Choose the correct spelling of a word meaning 'a person of high rank or title'.

Correct — C. Noble is the word. As a noun, a noble is an aristocrat, a person of high rank or title.

It comes from Latin nobilis, 'well-known, high-born'. The spelling is n-o-b-l-e: one b, then the ending -le → option (c).

Why the others are wrong

• (a)
  Nobble — Nobble doubles the b. It is a different word, British slang for tampering with a racehorse or influencing someone by corrupt means, and it never names a person of rank.
• (b)
  Noblie — Noblie puts an i between the l and the e. No form of the word is spelt that way: the noun and adjective are noble, and the adverb is nobly.
• (d)
  Nobel — Nobel swaps the last two letters. It is a surname, Alfred Nobel's, which gives the Nobel Prizes their name, not a word for a person of rank.

A spelling item with a definition gives you two checks: the word must mean what the stem says, and it must be spelt right.

Two wrong options here are real words. Nobble is a slang verb and Nobel is a surname, so asking only 'is this a real word?' can catch you out.

Noble passes both checks. It is also an adjective, as in a noble cause, but the stem's definition wants the noun: an aristocrat.

Key facts

• As a noun, noble means an aristocrat, a person of noble birth or rank.
• Noble comes from Latin nobilis, 'well-known, high-born'.
• Nobble is British slang for tampering with a racehorse or influencing someone by corrupt means.
• Nobel is the surname of Alfred Nobel, after whom the Nobel Prizes are named.

Common traps

• Picking Nobel because the name is familiar, without checking that it is a surname, not a word for a person of rank
• Picking Nobble because it looks like a real word, which it is, with an unrelated meaning

No directly related past PYQ was found.