What action does Word take when a footnote is deleted?

When a footnote is deleted in Word, the program automatically renumbers the remaining footnotes to ensure sequential order. This action helps maintain the integrity of the referencing system within the document, allowing readers to easily follow the citations without confusion. The renumbering process involves adjusting the numbers of all subsequent footnotes, so that the footnotes remain in proper order, reflecting the accurate correlation to the cited content in the text.

Other options do not accurately describe the behavior of Word when a footnote is removed. For instance, leaving a blank space would be unhelpful in managing footnotes, and prompting for confirmation is not a standard feature when deleting footnotes in Word. Similarly, the action of doing nothing would fail to address the necessary reorganization of the remaining footnotes.