What is inflation and why are some prices going up?

You may have heard grown-ups talking a lot more about the price of things, or you might have noticed changes in your life because your family is trying to save money.

New data has shown that UK inflation has gone up - inflation is a measure of how fast prices of certain goods and services are changing over a period of time.

A big factor for the rise is higher fuel prices because of the US-Israel war with Iran.

The conflict has reduced the amount of sea traffic getting through from the Middle East, including lots of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas supplies.

This disruption is having a big impact on the price of petrol and diesel, as well as supply chains around the world, pushing prices up for lots of things.

Keep reading to find out more about inflation and why prices are going up now.

Inflation refers to the rise in the cost of certain goods and services over a period of time.

The new data shows that inflation has risen to 3.3% in the year to March, up from 3% in February.

There are lots of reasons why this rise can happen - big global events, decisions made by governments - even the weather can play a part.

To work out the rise, the cost of things people need day-to-day - like food, fuel and clothes, are compared to the cost for the same things at an earlier date.

The difference, in percentage, is called the inflation figure.

This shows whether the cost of things is going up or down.

When inflation is high, it means the cost of living goes up too - so things like food, household bills, clothes and travel can become more expensive.

The new figures provide the first official look at the impact of the US-Israel war with Iran on the cost of living in the UK.

If wages (what people are paid for the work they do) or benefits (money the government pays to support those in financial need) increase at the same rate as inflation, then inflation does not have such a big impact.

When someone's wages or benefits don't rise in line with inflation, then the true value of the money they have goes down. Simply put - the price of the things we need to spend our money on goes up, but the amount we have to spend does not.

And this can make life harder for people - because paying for rent, food or even a TV subscription suddenly becomes more expensive than it was before.

The Strait of Hormuz might not be somewhere you've heard of before. But recently, it's been mentioned a lot in the news.

That's because the US-Israel war with Iran has reduced the amount of sea traffic that can get through this important, narrow sea passage.

About 20% of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas is shipped from countries in the area, and much of it passes through the Strait of Hormuz to reach the wider ocean and the world.

This disruption is having a big impact on the prices people pay for things in many countries, including the UK.

That's because we need oil and gas for lots of things - to make products, transport goods around, to run cars and to power our homes.

BBC Cost of Living correspondent Colletta Smith says there are three main ways we are being impacted at the moment.

"There's less oil to buy for everyone right across the world. That's pushing up prices so it's more expensive to fill up our cars with petrol or diesel.

"Over the next few months it's going to get more expensive for us to buy the energy and gas we need in our homes," she explained.

"The second way we are being impacted is that it's costing more to fill up lorries, planes and transport goods around the world. That means everything we buy in shops is going to be more expensive because it costs more to get there.

"The third way is because of farmers. They normally buy lots of fertiliser to spread on their fields from that part of the world. That's now become a lot more expensive.

"So for them to grow the crops and the vegetables that we buy is costing them more, which means that grown-ups are going to have to be paying a lot more for the food shop," she added.