Which of the following words is correctly spelled?

2024

Which of the following words is correctly spelled?

Answer: A. TemporalConcept A word is “correctly spelled” when it matches its standard dictionary form exactly — the right letters, any silent letters, single vs. doubled…

  1. A.

    Temporal

  2. B.

    Susceptibal

  3. C.

    Loseer

  4. D.

    Crancky

Attempted by 76 students.

Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: A

Concept

A word is “correctly spelled” when it matches its standard dictionary form exactly — the right letters, any silent letters, single vs. doubled consonants, and the conventional suffix (for example “-al”, “-ible”, or “-y”). This type of question pairs one genuine dictionary word with several look-alike distortions that swap a similar-sounding ending or add/drop a letter.

Application

Checking each option against its standard dictionary form: “Temporal” matches the accepted spelling of the adjective meaning ‘relating to time’ (from Latin tempus), built with the regular “-al” adjective suffix seen in “formal” and “normal” — for example, “temporal power” or the “temporal lobe” of the brain. None of the remaining options matches any standard dictionary headword as printed.

Contrast

  • “Susceptibal” wrongly ends in “-ibal”; the real word takes the “-ible” suffix — “susceptible” (easily influenced or affected), the same pattern as “possible” and “visible”.

  • “Loseer” adds an extra “e”; the real word is “loser” (a single “e”), simply “lose” + the agent suffix “-er”.

  • “Crancky” inserts an extra “c”; the real word is “cranky” (a single “c”), simply “crank” + “-y”.

Because only the “-al” form here matches a genuine dictionary entry, that is the correctly spelled word; the other three are look-alike misspellings of otherwise common words.

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