Master the trickiest spellings in the English language. Check your spelling instantly, learn the rules, and discover memory tricks to write flawlessly.
English borrows from dozens of languages, creating spelling chaos. Here are the main culprits.
Words aren't spelled like they sound. "Knife" and "Psychology" ignore their first letters entirely.
Knowing when to double up is hard. Address vs. Adept, Embarrass vs. Excite.
Latin, Greek, and French roots bring strange rules. "Rhythm" comes straight from Greek.
Ghost letters haunt our words. Why is there a 'B' in "Debt" or a 'C' in "Scissors"?
These are the words that trip up writers the most. Don't let them trip you.
Learn the difference between words that sound alike but are spelled differently.
Affect
Effect
Tip: "Affect" is usually a verb (Action), "Effect" is usually a noun (End result).
Loose
Lose
Tip: "Lose" is to misplace something. "Loose" means it's not tight.
Principal
Principle
Tip: A "Principal" is your pal. A "Principle" is a rule or belief.
Are you writing for a US or UK audience? Know the crucial differences.
It's not just about letters; it's about punctuation. These are the worst offenders.
Wrong: The dog lost it's bone.
Right: The dog lost its bone. (Possessive has no apostrophe!)
Wrong: Your going to be late.
Right: You're going to be late. (Contraction of "You are").
Wrong: Their going over there.
Right: They're going over there.
Wrong: I want to go to.
Right: I want to go too. (Means "also" or an excess).
Easy ways to remember the hardest spelling rules in English.
Use "ie" as in Believe and Achieve. Use "ei" after C as in Receive and Conceive.
A shirt has one collar and two sleeves. So, one 'C' and two 'S's.
To accommodate someone, you need two beds (C's) and two mattresses (M's).
When making a word plural, don't just slap an 'S' on the end.
Y to IES
Baby → Babies
If it ends in Y, drop Y, add IES.
F to VES
Leaf → Leaves
Ends in F or FE, change to VES.
US to I
Cactus → Cacti
Latin words ending in US become I.
IS to ES
Analysis → Analyses
Greek words ending in IS become ES.
Misspelling these words at work can damage your credibility.
Find misspelled words grouped by where people struggle the most.
Explore our extensive dictionary using different filters and categories.
Take this 50-question quiz to test your vocabulary knowledge.
1. Which sentence uses 'concede' correctly?
2. Which of the following is a synonym for 'disastrous'?
3. Is 'eccentric' spelled differently in British English?
4. Which sentence uses 'cream' correctly?
5. 'Coming' is the present participle of which verb?
6. Why is 'exceed' frequently misspelled as 'excede'?
7. Which of these words follows the same chemical '-ol' spelling pattern as 'cholesterol'?
8. In the sentence 'The wine complements the cheese', what part of speech is 'complements'?
9. Which memory trick helps you remember the spelling of 'exhilarate'?
10. In grammar, what is the comparative form of 'good'?
11. In the sentence 'The beginning of the movie was slow', what part of speech is 'beginning'?
12. Which of these words shares the same Latin root ('amare') as 'amateur'?
13. Which sentence uses 'benefit' correctly?
14. What is the correct adjective form of 'eventually'?
15. 'Category' is a word that often suffers from the 'schwa' problem. What is a schwa?
16. The word 'explicit' derives from which language?
17. Which sentence uses 'automatically' correctly?
18. How many syllables are in the word 'cord'?
19. What does 'committed' mean in the sentence: 'The patient was committed to the asylum.'
20. How many syllables are in the word 'attorney'?
21. Why should you avoid 'alot' in a professional email?
22. Why is 'atheist' sometimes preferred over 'nonbeliever' in academic writing?
23. What is the base word of 'definitely'?
24. Which memory trick helps you remember the spelling of 'differently'?
25. In American English, on which syllable is the stress placed when pronouncing 'completely'?
26. What does 'certainly' mean in the sentence: 'The storm will certainly impact the coast'?
27. How many syllables are in the word 'differently'?
28. Is 'author' spelled differently in British English?
29. Why is 'conceive' frequently misspelled as 'concieve'?
30. 'Discipline' is a unique word because the 'sc' combination produces what sound?
31. In the sentence 'The package has an awkward shape', what part of speech is 'awkward'?
32. What is the correct term for a story published in installments?
33. The Latin root 'frustra' means what?
34. In the sentence 'We had pie for dessert', what part of speech is 'dessert'?
35. Which memory trick helps you remember the spelling of 'awful'?
36. How many syllables are in the word 'earthquakes'?
37. The Latin prefix 'e-' in 'emigrant' means what?
38. Is 'documentary' spelled differently in British English?
39. Which preposition commonly follows 'beneficial'?
40. How many syllables are in the word 'coming'?
41. How many vowels are in the word 'dominant'?
42. The word 'always' historically derives from which two English words?
43. Why is 'available' frequently misspelled as 'availible'?
44. Which of the following is an antonym for 'favorite'?
45. Which of the following is the correct spelling of the word meaning 'awake and aware'?
46. How many syllables are in the word 'aggression'?
47. How many syllables are in the word 'fair'?
48. The word 'attain' derives from which language?
49. Which of the following is the correct spelling of the word meaning 'to suppose to be true'?
50. What is the correct plural form of 'competition'?
Commonly misspelled words are words that people frequently write incorrectly. These often include words with double letters (like 'accommodate'), silent letters (like 'rhythm'), or words that don't sound the way they are spelled (like 'Wednesday').
English spelling is difficult because the language has borrowed words from many other languages like Latin, French, and German. As a result, English has many irregular spelling rules, exceptions, and words that sound the same but are spelled differently (homophones) like 'their', 'there', and 'they're'.
To stop misspelling words, you should learn common spelling rules, break long words into smaller syllables, and memorize exceptions. Reading regularly and keeping a personal list of words you frequently struggle with can also help you improve your spelling skills over time.
Words like 'definitely', 'separate', 'accommodate', and 'occurrence' are consistently ranked among the most misspelled words in the English language. People often misspell them by adding extra letters or substituting vowels incorrectly.
'Misspelled' and 'misspelt' are both correct past tense forms of the verb 'misspell'. 'Misspelled' is the preferred spelling in American English, while 'misspelt' is more commonly used in British English.
