Meaning & use
checkerboard pattern
Last updated
Meaning
nouncountable
A pattern of alternating light and dark squares, like a chessboard.
Grammar: Countable: you can say a checkerboard pattern or checkerboard patterns.
Patterns
- a checkerboard pattern of something
- in a checkerboard pattern
The kitchen floor had a black-and-white checkerboard pattern.
She wore a scarf with a bright red and yellow checkerboard pattern.
The tiles were laid in a checkerboard pattern across the whole hallway.
Word forms
| plural | checkerboard patterns |
|---|
Common combinations
- black-and-white checkerboard pattern
- The classic black-and-white checkerboard pattern is popular in bathrooms.
- in a checkerboard pattern
- Plant the flowers in a checkerboard pattern for a neat look.
- checkerboard pattern of squares
- The artist painted a checkerboard pattern of squares on the wall.
Synonyms and how they differ
- check pattern
- Check pattern is similar but often has thinner lines and smaller squares, like on a shirt.
- gingham
- Gingham is a specific type of check pattern, usually in two colors, often used for tablecloths.
Word family
- checkerboard noun
- The board itself, or the pattern as a whole.
- checkered adjective
- Having a pattern of squares, or marked by changes of fortune.
Commonly confused: checkerboard pattern or chequered?
checkerboard pattern vs chequered
This is the British spelling of checkered. It can also mean 'marked by varied experiences', not just the pattern.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'checkerboard pattern' correctly?
Choose one answer.
Option 0 correctly uses 'checkerboard pattern' as a noun phrase describing a design. Option 1 is wrong because 'checkerboard' is not a verb here. Option 2 is awkward; we would say 'a dress with a checkerboard pattern'. Option 3 is nonsensical because a pattern is visual, not a sound.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “checkerboard pattern”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.