The likelihood of something happening.

• A. Probability
• B. Chance
• C. Possibility
• D. Risk

Answer: (B)

Understanding how to express likelihood with the right word. The phrase “likelihood” asks how probable something is to happen. In everyday language, the natural synonym is “chance,” which conveys that something may occur without implying a specific numerical value. The other terms shift the nuance: possibility focuses on whether it could happen at all, without indicating how likely it is; risk centers on the potential for negative outcomes rather than just likelihood; probability is the precise mathematical measure of how likely something is. So, when the prompt wants a simple, general sense of how likely an event is to occur, the best fit is chance. For example, you’d say “the chance of rain today” in conversational terms, even though you could also quantify it as a probability if you were giving a numeric estimate.