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. How many syllables are in the word 'category'?
2. Why is 'available' preferred over 'open' in business contexts?
3. The double 'l' in 'finally' comes from adding which suffix to a word ending in 'l'?
4. Why is 'a flattering angle' preferred in photography?
5. Which of the following is the correct spelling of the word meaning 'relating to basic principles'?
6. Which of these words shares the same '-ceed' ending as 'exceed'?
7. Which of the following is an antonym for 'flower' (in the context of a plant)?
8. 'Brief' is unique because it can be which parts of speech?
9. A helpful trick to remember the spelling is to link it to which other word?
10. Is 'finally' spelled differently in British English?
11. What part of speech is 'across' in the sentence: 'We walked across the field'?
12. Why is 'fluorescent' preferred over 'neon' in scientific writing?
13. Which sentence uses 'emigrant' correctly?
14. The word 'environment' derives from which language?
15. Which of the following is a synonym for 'imminent'?
16. Is 'increased' spelled differently in British English?
17. The word 'fiery' derives from which language?
18. Which of the following is a synonym for 'different'?
19. Which of these words follows the same '-ous' to '-osity' spelling pattern as 'curiosity'?
20. What is the correct adjective form of 'completely'?
21. Which of the following is an antonym concept for 'counsel' used as a verb (to advise)?
22. Which of the following is an antonym for 'capital' in the context of letters?
23. How many syllables are in the word 'broccoli'?
24. A helpful trick to remember the spelling of 'compliment' (praise) is linking it to:
25. In the sentence 'The emigrant boarded the ship', what part of speech is 'emigrant'?
26. Why is 'column' preferred over 'line' when referring to spreadsheets?
27. Which of the following is the correct spelling of the word meaning 'an even distribution of weight'?
28. Which of the following is the correct spelling of the word meaning 'mechanisms used to operate a machine'?
29. Which of the following is an antonym for 'beautiful'?
30. Which of the following is a synonym for 'accommodate'?
31. In American English, on which syllable is the stress placed when pronouncing 'assume'?
32. In American English, on which syllable is the stress placed when pronouncing 'awkward'?
33. What does 'committed' mean in the sentence: 'The patient was committed to the asylum.'
34. Which of the following is the correct spelling of the word meaning 'the fatty part of milk'?
35. The suffix '-ary' in 'documentary' means:
36. Which modern English word heavily influenced the spelling of 'foreign' during the Middle English period?
37. Why is 'beneficial' frequently misspelled as 'benefical'?
38. The word 'explicit' derives from which language?
39. Which memory trick helps you remember the spelling of 'complement'?
40. Is 'Fahrenheit' spelled differently in British English?
41. What is the correct verb form of 'emigrant'?
42. What is wrong with the sentence: 'We cannot provide continuos support.'
43. A helpful trick to remember the vowel order is that the word literally starts with:
44. Is 'behavior' spelled differently in British English?
45. Why is 'boundary' preferred over 'bound' in legal documents?
46. How many syllables are in the word 'always'?
47. In American English, how is the noun form of 'attribute' pronounced?
48. What does 'dual' mean in the sentence: 'The plane has dual engines'?
49. How many syllables are in the written word 'basically'?
50. How many syllables are in the word 'cemetery'?
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.
