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OACP overview

OACP: Spelling for incident reports

Spot the correctly spelled word in report-style sentences: double letters, -ance and -ence endings, i-before-e exceptions, silent letters and Canadian spellings such as licence and offence.

  • 18 questions
  • Topic drill
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Spelling for incident reports · Question 1Score 0/0

Choose the correct Canadian spelling: "A ____ heard shouting through the wall."

Study reference: OACP Certificate study notes (Oct 2026), Ch. 2 Spelling — report words and spelling patterns

All 18 questions in this test

Every question and its answer choices. The correct answers and explanations appear when you take the test above.

  1. Choose the correct Canadian spelling: "A ____ heard shouting through the wall."

    1. neighbor
    2. nieghbour
    3. neihgbour
    4. neighbour

  2. Choose the correct spelling to complete the sentence: "The detective kept the house under ____ for two nights."

    1. survaillance
    2. surveillence
    3. surveillance
    4. surveilance

  3. Choose the correct spelling: "Officers responded to a noise ____ on Main Street."

    1. disturbance
    2. disturbanse
    3. disterbance
    4. disturbence

  4. Choose the correct spelling: "The cashier handed over a ____ for the purchase."

    1. reciept
    2. receit
    3. receipt
    4. reseipt

  5. Which spelling is correct in: "The collision ____ shortly after midnight."

    1. occurred
    2. occured
    3. ocurred
    4. occurrd

  6. Choose the correct spelling: "The offence was ____ in a parking garage."

    1. comited
    2. committed
    3. comitted
    4. commited

  7. Choose the correct spelling: "The note was barely ____ after the rain."

    1. legibel
    2. ledgible
    3. legable
    4. legible

  8. Choose the correct spelling: "The shelter could not ____ the whole family."

    1. accomodate
    2. accommadate
    3. acommodate
    4. accommodate

  9. Choose the correct spelling: "The ____ was bagged and labelled at the scene."

    1. evidance
    2. evidince
    3. evedence
    4. evidence

  10. Choose the correct spelling: "The witness was too ____ to describe the incident."

    1. embarrased
    2. embarassed
    3. embarrassed
    4. embaressed

  11. Choose the correct spelling: "The report notes a second ____ at the same address."

    1. occurrance
    2. occurrence
    3. occurence
    4. ocurrence

  12. Choose the correct Canadian spelling: "He was charged with a criminal ____."

    1. offance
    2. ofence
    3. offence
    4. offense

  13. Choose the correct spelling: "The car stopped in the middle of the ____."

    1. intersecsion
    2. intersektion
    3. intersection
    4. intresection

  14. Choose the correct spelling: "There was a ____ dent on the driver's door."

    1. noticeable
    2. notisable
    3. noticeible
    4. noticable

  15. Choose the correct spelling: "The victim reported ongoing ____ by a former coworker."

    1. harasment
    2. harassment
    3. harrasment
    4. harrassment

  16. Choose the correct Canadian spelling of the noun: "The driver could not produce a ____."

    1. licence
    2. lisence
    3. lycence
    4. licanse

  17. Choose the correct spelling: "The suspect dropped the ____ near the curb."

    1. nife
    2. knife
    3. knive
    4. knifee

  18. Choose the correct spelling: "Officers may ____ evidence found in plain view."

    1. sieze
    2. seeze
    3. seaze
    4. seize

Spelling for incident reports: key rules to remember

Our summary of what the official handbook says on this topic, in our own words. Read it before or after the practice questions above, then check the original chapter. Read the official chapter ↗

what it measures (Pearson product page)

  • The SSPO's incident report writing section assesses spelling, grammar and vocabulary.

Report words worth practising (our study notes)

  • Words that come up often in incident reports: witness, suspect, vehicle, intersection, licence, injuries, surveillance, harassment.

Spelling patterns that cause most report errors (our study notes)

  • Double letters: accommodate, embarrass, harass (one r, two s), occurred, occurrence, committed, omitted, recommend (one c, two m).
  • "i before e" exceptions: receive, seize, weird, foreign, height, neighbour.
  • -ance / -ence endings must be memorized: surveillance, disturbance, assistance, evidence, occurrence, negligence, existence.
  • -able / -ible: noticeable, knowledgeable, responsible, visible, permissible, legible.
  • Silent letters: knife, wrist, writ, guard, receipt, rhythm, subtle.
  • Words that change when a suffix is added: argue → argument, true → truly, judge → judgment (both judgment and judgement are accepted in Canada), occur → occurred.
  • Canadian usage: licence is the noun and license the verb; offence and defence end in -ce.

Study the Spelling for incident reports rules as flashcards →

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