SSC CGL English · Vocabulary
Spelling
Spotting the misspelt word, or choosing the correct spelling, by checking doubled letters, word endings, and vowels, silent letters and ie or ei.
Why this matters
Two hundred and twenty-two questions in the bank, 75 from the 2023 shifts, 72 from the 2024 shifts and 75 from the 2025 shifts, and 191 of them EASY. The 2023 and 2024 shifts mostly ask you to find the one misspelt word among four; the 2025 shifts more often give four spellings of one word and ask for the correct one.
Concept 1 of 3: Doubled and single letters
The commonest trap is a letter doubled where it should be single (allimony) or single where it should be doubled (submisive). A word built from parts often keeps a double letter where the parts meet: ac + commodate, oc + currence.
Definition
The groups:
- Double where many go wrong: accommodate (cc and mm), occurrence (cc and rr), harassment (one r, double s), necessary (one c, double s), embarrass (rr and ss), committee (mm, tt, ee).
- Single where many double: alimony, almost, robust, patron, remission (one m).
- Adding an ending: a stressed final consonant doubles (begin, beginning; occur, occurrence); an unstressed one does not (benefit, benefited).
| Misspelling | Correct | Asked in |
|---|---|---|
| Occurence | Occurrence | 2024 (twice) |
| Allimony | Alimony | 2023 |
| Submisive | Submissive | 2023 |
| Remmission | Remission | 2023 |
| Harrasment | Harassment | 2023 |
| Aggreement | Agreement | 2023 |
| Allmost | Almost | 2023 |
| Neccessary | Necessary | 2024 |
| Beggining | Beginning | 2024 |
| Eficient | Efficient | 2024 |
| Atempt | Attempt | 2024 |
| Occassionally | Occasionally | 2025 |
Practice this conceptself-check · 4 quick reps
The same idea in a real exam question:
SSC CGL · 2024 · Tier I, 13 Sep 2024, Shift 2 · Q92Moderate
Example 1 · Vocabulary · Spelling
Select the INCORRECTLY spelt word.
Doubling every consonant that sounds strong
Harassment has one r, and necessary one c. Learn these words as they are written, not as they sound.
Missing a double in a long word
In a four-option question, a long word such as accommodate or occurrence is the most likely to hide a missing letter. Check it letter by letter.
Concept 2 of 3: Endings: -able or -ible, -ance or -ence, -cede or -ceed
Many errors sit in the ending, where two spellings sound the same: acceptable and tangible, preference and acquaintance, precede and proceed. A related word often shows the right vowel: accept takes -able, prefer gives preference.
Definition
The groups:
- -able and -ible: acceptable, indispensable, but tangible, flexible.
- -ance and -ence: maintenance, acquaintance, but preference, quintessence.
- -cede, -ceed, -sede: precede, but proceed and succeed; supersede is the only -sede word.
- -ous and -ious: mischievous (no i before -ous), conscientious.
- -cient: sufficient, efficient.
| Misspelling | Correct | Asked in |
|---|---|---|
| Mischievious | Mischievous | 2024 (twice) |
| Consciencious | Conscientious | 2024, 2025 |
| Acceptible | Acceptable | 2023 |
| Prefferance | Preference | 2023 |
| Sufficeint | Sufficient | 2023 |
| Preceed | Precede | 2024 |
| Tangiable | Tangible | 2024 |
| Removel | Removal | 2024 |
| Indispensible | Indispensable | 2025 |
| Quintessance | Quintessence | 2025 |
Practice this conceptself-check · 4 quick reps
The same idea in a real exam question:
SSC CGL · 2023 · Tier I, 27 Jul 2023, Shift 3 · Q82Easy
Example 2 · Vocabulary · Spelling
Select the INCORRECTLY spelt word.
Adding an extra i
Mischievous and grievous have no i before -ous. "Mischievious" was printed as the wrong spelling twice.
Precede and proceed
Precede (come before) ends in -cede; proceed (go on) ends in -ceed. They are spelt differently though they sound alike.
Concept 3 of 3: Vowels, silent letters and ie or ei
The rest of the errors swap or drop a letter the ear does not catch: a vowel (calender for calendar), a silent letter (charishma), c for s (conspirasy), or ie and ei (recieve). Say the word slowly in parts and picture it written.
Definition
The groups:
- ie and ei: i before e (believe, achieve) except after c (receive, receipt, conceive) and in some exceptions (seize, weird).
