verb · neutral
moisten
UK/ˈmɔɪs(ə)n/US/ˈmɔɪsən/MOIS·ten
Band 6-7speakingtask1
to make something slightly wet or damp
Examples
“Moisten the soil before planting the seeds.”
“If the pastry is too dry, moisten it with a little milk.”
“The inspector advised moistening the plaster to prevent cracking.”
Band 8 sentence
“For optimal seed germination, gardeners should moisten the soil but avoid waterlogging it.”
Collocations
- moisten with
- slightly moisten
Word family
to moisten / moistens / moistened / moistening verbmoisture nounmoist adjective
Common mistakes
make it moisten→moisten it / make it moist
moisten on the surface→moisten the surface
Say it for a higher band
5make it moist→6wet→7+moisten
Synonyms
wet
humidify
Easily confused
wet
“The clothes were wet after the rain.”
Related words
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In -en
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