Question

Choose the correct spelling:

a) Deceived
b) Decieved
c) Diecieve
d) Decieve

Answer 1

Hint: Spelling is forming words with letters according to the principles underlying accepted usage.
For example- I+ n+ d+ e+ f+ i+ n+ i+ t+ e = Indefinite.

Complete answer:
In the given question, we have to analyze the given spellings in the options to find out which one is the correct one.

These spellings all point towards the word ‘deceive’, the past tense of which is ‘deceived’.
The past tense of many verbs is formed by putting -ed at the end of the verb.
Similarly, here we have deceive + ed= deceived.
Let us thus analyze the options given to us in this question:
Option (a.), 'deceived', refers to the correct spelling of the past tense form of the verb ‘deceive’.
Therefore, option (a.) is correct.

Option (b.), ‘decieved', refers to the incorrect spelling of the past tense form of the verb ‘deceive’, as there is a reversal of positions of ‘i’ and ‘e’ in the middle of the word.
Therefore, option (b.) is incorrect.

Option (c.), ‘diecieve', refers to the incorrect spelling of the verb ‘deceive’.
Therefore, option (c.) is incorrect.

Option (d.), ‘decieve', refers to the incorrect spelling of the verb ‘deceive’.
Therefore, option (d.) is incorrect.

So, the correct answer is “Option a”.

Note:
In this question, the student may wonder about the meaning of the word ‘deceive’.
Deceive means ‘be false to; be dishonest with’ and ‘cause someone to believe an untruth’.
This word originated from the Middle English deceyven, from Old French deceivre (Modern French décevoir), from Latin decipere (“to deceive, beguile, entrap”), from de- (“from”) + capere (“to seize”).