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 'biology' correctly?
2. Which of the following is the correct spelling of the word meaning 'the state of being alive'?
3. Why is 'certainly' frequently misspelled as 'certinly'?
4. In American English, on which syllable is the stress placed when pronouncing 'always'?
5. A helpful trick to remember the spelling is to think of the warning shout in golf. What is it?
6. Which sentence uses 'all right' correctly?
7. Which of the following is an antonym for 'complement'?
8. Which memory trick helps you remember the spelling of 'exhilarate'?
9. How many syllables are in the word 'ecstasy'?
10. In the sentence 'Biology is my favorite subject', what part of speech is 'Biology'?
11. A helpful trick to remember the 'n' is to think of the word:
12. How many syllables are in the word 'bureaucracy'?
13. In the sentence 'The equipment is in the van', why is the verb 'is' used instead of 'are'?
14. Which of these words is related to 'author' by root?
15. Which of these letters is NOT doubled in the word 'dynasty'?
16. Why is 'committee' preferred over 'group' in formal business emails?
17. Why is 'controversy' frequently misspelled as 'contraversy'?
18. Which of the following is an antonym for 'imminent'?
19. In the sentence 'The boss will criticize the proposal', what part of speech is 'criticize'?
20. Why is 'annually' frequently misspelled as 'anually'?
21. The word 'applied' derives from which language?
22. What is the correct verb form of 'ascent'?
23. What does 'controls' mean in the sentence: 'The scientist used control groups'?
24. How many syllables are in the word 'believe'?
25. Which of these words shares the same '-ceed' ending as 'exceed'?
26. Which of the following is an antonym for 'awful'?
27. Which word shares the same Greek root ('chole') as 'cholesterol'?
28. Is 'continuous' spelled differently in British English?
29. Why is 'experience' preferred over 'happening' in professional contexts?
30. Which of the following is the correct spelling of the word meaning 'mechanisms used to operate a machine'?
31. Which sentence uses 'behavior' correctly?
32. What is wrong with the sentence: 'He has extrordinary talent.'
33. The word 'benefit' derives from which language?
34. Why is 'exercise' frequently misspelled as 'excersise'?
35. The word 'allegiance' derives from which language?
36. Which of the following is a synonym for 'dimension' (in the context of physical size)?
37. Why is 'caught' frequently misspelled as 'cort'?
38. Is 'discipline' spelled differently in British English?
39. Which of these words is an exact homophone for 'elicit'?
40. A helpful trick to remember the double 'P' is that it stands for:
41. Why is 'across' preferred over 'cross' in the sentence 'We walked across the park'?
42. A helpful trick to remember the 'A' in 'extraordinary' is that it stands for:
43. Which of the following is an antonym for 'author' (in the sense of a creator)?
44. In the sentence 'The movie had a bizarre ending', what part of speech is 'bizarre'?
45. What is the correct spelling of the adjective form meaning 'having a strong desire to win'?
46. What is the correct spelling of the adjective form meaning 'resistant to seismic activity'?
47. What is the correct adverb form of 'awful'?
48. In American English, on which syllable is the stress placed when pronouncing 'chemistry'?
49. Which of the following is an antonym for 'dependent'?
50. What is wrong with the sentence: 'The escalateing noise gave me a headache.'
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.
