Basic Details
Word: Allotted
Part of Speech: Verb
Meaning: Given out as a share, or set aside for a particular purpose or person. It is the past tense of allot.
Synonyms: assigned, allocated, given, distributed
Antonyms: withheld, denied
How to Spell Allotted
Syllables: al - lot - ted
Tricky part: Two double letters: ll at the start and tt before ed. Allot is stressed on lot, so the t doubles.
Watch out for: alloted, alotted, aloted
Memory tip: Al + lot + ted: there are a lot of l's and t's. Two of each.
Usage Examples
Example 1: Each team was allotted twenty minutes to present its science project.
Example 2: The housing society allotted one parking space to every flat.
Example 3: We finished the test well within the allotted time.
Fun Fact
Allot comes from Old French aloter, to divide by lot. A lot was a token drawn to decide who got which share, the same idea behind the word lottery.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Connection
Choose the synonym of the word allotted as used in the sentence:
The examiner allotted extra time to the students whose question papers arrived late.
a) demanded
b) removed
c) denied
d) assigned
Show answer
d) assigned. To allot time is to assign it to someone; denied and removed are the reverse.
Word Cookie
Fill in the missing letters to complete the word:
a_lo_ted
a) l, l
b) l, t
c) t, t
d) l, d
Show answer
b) l, t. Allot already has ll, and its stressed final t doubles before ed.
Spell-o-Spell
Only one of these words is spelt correctly. Choose its meaning:
1. catagory 2. allotted 3. scedule 4. sequense
a) a group of things of the same kind
b) the order in which things follow one another
c) a plan listing the times when things will happen
d) given as a share or for a particular purpose
Show answer
d) given as a share or for a particular purpose. Allot doubles its t before ed, so allotted is right. Schedule, category and sequence are all misspelt in this list.
Mingle-Mangle
Unjumble the letters in the sentence to form a meaningful word:
The guests sat in their otatldle seats at the wedding.
a) dotted
b) allotted
c) plotted
d) allowed
Show answer
b) allotted. Guests sit in the seats given to them, which is what allotted means; plotted and dotted have no a, and allowed has a w.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. The allotted time for a test is the time ____.
a) spent travelling to it
b) set aside for it
c) wasted during it
d) left over after it
Show answer
b) set aside for it
2. Allot and a lot sound alike. Which one fits: The teacher will ____ a topic to each group.
a) a lot
b) allott
c) alot
d) allot
Show answer
d) allot
