Study Notes: Spelling / Misspelt Words
Topic Code: mts.eng.spellings | Exam: SSC Multi Tasking Staff (Paper 1)
Overview
Spelling questions in SSC MTS Paper 1 test your ability to identify correctly or incorrectly spelt words from a set of options. Typically, you'll be given four words and asked to pick the one that is misspelt (or correctly spelt, depending on the question).
This topic is scoring if you've built a strong vocabulary and understand common spelling patterns in English. Unlike subjective writing where minor spelling errors might go unnoticed, objective questions demand 100% accuracy. The words tested are usually everyday English terms, business/formal vocabulary, and commonly confused spellings—not obscure technical jargon.
Mastering spelling questions requires three things: pattern recognition (understanding phonetic rules and silent letters), elimination technique (spotting obvious errors), and consistent practice with SSC-level word lists. Since English borrows from Latin, Greek, French and other languages, many spelling irregularities exist—but SSC focuses on a predictable set of high-frequency errors.
Key Concepts
- Common confusion pairs: Words that sound similar but are spelt differently (homophones) or have similar spelling patterns often appear. Examples: stationery (paper) vs stationary (standing still), affect vs effect.
- Silent letters: Many English words have silent letters that students omit. Key patterns: Wednesday (silent d), receipt (silent p), condemn (silent n), rhythm (no vowel before m), psychology (silent p).
- Double consonants: Errors frequently occur with doubled consonants. Examples: accommodate (double c and double m), harass (one r, two s), necessary (one c, two s), occurrence (double c, double r).
- -ence vs -ance endings: Many students confuse these noun endings. Reference, existence, independence use -ence; assistance, attendance, performance use -ance. The base verb often gives a clue (refer→reference, assist→assistance).
- -able vs -ible suffixes: Both mean "capable of" but follow different patterns. Generally, if the root is a complete word, use -able (comfort→comfortable). Latin-derived stems take -ible (visible, terrible, possible).
- IE vs EI rule: The old rule "I before E except after C" works for many words (believe, receive) but has exceptions like their, weird, seize, height. Focus on memorizing common exceptions rather than over-relying on the rule.
- Prefixes don't alter root spelling: When adding prefixes like dis-, mis-, un-, the root word spelling remains unchanged: misspell (not mispell), dissatisfy (not disatisfy), unnatural (not unatural).
- British vs American spelling: SSC generally follows British conventions but accepts both. Be aware: colour/color, centre/center, realise/realize. The exam won't penalize either, but maintain consistency in your written responses.
Key Facts
- accommodate — double c, double m (one of the most misspelt words)
- occurred, occurrence — double c, double r
- definitely — comes from "definite," not "definate"
- independent — ends with -ent, not -ant
- conscience — "science" at the end, not "sience"
- separate — has "a rat" in the middle (sep-a-rate)
- privilege — ends with -ilege, not -iledge or -ilige
- embarrass — double r, double s
- maintenance — comes from "maintain" but changes to -tenance
- rhythm — no vowels between h and m, unusual pattern
- weird — exception to "i before e" rule
- cemetery — three e's, ends with -ery not -ary
- consensus — no "c" in the middle, ends with -sus
- liaison — double i, one s
- millennium — double l, double n
Worked Examples
Example 1: Identify the correctly spelt word.
- (A) Accomodation
- (B) Accommodation
- (C) Acommodation
- (D) Acomodation
Solution: Step 1: Check the root word "accommodate" — it requires double C (ac-) and double M (-mmodate). Step 2: Option (B) has both doubled letters correctly. Options (A), (C), (D) miss one or both doubles. Answer: (B) Accommodation
Example 2: Identify the misspelt word.
- (A) Separate
- (B) Desperate
- (C) Neccessary
- (D) Temporary
Solution: Step 1: Check each word individually. Separate (correct), desperate (correct), temporary (correct). Step 2: Necessary should have one C and double S, not double C. Option (C) shows neccessary with double C. Answer: (C) Neccessary [misspelt]
Example 3: Which word is correctly spelt?
- (A) Priviledge
- (B) Privelige
- (C) Privilege
- (D) Privilage
Solution: Step 1: The word comes from Latin privilegium. The correct modern English spelling is "priv-i-lege" with -ilege ending. Step 2: Option (C) matches this pattern. Options (A), (B), (D) use incorrect vowel combinations in the ending. Answer: (C) Privilege
Common Mistakes
- Adding unnecessary double letters → Fix: Double consonants usually appear in specific positions. Don't randomly double letters. Check: harassment is one r + two s, not two r + two s.
- Confusing -ance/-ence endings by guessing → Fix: Learn common words in groups. Notice that attend→attendance, refer→reference. Verb forms often hint at the correct suffix.
- Spelling "definitely" as "definately" → Fix: Remember it comes from "definite" + ly. There's no 'a' in "definite," so none in "definitely."
- Forgetting silent letters in familiar words → Fix: Create memory hooks: Wednesday = Wednes-day (think "Wed"), knife has silent k, writing drops the second i from "write."
- Over-applying the "I before E" rule → Fix: Memorize common exceptions: their, weird, seize, height, foreign, either. These appear frequently in exams.
Quick Reference
- Accommodate — double C, double M every time
- Silent letters: Wednesday, receipt, condemn, psychology, rhythm
- Double trouble: occurred, harass, embarrass, unnecessary
- -ence not -ance: reference, existence, independence
- IE exceptions: weird, their, seize, height
- No double after prefix: misspell, dissatisfy, unnatural (prefix + root unchanged)
Study Strategy: Make flashcards of the 50 most commonly misspelt words in SSC exams. Practice writing each word three times daily. Use elimination—if three words look correct, the fourth is likely wrong. Read quality newspapers to internalize correct spellings naturally.