Which word is spelled correctly?
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: A
Explanation
Correct Answer
Quizzical
Explanation
The question asks to identify the correctly spelled word among the variations. To solve this quickly for an exam, recall the spelling rules regarding doubling consonants when adding suffixes to short root words.
The base word is "quiz," which ends in a single vowel followed by a single consonant ("z"). When adding a suffix like "-ical" to a single-syllable word that ends in a consonant, the final consonant is doubled to maintain the correct short vowel pronunciation.
Therefore, "quiz" becomes "quizzical" (with a double 'z' and an 'i' in the suffix).
"Quizical" is incorrect because it misses the double 'z'.
"Quisical" is incorrect because it incorrectly replaces the 'z' with an 's'.
"Quizzacal" is incorrect because it uses an 'a' instead of an 'i' in the suffix.
This makes Option 1 the correct choice.
Key Points
Mastering spelling patterns requires applying the consonant-doubling rule to root words when attaching multi-syllable suffixes.
The word "quizzical" (meaning expressive of puzzlement or mockery) strictly retains a double 'z' and an "-ical" ending.