- c or s: conspiracy, vicious, avarice, cowardice.
- Vowels you do not hear clearly: calendar, stationery (paper and pens), restaurant, relevant, convenient, pronunciation (not pronounciation).
- Swapped letters: approach (not appraoch), gauge (not guage).
- Silent or extra letters: charisma (no h after s), privilege (no d), souvenir.
| Misspelling | Correct | Asked in |
|---|---|---|
| Recieve, recieved | Receive, received | 2024 (three times) |
| Reciept | Receipt | 2023 |
| Sieze | Seize | 2023 |
| Wierd | Weird | 2023 |
| Concieve | Conceive | 2023 |
| Calender | Calendar | 2023 |
| Stetionery | Stationery | 2023 |
| Pronounciation | Pronunciation | 2023 |
| Guage | Gauge | 2023 |
| Conspirasy | Conspiracy | 2023 |
| Resturant | Restaurant | 2024 |
| Convinient | Convenient | 2024 |
| Priviledge | Privilege | 2025 |
| Onomatopiea | Onomatopoeia | 2025 |
Practice this conceptself-check · 4 quick reps
The same idea in a real exam question:
SSC CGL · 2023 · Tier I, 20 Jul 2023, Shift 2 · Q95Easy
Example 3 · Vocabulary · Spelling
Select the INCORRECTLY spelt word.
Applying i before e to every word
Seize and weird break the rule, and SSC printed both wrongly as sieze and wierd. Learn the exceptions with the rule.
Spelling pronunciation like pronounce
Pronounce keeps its o-u, but pronunciation drops it: p-r-o-n-u-n.
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)
Doubled and single letters12 rows
| Misspelling | Correct | Asked in |
|---|---|---|
| Occurence | Occurrence | 2024 (twice) |
| Allimony | Alimony | 2023 |
| Submisive | Submissive | 2023 |
| Remmission | Remission | 2023 |
| Harrasment | Harassment | 2023 |
| Aggreement | Agreement | 2023 |
| Allmost | Almost | 2023 |
| Neccessary | Necessary | 2024 |
| Beggining | Beginning | 2024 |
| Eficient | Efficient | 2024 |
| Atempt | Attempt | 2024 |
| Occassionally | Occasionally | 2025 |
Endings: -able or -ible, -ance or -ence, -cede or -ceed10 rows
| Misspelling | Correct | Asked in |
|---|---|---|
| Mischievious | Mischievous | 2024 (twice) |
| Consciencious | Conscientious | 2024, 2025 |
| Acceptible | Acceptable | 2023 |
| Prefferance | Preference | 2023 |
| Sufficeint | Sufficient | 2023 |
| Preceed | Precede | 2024 |
| Tangiable | Tangible | 2024 |
| Removel | Removal | 2024 |
| Indispensible | Indispensable | 2025 |
| Quintessance | Quintessence | 2025 |
Vowels, silent letters and ie or ei14 rows
| Misspelling | Correct | Asked in |
|---|---|---|
| Recieve, recieved | Receive, received | 2024 (three times) |
| Reciept | Receipt | 2023 |
| Sieze | Seize | 2023 |
| Wierd | Weird | 2023 |
| Concieve | Conceive | 2023 |
| Calender | Calendar | 2023 |
| Stetionery | Stationery | 2023 |
| Pronounciation | Pronunciation | 2023 |
| Guage | Gauge | 2023 |
| Conspirasy | Conspiracy | 2023 |
| Resturant | Restaurant | 2024 |
| Convinient | Convenient | 2024 |
| Priviledge | Privilege | 2025 |
| Onomatopiea | Onomatopoeia | 2025 |
Watch out for (6)
- Doubling every consonant that sounds strong→ Doubled and single letters
- Missing a double in a long word→ Doubled and single letters
- Adding an extra i→ Endings: -able or -ible, -ance or -ence, -cede or -ceed
- Precede and proceed→ Endings: -able or -ible, -ance or -ence, -cede or -ceed
- Applying i before e to every word→ Vowels, silent letters and ie or ei
- Spelling pronunciation like pronounce→ Vowels, silent letters and ie or ei
Test yourself on Vocabulary
20 past SSC CGL questions from this chapter, timed at 12 minutes and marked the way the exam marks it. You see your score and every answer the moment you finish. Free to start.