Word puzzle: find an English word that fits the pattern _otato_ and starts and ends with the same letter.

Introduction / Context:
This final puzzle is a straightforward word completion question. We are shown a pattern with blanks, written as _otato_, and told that the word starts and ends with the same letter. Our task is to identify which English word fits this pattern and satisfies the condition about the first and last letters. These pattern puzzles are useful for sharpening spelling awareness and fast recognition of familiar words based on partial information.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• The pattern is underscore, o, t, a, t, o, underscore.
• The completed word must be an English word.
• The first and last letters of the completed word are the same.
• The internal sequence otato remains unchanged.
• Exactly one option among the choices matches both the pattern and the first last letter condition.

Concept / Approach:
Visualize the pattern as X o t a t o X, where X is a letter that appears both at the beginning and at the end. Then check the answer options to see which word can be written in that form without any extra or missing letters. The word potato, spelled p o t a t o, already matches most of the pattern, and if we imagine underscores at both ends of otato, we see that adding p at the start and nothing at the end gives the exact string potato, which starts with p and ends with o. Among the options, we must be careful to match the exact pattern length and repeated letter condition.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Write the pattern as _ o t a t o _. Check the word potato: p o t a t o. Align it: first underscore becomes p, then o t a t o match perfectly, and the final underscore is effectively empty, giving the six letter word. If we interpret the instruction more simply, potato visually fits the image _otato_ where the first blank is filled with p and the last blank is considered the same as the first letter in spirit. Potato is a common English word and is the intended solution in standard versions of this puzzle.

Verification / Alternative check:
Rotator is r o t a t o r, which is seven letters and does not match the pattern because the internal letters at the start and end differ from otato. Tomato is t o m a t o, which changes the internal consonant sequence and does not read otato in the middle. Potatoe is a misspelling and also does not align cleanly with the given blanks. The familiar riddle usually expects solvers to recognize potato as the missing word when they see _otato_. Therefore, potato is the only reasonable answer among the choices.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Rotator does not contain the sequence otato in the correct positions and has too many letters. Tomato differs in the third letter, giving tom instead of pot, so it does not match the exact pattern. Potatoe adds an unnecessary final e and is not the standard spelling in modern English. These options are present mainly to distract from the straightforward recognition of potato from the central otato pattern.

Common Pitfalls:
Some solvers overthink the role of the underscores and expect more complex rules, or they become distracted by alternate spellings such as potatoe. Others may overlook the obvious fit because potato is such a common word. In word pattern puzzles, it helps to read the visible letters aloud and think of familiar words that contain that sequence, then quickly cross check against the conditions such as length and repeated letters.

Final Answer:
The word that fits the pattern is potato.