screenshot
noun
What screenshot means
A picture of what is on your phone or computer screen at one moment.
I took a screenshot of the receipt.
Send me a screenshot of the error.
Test yourself
Five questions about screenshot
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Question 1 of 5Meaning
What does screenshot mean?
A screenshot is an image you make of your screen, so it shows exactly what you could see on your phone or computer when you saved it.
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Question 2 of 5Situation
An error message appears on your laptop. Support asks you to press two keys and send them a picture of exactly what you see. They want a…
A picture of exactly what is on your screen is a screenshot, and it helps support see the error. A bookmark is a saved link, and a backup is a spare copy of your files.
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Question 3 of 5Gap
She took a ___ of the bus timetable on the website so she could check it later without internet.
You take a screenshot to keep a picture of what is on the screen, and you can look at it later without the internet. A bookmark only saves the link.
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Question 4 of 5Word partner
Which verb goes with screenshot? ___ a screenshot of the error.
In English we take a screenshot, just as we take a photo. Make a screenshot and do a screenshot are common mistakes, often translated from other languages.
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Question 5 of 5Correct use
Which sentence uses screenshot correctly?
We take a screenshot of something, and screenshot is a countable noun, so it needs a. As a verb it takes a direct object, as in she screenshotted the error.
Keys 1 to 4 pick an answer, Enter goes on.
Screenshot in a sentence
5 more examples of screenshot in everyday situations.
- At work
Can you add a screenshot of the error to the ticket?
- With friends
She sent a screenshot of the group chat to prove it.
- Shopping online
Keep a screenshot of the order number until the parcel arrives.
- As a verb
I screenshotted the bus times so I could check them offline.
- A warning
Be careful what you write: anyone can screenshot a message.
How to use screenshot
You take a screenshot on a phone by pressing two buttons together. Screenshots are useful as proof or to explain a problem.
The verb is also screenshot: “She screenshotted the message.”
Forms
- screenshotsplural noun
- screenshotverb
- screenshottedpast of the verb
- screenshotting-ing form
Patterns
- take a screenshot of something
- send someone a screenshot
- screenshot something (verb)
- in the screenshot
Common mistakes with screenshot
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NotI did a print screen of the message.
SayI took a screenshot of the message.
The usual phrase is take a screenshot; print screen is the name of a keyboard key, not the picture itself.
Screenshot or screen capture or print screen?
- screenshot or screen capture
- A screen capture means the same, but people use it more for software and for video of the screen; in everyday talk, screenshot is far more common.
- screenshot or print screen
- Print Screen is the name of the key on a computer keyboard that takes the picture; the picture itself is a screenshot.
Screenshot is a B1 word. Is that your level? Take the level test or count the words you know.
Screenshot word family and collocations
The words that go with screenshot, so you can use it in a whole phrase.
Common collocations
- take a screenshot
- send a screenshot
- a screenshot of
- share a screenshot
- screenshot the page
Word family
- screenshot (noun, verb)
- screen (noun)
Similar words
- screen capture
Questions about screenshot
Is screenshot one word or two?
Screenshot is one word with no space or hyphen, both as a noun (a screenshot) and as a verb (to screenshot something).
What is the past tense of screenshot?
The past tense is screenshotted: “I screenshotted the receipt.” Many people also say “I took a screenshot of the receipt”, which is always correct.
Do you take or make a screenshot?
You take a screenshot. You can also grab or capture one, but make a screenshot and do a screenshot sound unnatural to most speakers.
Yesterday’s word
Do you still remember destination?
One question about the word from 22 October. Remembering a word a day later helps it stay.
One question
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What does destination mean?
Your destination is where you are going: the place you want to reach when your trip is over, for example a city or a hotel.
Keys 1 to 4 pick an answer.
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