Pick the correctly spelled word:
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: A
Explanation
Correct Answer
Dumbbell
Explanation
The word refers to a short bar with a weight at each end, used typically in pairs for exercise. To solve this quickly for an exam, break the compound word down into its two original components: "dumb" and "bell".
Historically, the device was named because it resembled a church bell but was silent ("dumb"). When you join the root word "dumb" (ending in 'b') with the root word "bell" (starting with 'b'), both 'b's must be retained. This creates the double 'bb' spelling in the middle.
The other options are common spelling traps that mistakenly remove one of the 'b's or add an unnecessary 'd'. Therefore, Option 1 is the correct choice.
Key Points
Identifying correct spellings in compound words requires breaking the term down into its individual root words to ensure no overlapping letters are lost.
The word "dumbbell" must retain both the silent 'b' from "dumb" and the starting 'b' from "bell."