In this English spelling question, select the correctly spelled word from the four options given, focusing on standard modern English usage.

Introduction / Context:

This item tests your knowledge of correct English spelling, which is crucial for clear written communication and for scoring well in language sections of competitive exams. You are given four similar looking words and asked to choose the one that is correctly spelled according to standard modern English. The target skill is distinguishing genuine English words from forms that contain extra letters, missing letters, or incorrect letter patterns.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• Four candidate spellings are presented: splintted, goudiest, gibbered, and gleening.
• Only one of these words is spelled correctly in standard English.
• You are not asked for meaning, but meaning can help confirm which form actually exists in common usage.
• The tested vocabulary comes from everyday English rather than highly technical language.

Concept / Approach:

In spelling questions, a good approach is to ask two things: first, whether the word itself is familiar, and second, whether its pattern of letters follows normal English rules. "Gibbered" is the past tense and past participle of the verb "gibber", which means to talk rapidly and unintelligibly, often in fear or confusion. That word is well established and correctly formed by adding "-ed". The other options either do not represent standard words or contain incorrect doubling of consonants or vowels. Recognising common roots and suffixes, and recalling whether the base word is real, helps to eliminate wrong choices systematically.

Step-by-Step Solution:

Verification / Alternative check:

To verify, you can try forming different grammatical forms of the suspected base words. For "splint", you would say "He splinted the broken finger", not "He splintted the broken finger". For "gibber", however, you naturally say "He gibbered in fear" or "He had gibbered for several minutes". For "glean", you talk about "gleaning information", and the present participle is "gleaning", not "gleening". The absence of real, natural usage for the wrong options and the presence of clear, correct usage for "gibbered" confirm your choice.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:

"Splintted" wrongly doubles the consonant t and ignores the standard formation "splinted". "Goudiest" does not correspond to a recognised English word and appears to be a distorted form of "gaudiest". "Gleening" misuses vowel doubling and conflicts with the real word "gleaning". Since exam setters often introduce such near miss forms to test careful reading, you should treat them as traps rather than genuine alternatives.

Common Pitfalls:

Candidates sometimes pick the option that simply looks most complicated, assuming that longer or stranger spellings are correct in English. Others may not recall the base verb clearly and treat all four forms as equally likely. A helpful habit is to think of simple example sentences that you may have read or heard. If you can comfortably imagine a sentence like "He gibbered in terror", you know that "gibbered" is an authentic word and the spelling is reliable.

Final Answer:

The correctly spelled word is gibbered.