Which word correctly completes the sentence?
"La del árbol creció bajo la acera de concreto."
- raíz (correct answer)
- raízes
- ráiz
- raiz
Explanation: When you're deciding how to spell a Spanish word, two things matter: does the word carry a written accent (tilde), and does it match the sentence in number (singular or plural)? This sentence talks about la raíz del árbol — one root of the tree — so you need a singular word, and you need to place the accent correctly. The word raíz is right because it names a single root, matching la (singular). It also needs a tilde on the í. Here's why: the i and the a would normally form a diphthong (one syllable), but the accent breaks them apart into ra-íz, creating a "hiato." Spanish marks a strong-weak vowel split like this with a tilde on the weak vowel (i or u). Now the traps. Raízes is plural ("roots"), but the sentence uses la, which is singular — and even the plural of raíz is actually raíces, so this spelling is wrong twice over. Ráiz puts the tilde on the wrong vowel; the accent belongs on the í, not the a, because the i is the vowel that needs to be separated into its own syllable. Raiz has the right letters but forgets the tilde entirely, so it fails the accent rule for hiatos. A tip to remember: when a weak vowel (i/u) needs to be stressed and pulled away from a neighboring strong vowel, it gets the tilde — raíz, país, María. Read the sentence's article (la vs. las) to confirm singular or plural before you choose.