Spelling

Which word is spelled correctly?

• Areceeve
• Breceive✓
• Creceve
• Drecieve

Answer: 'Receive' follows the rule 'i before e except after c'. The 'ei' comes after the 'c'.

Choose the correct spelling of a word meaning 'to make a choice':

• Adeside
• Bdecide✓
• Cdesid
• Ddecid

Answer: 'Decide' is spelled with a 'c', not an 's': de-cide. It ends with a silent 'e'.

Which homophone of 'there' is used in: 'Put your coat over ___.'

• Atheir
• Bthey're
• Cthere✓
• Dthee

Answer: 'There' indicates a place or position. 'Their' is possessive, and 'they're' means 'they are'.

Choose the correct spelling:

• Aoccasion✓
• Boccassion
• Cocassion
• Docasion

Answer: 'Occasion' has one 's' and two 'c's. It means a special event or time.

Which word has the correct spelling and is a homophone of 'sweet'?

• Asuite✓
• Bsute
• Cswet
• Dsuit

Answer: 'Suite' (a set of rooms or musical pieces) sounds the same as 'sweet' but is spelled differently.

Choose the correct spelling of a word meaning 'to give permission':

• Aallow✓
• Baloud
• Calowe
• Dalow

Answer: 'Allow' means to give permission. 'Aloud' means audibly or out loud.

Which word ending is spelled correctly in 'The children watched the display'?

• Adisplai
• Bdispaly
• Cdisplaye
• Ddisplay✓

Answer: 'Display' ends with 'ay', not 'ey'. This is a common ending for nouns like 'delay' and 'play'.

Identify the word with the correct -tion ending:

• Aperfection✓
• Bperfaction
• Cperfecton
• Dperfiction

Answer: 'Perfection' uses the -tion ending. -tion is the most common spelling for this ending, and it is used when the root word ends in 't' or 'te', as in 'perfect'.

Choose the correct spelling of a word meaning 'to succeed':

• Aacheve
• Bacheive
• Cachiave
• Dachieve✓

Answer: 'Achieve' is spelled with 'ie', not 'ei'. The rule 'i before e except after c' only swaps to 'ei' straight after a 'c', and there is no 'c' immediately before this ending.

Which is spelled correctly? (meaning to give official agreement to something)

• Aapprove✓
• Bapruve
• Capproove
• Dapperove

Answer: 'Approve' has two 'p's: the prefix 'ap-' joins the root to give 'ap-prove'. It means to agree officially to something.

Choose the correct spelling:

• Aexceed✓
• Bexeed
• Cexcead
• Dexcede

Answer: 'Exceed' means to go beyond. It is one of only three English words that end in '-ceed': exceed, proceed and succeed. All the others use '-cede'.

Which spelling is correct? (relating to talking something over in a group)

• Adiscusion
• Bdisscussion
• Cdiscusstion
• Ddiscussion✓

Answer: 'Discussion' uses -ssion after the 'u'. Words with 'ssion' follow the pattern of the base word 'discuss'.

Choose the correct homophone for 'know':

• Akno
• Bnoh
• Cno✓
• Dnoe

Answer: 'No' is a homophone of 'know'. 'Know' means to have knowledge; 'no' means a negative response.

Which spelling is correct for a word meaning 'to guarantee'?

• Aensure✓
• Basure
• Censur
• Densuer

Answer: 'Ensure' means to make sure or guarantee. The prefix 'en-' adds to 'sure'.

Identify the correct spelling:

• Asucsesful
• Bsuccessful✓
• Csucessful
• Dsuccesful

Answer: 'Successful' has a double 'c' and a double 's'. It is built from the root word 'success' plus the suffix '-ful'.

Which word is spelled correctly?

• Adefinately
• Bdefinitely✓
• Cdefinatly
• Ddefinitley

Answer: It is 'definitely'. The tricky part is the middle: it comes from 'finite', so it is -fin-, never -fan-. Say it as de-FIN-ite-ly and the spelling follows.

