Concept:
Electronegativity is the tendency of an atom to attract shared electrons in a chemical bond.
Across a period, electronegativity increases from left to right, while down a group it generally decreases.
Step 1: Observe the trend across the periodic table.
Elements on the right side of the periodic table have higher electronegativity.
Step 2: Identify the group with the highest values.
Group 17 elements (halogens) such as fluorine, chlorine, bromine, and iodine have very high electronegativities.
Step 3: Note the most electronegative element.
Fluorine, which belongs to Group 17, is the most electronegative element in the periodic table.