In this English vocabulary question, you must select the correctly spelled English word from the given options.

Introduction / Context:

This question tests your ability to recognise correct English spelling. Spelling questions are frequent in competitive exams because they assess your familiarity with common word forms and your exposure to written English. Among the four options provided, three contain deliberate spelling errors, while one is correctly spelled. Your task is to identify the correctly spelled word.

Given Data / Assumptions:

- Four options are given as possible English words.

- Only one option is correctly spelled in standard English usage.

- The options are: "alackrity", "refileing", "bufoons", and "condense".

- You are not asked for meanings, but understanding common words often helps detect spelling mistakes.

Concept / Approach:

A good approach to spelling questions is to look for familiar base words and check if they match the most common standard spelling you have seen in quality texts. Many exam questions take real English words and slightly distort them by adding or changing letters. For instance, "alacrity" (meaning eagerness) is a real word, but "alackrity" is not. Similarly, "buffoons" is the correct spelling for foolish persons, not "bufoons". Recognising which base word each option is trying to represent makes it easier to identify the correct spelling.

Step-by-Step Solution:

Verification / Alternative check:

If you consult a standard English dictionary, you will find entries for "alacrity", "buffoon", and "condense", but not for "alackrity", "bufoons", or "refileing" as they are written here. Only "condense" exactly matches a correct dictionary form. This confirms that the correct answer is the word whose spelling is accepted in formal writing and common usage.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:

"alackrity" is incorrect because the correct word is "alacrity", with the sequence "acr" rather than "ackr". "refileing" is incorrect because in English verbs ending with a silent e typically drop the e before adding "-ing", producing "refiling" instead of "refileing". "bufoons" is wrong because the real plural form is "buffoons", with double f. These small deviations in letters are typical traps used in spelling questions to test attention to detail.

Common Pitfalls:

A common mistake is to rely only on pronunciation, because many incorrect spellings still look and sound plausible, especially under exam pressure. Another pitfall is over-correction, where students think a perfectly simple word like "condense" looks too easy and therefore must be wrong. Regular reading of quality English texts, noting word patterns like doubled consonants, dropped silent letters, and common suffix rules, can significantly improve spelling recognition and performance in such questions.

Final Answer:

The correctly spelled word among the options is "condense".