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. 'Ensure' is a unique word in this trio because it specifically means:
2. What is the correct plural form of 'competition'?
3. Which of the following is an antonym for 'eccentric'?
4. Which word refers to a passenger who pays to ride in a taxi?
5. Which of these words follows the same '-ous' to '-osity' spelling pattern as 'curiosity'?
6. Which sentence uses 'fascinated' correctly?
7. Is 'committed' spelled differently in British English?
8. What is wrong with the sentence: 'The contraversy over the budget continues.'
9. What is wrong with the sentence: 'The plans are very changable.'
10. What is the correct adjective form of 'behavior'?
11. Which sentence uses 'almost' correctly?
12. Which memory trick helps you remember the spelling of 'council' (the group)?
13. How many syllables are in the word 'eighth'?
14. Which of the following is an antonym for 'already'?
15. Which of these words shares the same Latin root ('commodus') as 'accommodate'?
16. Which of the following is a synonym for 'comparative'?
17. What is the correct spelling of the related adverb meaning 'in small pieces'?
18. Which of the following is a synonym for 'convertible' (as an adjective)?
19. Why is 'amateur' preferred over 'non-professional' in sports writing?
20. The verb 'bear' (to carry) derives from which Old English word?
21. Why is 'arctic' frequently misspelled as 'artic'?
22. Which sentence uses 'colleague' correctly?
23. A helpful trick to remember the 'e' is that the prefix 'bene' stands for:
24. In American English, on which syllable is the stress placed when pronouncing 'exhilarate'?
25. A helpful trick to remember the 'ia' in 'allegiance' is that it stands for:
26. Why is 'dynasty' preferred over 'family line' in historical writing?
27. In American English, on which syllable is the stress placed when pronouncing 'atheist'?
28. In American English, on which syllable is the stress placed when pronouncing 'eccentric'?
29. Which sentence correctly uses 'drunker'?
30. What is the correct spelling of the adjective form meaning 'not the same'?
31. Which of the following is the correct spelling of the past tense of 'catch'?
32. In the sentence 'He has five years of experience', what part of speech is 'experience'?
33. Why is 'allegiance' frequently misspelled as 'allegience'?
34. Is 'facilities' spelled differently in British English?
35. Which of the following is a synonym for 'certainly'?
36. What is the correct noun form of 'disgusting'?
37. Why is 'committed' frequently misspelled as 'commited'?
38. Which sentence uses 'author' correctly?
39. Why is 'environment' preferred over 'surroundings' in academic writing?
40. Which of the following is an antonym for 'ensure'?
41. In American English, on which syllable is the stress placed when pronouncing 'dependent'?
42. The word 'atheist' derives from which language?
43. Which memory trick helps you remember the spelling of 'emigrant'?
44. Which sentence uses 'conscious' correctly?
45. Which of these words is frequently confused with 'corroborate' due to similar spelling and sound?
46. What is the correct noun form of 'disapprove'?
47. Which of the following is the correct spelling of the word meaning 'to express disapproval of'?
48. Which of these words is a perfect homophone for 'bear'?
49. In the sentence 'The chief concern is safety', what part of speech is 'chief'?
50. What does 'exercise' mean in the sentence: 'Citizens must exercise their right to vote'?
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.