Which word is spelled correctly?

• AOcurred
• BOccured
• COccurred✓
• DOcured

Answer: The correct spelling is 'occurred'. When a one-syllable word (or a word with the stress on the last syllable) ending in a consonant has a vowel added, double the final consonant. 'Occur' becomes 'occurred'.

Which word is spelled correctly?

• ABelieve✓
• BBeleve
• CBelive
• DBeleive

Answer: The correct spelling is 'believe'. This follows the 'i' before 'e' except after 'c' rule. Since there is no 'c' before the 'ie', we use 'ie'.

Which word is spelled correctly?

• ASeperate
• BSeparate✓
• CSeperete
• DSepirate

Answer: The correct spelling is 'separate'. A helpful tip is to remember there is 'a rat' in the middle of 'separate'. This is a common spelling mistake - many people write 'seperate'.

Which word is spelled correctly?

• ADefinit
• BDefinitley
• CDefinite✓
• DDefinitly

Answer: 'Definite' is the only correctly spelled option. Keep the 'ite' in the middle: de-fin-ite. The adverb is 'definitely' (definite + ly), which is why 'definitly' and 'definitley' are such common mistakes.

Which word is spelled correctly?

• ANecesary
• BNecessary✓
• CNesesary
• DNecesery

Answer: The correct spelling is 'necessary'. A helpful tip is 'one collar and two sleeves' - one 'c', two 's's. The word comes from the root meaning 'it is needful, it cannot be avoided'.

Which word is spelled correctly?

• AWhich✓
• BWhych
• CWhitch
• DWich

Answer: The correct spelling is 'which'. This is a relative pronoun used to introduce clauses. It's often confused with 'witch' (a person in folklore), but 'which' is the correct spelling for the pronoun.

Which word is spelled correctly?

• AAdres
• BAddres
• CAdress
• DAddress✓

Answer: The correct spelling is 'address'. Many people misspell it as 'adress' with only one 'd'. Remember, it has two 'd's and two 's's: ad-dress.

Which word is spelled correctly?

• AConsience
• BConcience
• CConscence
• DConscience✓

Answer: The correct spelling is 'conscience' (your sense of right and wrong). A useful tip: it contains the word 'science' - con + science. It is often confused with 'conscious', which means aware.

Which word is spelled correctly?

• AWether
• BWiether
• CWheter
• DWhether✓

Answer: The correct spelling is 'whether' (meaning 'if' or giving a choice). It's often confused with 'weather' (rain, sun, etc.). 'Whether' is the correct spelling for the conjunction.

Which word is spelled correctly?

• ABeginning✓
• BBegginning
• CBegining
• DBeginnig

Answer: The correct spelling is 'beginning'. When adding a suffix to a short word ending in a single vowel and consonant, double the consonant: 'begin' becomes 'beginning'.

Which word is spelled correctly?

• AOcassion
• BOccasion✓
• COcasion
• DOccassion

Answer: The correct spelling is 'occasion'. It has two 'c's and one 's'. A helpful tip: an occasion is worth two 'c's but only one 's'.

Which word is spelled correctly?

• ALyeing
• BLieing
• CLiing
• DLying✓

Answer: The correct spelling is 'lying'. When a verb ends in 'ie', change the 'ie' to 'y' before adding '-ing': 'lie' becomes 'lying', just as 'die' becomes 'dying'.

Which word is spelled correctly?

• ADissappear
• BDisappear✓
• CDissapear
• DDisapear

Answer: The correct spelling is 'disappear'. It is the prefix 'dis-' added to the word 'appear', so it has one 's' and two 'p's: dis + appear.

Which word is spelled correctly?

• AAlwyas
• BAlwayz
• CAllways
• DAlways✓

Answer: The correct spelling is 'always'. It's often misspelled as 'allways' with double 'l', but the correct form has a single 'l': al-ways. It comes from the phrase 'all ways'.