GCSE English: Improve Your Spelling Accuracy Now

English Quiz - Spelling 03 (Questions)

Sharpen your GCSE spelling. Learn how English treats accents in loanwords, when to keep them, and how consistent patterns make exam writing precise.

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Fascinating Fact:

Diacritics often vanish in English. Café keeps the accent sometimes, but façade and naïve frequently lose theirs.

In GCSE English, spelling accuracy shows control of audience and purpose. This quiz explores diacritics in loanwords, common patterns, and how to choose consistent forms that keep your writing clear and credible.

Key Terms

Diacritic: A mark added to a letter, such as é or ï, that can change pronunciation or meaning.
Loanword: A word taken from another language and used in English, for example café or cliché.
Anglicise: To adapt a foreign word to English spelling or usage, often by dropping accents.

Frequently Asked Questions (Click to see answers)

Do I have to keep accents in English exam writing?

Examiners reward consistency and clarity. If you use an accent in a word like café, use it every time. If you drop it, be consistent across your answer.

Which common English words keep their accents?

Words such as café, cliché, façade, and naïve often appear with accents in formal writing. Many publications also accept accentless forms, so choose one style and stick to it.

How can I remember spellings of loanwords for GCSE?

Make a mini list, note any accent or unusual letter, learn the meaning and example sentence, and practise by writing each word correctly three to five times.

Try These Related Quizzes

Complete the following sentence with the correct spelling.
Julia expected her ...... to ...... her version of the event.

[ ]	coleges, corroberate
[ ]	colleagues, corroborate
[ ]	collegues, coroborate
[ ]	colleages, corrobrate

Complete the following sentence with the correct spelling.
His inability to ...... the tone of a conversation could be ...... at times.

[ ]	gage, disastrous
[ ]	guage, disasterous
[ ]	gauge, disastorous
[ ]	gauge, disastrous

Complete the following sentence with the correct spelling.
Given her ...... salary, Karen thought her holiday to the ...... would have to be postponed for another year.

[ ]	meger, Meditteranean
[ ]	meager, Meditterranean
[ ]	meagre, Mediterranean
[ ]	meegre, Mediterranean

Complete the following sentence with the correct spelling.
Julian believed himself to be a ...... of ...... cuisine.

[ ]	connosure, exguisit
[ ]	connoisseur, exquisite
[ ]	conosure, exquisit
[ ]	connoisur, exquisite

Complete the following sentence with the correct spelling.
It had only been ...... that Kevin had ...... his vast horticultural knowledge.

[ ]	incidentally, acquired
[ ]	incidently, acquired
[ ]	incidentaly, aquired
[ ]	incidentally, ackwired

Complete the following sentence with the correct spelling.
Although she was merely ...... as a singer, she had quickly ...... herself into a starring role in the musical.

[ ]	compitent, manuvered
[ ]	competent, manoeuvred
[ ]	compatent, manouevered
[ ]	competant, manoeuvered

Complete the following sentence with the correct spelling.
The majority of the working day was spent ...... with ...... clients.

[ ]	liaising, corprate
[ ]	liasing, cooperate
[ ]	liaising, corporate
[ ]	liasing, corperate

Complete the following sentence with the correct spelling.
George could not understand why the new editor never ...... how ...... he was to the smooth running of the newsroom.

[ ]	acknoledge, indespensable
[ ]	acnowledged, indispenseable
[ ]	aknowledged, indespinsable
[ ]	acknowledged, indispensable

Complete the following sentence with the correct spelling.
Although she was still an ......, Sonia's ...... technique swiftly impressed her diving coach.

[ ]	amachure, efishent
[ ]	ameture, eficient
[ ]	amateur, efficient
[ ]	amature, effecient

10.

Complete the following sentence with the correct spelling.
Their mother had always used the threat of an especially foul-tasting ...... as a ...... from falsely claiming to be ill on school days.

[ ]	medcine, deterrent
[ ]	medicine, deterrent
[ ]	medecine, detterent
[ ]	medicin, deterrant

You can find more about this topic by visiting BBC Bitesize - Spelling

English Quiz - Spelling 03 (Answers)

Complete the following sentence with the correct spelling.
Julia expected her ...... to ...... her version of the event.

[ ]	coleges, corroberate
[x]	colleagues, corroborate
[ ]	collegues, coroborate
[ ]	colleages, corrobrate

Julia expected her colleagues to corroborate her version of the event

Complete the following sentence with the correct spelling.
His inability to ...... the tone of a conversation could be ...... at times.

[ ]	gage, disastrous
[ ]	guage, disasterous
[ ]	gauge, disastorous
[x]	gauge, disastrous

His inability to gauge the tone of a conversation could be disastrous at times

Complete the following sentence with the correct spelling.
Given her ...... salary, Karen thought her holiday to the ...... would have to be postponed for another year.

[ ]	meger, Meditteranean
[ ]	meager, Meditterranean
[x]	meagre, Mediterranean
[ ]	meegre, Mediterranean

Given her meagre salary, Karen thought her holiday to the Mediterranean would have to be postponed for another year

Complete the following sentence with the correct spelling.
Julian believed himself to be a ...... of ...... cuisine.

[ ]	connosure, exguisit
[x]	connoisseur, exquisite
[ ]	conosure, exquisit
[ ]	connoisur, exquisite

Julian believed himself to be a connoisseur of exquisite cuisine

Complete the following sentence with the correct spelling.
It had only been ...... that Kevin had ...... his vast horticultural knowledge.

[x]	incidentally, acquired
[ ]	incidently, acquired
[ ]	incidentaly, aquired
[ ]	incidentally, ackwired

It had only been incidentally that Kevin had acquired his vast horticultural knowledge

Complete the following sentence with the correct spelling.
Although she was merely ...... as a singer, she had quickly ...... herself into a starring role in the musical.

[ ]	compitent, manuvered
[x]	competent, manoeuvred
[ ]	compatent, manouevered
[ ]	competant, manoeuvered

Although she was merely competent as a singer, she had quickly manoeuvred herself into a starring role in the musical

Complete the following sentence with the correct spelling.
The majority of the working day was spent ...... with ...... clients.

[ ]	liaising, corprate
[ ]	liasing, cooperate
[x]	liaising, corporate
[ ]	liasing, corperate

The majority of the working day was spent liaising with corporate clients

Complete the following sentence with the correct spelling.
George could not understand why the new editor never ...... how ...... he was to the smooth running of the newsroom.

[ ]	acknoledge, indespensable
[ ]	acnowledged, indispenseable
[ ]	aknowledged, indespinsable
[x]	acknowledged, indispensable

George could never understand why the new editor never acknowledged how indispensable he was to the smooth running of the newsroom.