SPI English · Vocabulary
Spelling and One-Word Substitutes
These questions test the form of a word: how it is spelt, which single word replaces a phrase, and which pairs of words English always uses together.
Why this matters
Ten questions in the bank: five ask you to spot the misspelt word, four ask for one word that replaces a phrase, and one asks which pair of words does not belong together. Nine are EASY, so these are marks to collect quickly once the patterns are learnt.
Concept 1 of 3: Spelling patterns that trip students
A spot-the-wrong-spelling question prints three correct words and one with a small slip: two letters swapped, a letter added or a vowel changed. A few patterns explain almost every slip.
Definition
Patterns to learn:
- i before e, except after c: achieve, believe, field; but receive, deceive, ceiling.
- Drop the silent e of the base word before some endings: wise and wisdom, true and truly, argue and argument.
- Keep the base word whole when adding an ending: avoid + able = avoidable.
- Some endings are just learnt: tendency, dependency, governance.
| Pattern | Correct | Common misspelling |
|---|---|---|
| i before e | achieve, believe, field | acheive, beleive |
| e before i after c | receive, deceive, ceiling | recieve, cieling |
| Drop the silent e | wisdom, truly, argument | wisedom, truely, arguement |
| Keep the base word | avoidable, enjoyable | aviodable, enjoiable |
| Learn the ending | tendency, dependency | tendancy, dependancy |
| Double c, single s | occasion | occassion, ocasion |
Say the word in syllables and check each one: oc-ca-sion.
Practice this conceptself-check · 4 quick reps
The same idea in a practice question:
Practice questionEasy
Example 1 · Vocabulary · Spelling and One-Word Substitutes
In the following questions a group of four words is given. One word out of these is wrongly spelt. Identify such word and mark on the answer sheet.
The ie rule has exceptions
Weird, seize and their have ei with no c before them. Learn these as exceptions, so you do not mark a correct spelling as wrong.
A swapped pair of letters is easy to miss
Writing 'aviod' for 'avoid' keeps every letter but swaps two of them. Read each option letter by letter, not by its shape.
Concept 2 of 3: One word for a phrase
A one-word substitute question gives a phrase such as 'which cannot be seen' and asks for the single word that means it. The options are usually look-alikes that all start with in-, so the root of the word decides.
Definition
Two parts build most of these words:
- A prefix: in-, il- and ir- mean not; pre- means before.
- A root: aud (hear), vis (see), sol (loosen or solve), leg (read), cred (believe), dict (say).
- The ending -ible or -able means can be. So in + aud + ible is 'cannot be heard'.
| Phrase | One word |
|---|---|
| which cannot be solved | insoluble |
| which cannot be heard | inaudible |
| which cannot be seen | invisible |
| which cannot be divided | indivisible |
| which cannot be read (handwriting) | illegible |
| which cannot be believed | incredible |
| which cannot be cured | incurable |
| not qualified for something | ineligible |
| to say beforehand what will happen | predict |
| to bring into being, to produce | generate |
Match the root to the sense: hearing is aud, seeing is vis, reading is leg.
Practice this conceptself-check · 4 quick reps
The same idea in a practice question:
Practice questionEasy
Example 2 · Vocabulary · Spelling and One-Word Substitutes
Which cannot be solved.
Illegible is not ineligible
Illegible (cannot be read) and ineligible (not qualified) differ by only a few letters. The root leg means read; the root elig means choose.
Insoluble is not insolvent
Insoluble means cannot be solved, or cannot be dissolved. Insolvent means unable to pay one's debts, a word about money.
Concept 3 of 3: Fixed word pairs
English has pairs of words that always travel together, joined by 'and', in a fixed order. A question may ask which pair is not one of them.
Definition
What makes a fixed pair:
- The two words are joined by and and used together as one idea: safe and sound means unharmed.
- The order is fixed: we say bread and butter, never butter and bread.
- Two words that only rhyme are not a pair unless English uses them together.
| Pair | Meaning or use |
|---|---|
| sweet and sour | a taste that is both at once |
| this and that | various small things |
| Adam and Eve | the first man and woman in the Bible story |
| safe and sound | unharmed |
| ups and downs | good times and bad times |
| pros and cons | the points for and against |
| bread and butter | a person's main way of earning a living |
| now and then | sometimes, not often |
Practice this conceptself-check · 4 quick reps
The same idea in a practice question:
Practice questionModerate
Example 3 · Vocabulary · Spelling and One-Word Substitutes
Choose the pair that does not go together.
sweet and sour, this and that, ball and tall, Adam and Eve
Rhyme is not a pair
Two words can rhyme and still mean nothing together. A fixed pair carries one idea, such as safe and sound (unharmed).
Do not swap the order
A fixed pair keeps its order: ups and downs, pros and cons, bread and butter. 'Downs and ups' sounds wrong to an English ear.
Summary — formulas & gotchas at a glance
A revision cheat-sheet for the formulas and gotchas above. Click any concept name to jump back to its full explanation.
Reference tables (3)
Spelling patterns that trip students6 rows
| Pattern | Correct | Common misspelling |
|---|---|---|
| i before e | achieve, believe, field | acheive, beleive |
| e before i after c | receive, deceive, ceiling | recieve, cieling |
| Drop the silent e | wisdom, truly, argument | wisedom, truely, arguement |
| Keep the base word | avoidable, enjoyable | aviodable, enjoiable |
| Learn the ending | tendency, dependency | tendancy, dependancy |
| Double c, single s | occasion | occassion, ocasion |
Say the word in syllables and check each one: oc-ca-sion.
One word for a phrase10 rows
| Phrase | One word |
|---|---|
| which cannot be solved | insoluble |
| which cannot be heard | inaudible |
| which cannot be seen | invisible |
| which cannot be divided | indivisible |
| which cannot be read (handwriting) | illegible |
| which cannot be believed | incredible |
| which cannot be cured | incurable |
| not qualified for something | ineligible |
| to say beforehand what will happen | predict |
| to bring into being, to produce | generate |
Match the root to the sense: hearing is aud, seeing is vis, reading is leg.
Fixed word pairs8 rows
| Pair | Meaning or use |
|---|---|
| sweet and sour | a taste that is both at once |
| this and that | various small things |
| Adam and Eve | the first man and woman in the Bible story |
| safe and sound | unharmed |
| ups and downs | good times and bad times |
| pros and cons | the points for and against |
| bread and butter | a person's main way of earning a living |
| now and then | sometimes, not often |
Watch out for (6)
- The ie rule has exceptions→ Spelling patterns that trip students
- A swapped pair of letters is easy to miss→ Spelling patterns that trip students
- Illegible is not ineligible→ One word for a phrase
- Insoluble is not insolvent→ One word for a phrase
- Rhyme is not a pair→ Fixed word pairs
- Do not swap the order→ Fixed word pairs
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