Find the element’s position on the periodic table
Compare its group and period trends
Use the periodic trend: electronegativity increases left to right across a period
Use the periodic trend: electronegativity decreases top to bottom within a group
Identify the element’s relative position to fluorine, the most electronegative element
Refer to a Pauling electronegativity table for the exact value
Use the element’s chemical bonding behavior as a supporting check
Compare electronegativity values of neighboring elements for estimation