Question:

The patient’s death was the result of sheer ________ on the part of the surgeon.

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To remember “negligence,” note the root word “neglect” and replace the “t” with “-ence” to form the noun.
Updated On: Jul 15, 2026
  • negligience
  • negligence
  • negligennce
  • neglegence
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The Correct Option is B

Approach Solution - 1

The correct spelling is negligence, which refers to failure to take proper care in doing something, often leading to damage or harm. In a legal or medical context, negligence describes a breach of duty that results in injury or loss.
Options (A), (C), and (D) are incorrect spellings and are not used in standard English.
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Approach Solution -2

The question asks for the correctly spelled word describing the surgeon's failure that led to the patient's death. Let's go through each spelling.

  1. Negligience: This inserts an extra "i" before the "ence" ending, which does not belong in the word. The correct ending after the "g" is simply "-ence," not "-ience."
  2. Negligence: This keeps the root "neglig-" and adds the plain "-ence" ending, matching the standard, dictionary-recognised spelling. It correctly describes the failure to take proper care that leads to harm, which fits a surgeon's fatal error.
  3. Negligennce: This doubles the "n" before the ending, which is not how the word is formed. The base only has one "n" at that point.
  4. Neglegence: This swaps the "i" in "neglig-" for an "e," breaking the root entirely. The root of the word is "neglig-," not "negleg-."

Comparing all four spellings against the correct root "neglig-" and the plain ending "-ence" shows that only the second option preserves both without any inserted, doubled, or swapped letters.

Therefore, the correct answer is negligence.

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Approach Solution -3

The word "negligence" is closely related to "negligent" and "neglect", and lining each option up against these familiar relatives helps spot which spelling is genuine.

  1. Negligience: Neither "negligent" nor "neglect" carries an "i" before an "-ence/-ent" ending, so inserting one here does not match the family this word belongs to.
  2. Negligence: This keeps the same "neglig-" core seen in "negligent", with the plain "-ence" ending that regularly pairs with "-ent" words (compare "different"/"difference", "confident"/"confidence").
  3. Negligennce: "Negligent" has only one "n" at that point in the word, so doubling it here does not match the family spelling.
  4. Neglegence: "Neglect" and "negligent" both keep an "i" in that syllable ("neglig-"), so swapping it for an "e" breaks away from both related words.

Checking each option against the spelling shared by "negligent" and "neglect" leaves only one version that keeps the family's core intact.

Therefore, the correct answer is negligence.

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