Spelling Test Questions and Answers

Answer: D

It is aesthetics.

The ae is the Greek diphthong, from aisthesis, perception. Americans write esthetics; British usage keeps the a.

Answer: A

It is preposterous.

From the Latin prae and posterus, before and after - something with the last part first, and so absurd.

Answer: C

It is parallelogram.

One r and then a double l, from the Greek parallelos. The word has three l's in all, and only the middle pair is doubled.

Answer: D

It is affectionate.

Two f's, one t before -ionate. The doubled f comes from the Latin prefix ad- assimilating before facere.

Answer: C

Meaning: Thermometer means an instrument for measuring and indicating temperature, typically one consisting of a narrow, hermetically sealed glass tube marked with graduations and having at one end a bulb containing mercury or alcohol which extends along the tube as it expands.

Answer: B

Correct answer: Liaison

The correct spelling is liaison - l-i-a-i-s-o-n. It is notorious for the second i, which is almost never pronounced in English and so is regularly left out in writing. The word comes from the French lier, to bind, and the same root gives liable and ligature. It means a communication or working relationship between groups, and in cookery a thickening agent that binds a sauce. The reliable way to remember it is the sequence lia-i-son: two vowels, then the silent i, then son. Related French borrowings that give similar trouble are rendezvous, connoisseur, entrepreneur, questionnaire and reconnaissance - all keeping a French spelling that English pronunciation does not account for.

Answer: C

It is querimonious.

From the Latin queri, to complain - full of complaint. The first vowel is a plain e.

Answer: D

It is ulterior.

From the Latin ulter, beyond - an ulterior motive lies beyond the one avowed. One l, and -erior as in interior and posterior.

Answer: B

Correct answer: Harass

The correct spelling is harass - a single r and a double s. It is the mirror image of embarrass, which has a double r and a double s, and the two are constantly confused with each other. Learning them as a pair is the surest defence: embarrass doubles both, harass doubles only the second. The word came from the French harasser, to tire out, and the single r is preserved from it. The noun is harassment, keeping the same letters, and the participles are harassed and harassing. A further complication is that the word has two accepted pronunciations, one stressing the first syllable and one the second, and neither offers any guidance to the spelling.

Answer: D

It is opprobrium.

Two p's, from the Latin ob and probrum, a disgraceful act. It means public disgrace or the reproach that brings it.