Basic Details
Word: Probability
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: How likely something is to happen. In maths it is given as a number from 0 (impossible) to 1 (certain).
Synonyms: likelihood, chance
Antonyms: improbability, impossibility
How to Spell Probability
Syllables: prob - a - bil - i - ty
Tricky part: Probable changes its ble to bil before ity is added, so the end is bil-i-ty. Students often drop an i (probablity).
Watch out for: probablity, probabilty, probibility, probabillity
Memory tip: Probable becomes probability the same way possible becomes possibility: ble turns into bil, then ity.
Usage Examples
Example 1: The probability of getting a six on one throw of a die is one in six.
Example 2: There is a high probability that the match will be called off.
Example 3: Our maths teacher used coloured beads to explain probability.
Fun Fact
Two French mathematicians, Blaise Pascal and Pierre de Fermat, worked out early rules of probability in letters they exchanged in 1654 about games of chance played for money.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Cookie
Find the extra letter in the word:
probabillity
a) l
b) b
c) t
d) i
Show answer
a) l. Only one l belongs in the bil part of the word.
Mingle-Mangle
Unjumble the letters in the sentence and choose the word they make:
Weather experts say there is a high libtyroapib of rain in Mumbai tomorrow.
a) probability
b) possibility
c) portability
d) profitability
Show answer
a) probability. Count the b's: two of them, and no s or f, so possibility, portability and profitability all fail.
Word Connection
Choose the synonym of the word 'probability' as used in the sentence:
The probability of finding a parking spot near the temple on a festival day is very low.
a) certainty
b) likelihood
c) difficulty
d) distance
Show answer
b) likelihood. Probability is about how likely something is, so likelihood is the match; certainty leaves no doubt at all.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. If an event has a probability of zero, it ____.
a) happens at night
b) is sure to happen
c) happens every day
d) will never happen
Show answer
d) will never happen
2. A fair coin is tossed once. What is the probability of getting heads?
a) one third
b) one half
c) one quarter
d) one
Show answer
b) one half
