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. Is 'elementary' spelled differently in British English?
2. Which of the following is an antonym for 'congratulate'?
3. Which phrase is a common collocation for 'cord'?
4. In the sentence 'The couple met at the ___,' which word belongs in the blank?
5. A helpful trick to remember the double 'E' is that:
6. Which memory trick helps you remember the spelling of 'complement'?
7. What is the correct spelling of the adjective form meaning 'capable of being achieved'?
8. The root 'pendere' in 'dependent' means what?
9. Can 'corrupt' be used as both an adjective and a verb?
10. Which of the following is a synonym for 'committed' as an adjective?
11. How many syllables are in the word 'colleague'?
12. What is the difference between 'all right' and 'alright'?
13. Which of the following is an antonym for 'fascinated'?
14. Which sentence uses 'dessert' correctly?
15. Which phrase is a common collocation for 'believe'?
16. Why is 'acknowledge the existence of' preferred in business emails over 'admit it is real'?
17. What is the correct noun form of 'available'?
18. Which of the following is the correct spelling of the contraction for 'does not'?
19. Why is 'colonel' frequently misspelled as 'kernel'?
20. The word 'dominant' derives from which language?
21. Why is 'attorney' frequently misspelled as 'atorney'?
22. Which of the following is the correct spelling of the word meaning 'overwhelming joy'?
23. What is the correct spelling of the adverb form meaning 'in a fearful or anxious manner'?
24. Which of these words follows the same '-ite' spelling pattern as 'definite'?
25. Which of the following is the correct spelling of the word meaning 'working in a well-organized and competent way'?
26. In American English, on which syllable is the stress placed when pronouncing 'certainly'?
27. How many syllables are in the word 'camouflage'?
28. In the sentence 'I caught a cold', what part of speech is 'caught'?
29. What does 'definitely' mean in the sentence: 'That is definitely the best movie I've seen'?
30. Is 'benefit' spelled differently in British English?
31. Which sentence uses 'allegiance' correctly?
32. How many syllables are in the word 'corroborate'?
33. Which of these words shares the same Latin root ('parere') as 'apparent'?
34. Which word is most commonly confused with 'disgusting' due to its 'c' spelling?
35. Which memory trick helps you remember the spelling of 'foresee'?
36. In American English, on which syllable is the stress placed when pronouncing 'fiery'?
37. What does 'eventually' mean in the sentence: 'After hours of arguing, they eventually agreed'?
38. In American English, on which syllable is the stress placed when pronouncing 'allegiance'?
39. Why might someone use 'beautiful' instead of 'good' in a professional presentation?
40. Which of the following is a synonym for 'corroborate'?
41. A helpful trick to remember the single 'L' in 'already' is to compare it to which word?
42. Which of the following is the correct spelling of the word meaning 'nearly'?
43. Which of the following is the correct spelling in American English?
44. What is the correct spelling of the verb form meaning 'to make equal or steady'?
45. Why is 'extraordinary' preferred over 'great' in formal business emails?
46. The word 'category' derives from which language?
47. In the sentence 'She teaches elementary math', what part of speech is 'elementary'?
48. What is the correct spelling of the adjective meaning 'involving comparison'?
49. In American English, on which syllable is the stress placed when pronouncing 'dominant'?
50. Which sentence uses 'dying' correctly?
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.
