also be a verb. To hurdle is to jump over a hurdle.

Compare:

  • The horse jumped over the hurdle.
  • The horse hurdled the fence. (= The horse jumped over the fence.)

Hurtle

To hurtle is to go very fast.

  • The truck hurtled down the road.
  • The bus hurtled into the car.
  • The bike hurtled along the road at 100 miles an hour.

 

Manjusha Nambiar

Hi, I am Manjusha. This is my blog where I give English grammar lessons and worksheets.

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