Select the INCORRECTLY spelt word.

Correct — B. The word is spelt abysmal; the paper prints Abismal, with the y of the root replaced by an i.

That y is not decoration. Abysmal is abyss plus a suffix, so the root's spelling carries into the adjective: a-bys-mal.

Allocation, aversion and allegation are all printed correctly, which leaves option (b) as the incorrectly spelt word.

Why the others are wrong

• (a)
  Allocation — Not the answer: Allocation is spelt correctly — double l, single c, the noun ending -ation on allocate. Nothing in it has been altered.
• (c)
  Aversion — Not the answer: Aversion is correct as printed. It comes from avert and takes a single s, not the double s some expect by analogy with assertion.
• (d)
  Allegation — Not the answer: Allegation is correct — double l, single g, formed on the verb allege.

Spelling items are decided by the root, not by the sound.

Abysmal keeps its y because it is built on abyss. Once you can name the parent word the vowel stops being a guess — and that matters here, because Abismal matches the pronunciation exactly and so survives a quick read.

All four options begin with A, so first letter and word shape give you no shortcut; you have to look at the vowels and the doubled consonants one word at a time.

Key facts

• Abysmal is spelt with a y because it derives from abyss.
• Abysmal means extremely bad.
• Abysmal is a separate word from dismal, not a variant of it.
• Allocation, aversion and allegation are all correctly spelt as printed in this item.

Common traps

• Spelling by ear — the i-for-y swap in Abismal is exactly what the pronunciation invites
• Expecting a double s in aversion by analogy with assertion

No directly related past PYQ was found.