The Most Often Mispelled Misspelled Words in English

The alphaDictionary has now provided a one-stop cure for all your spelling ills. Here are the words most often misspelled (misspell is one of them). Each word has a mnemonic pill with it and, if you swallow it, it will help you to remember how to spell the word. Master the orthography of the words on this page and reduce the time you spend searching dictionaries. Once you have finished studying this list test your spelling skills with Miss Spelling's Sure Cure for Misspelled Words Game!
Spelling	Memory Medicine

• A •
a while	It may take a while to learn that this is a two-word phrase (like "a lot").
acceptable	The suffix pronounced [-êbl] presents problems because it is sometimes spelled -ible, sometimes -able. Just remember to accept any table offered to you and you will spell this particular word OK.
accidentally	It is no accident that the test for adverbs on -ly is an underlying adjective on -al ("accidental" in this case). If so, the -al has to be in the spelling. No publical? Then spell it publicly.
accommodate	This word is large enough to accommodate both a double C and a double M.
accordion	Always play the last 3 letters of this word with an O, not an A.
acquire	Try to acquire the rule that this word and the next began with the prefix ad- but the D becomes C before Q.
acquit	See the previous discussion.
a lot	You shouldn't have to allot a lot of time figuring out that this is a two-word phrase..
altar	Be careful not to alter the spelling of altar when you are referring to the communion table.
amateur	Amateurs need not be mature: this word ends on the French suffix -eur (the equivalent of English -er).
apparent	A parent must pay the rent. Remember this and you'll spell this word correctly.
argument	Silent Es can't argue so suffixes like -ment often do without them.
atheist	Lord help you remember that this word comprises the prefix a- "not" + the "god" (also in theology) + -ist "one who believes."
Spelling	Memory Medicine

• B •
believe	You must believe that I usually comes before E except after C or when it is pronounced like "a" as neighbor and weigh. Also take a look at foreign below. (The "i-before-e" rule has more exceptions than words it applies to.)
bellwether	Often misspelled bellweather. A wether is a gelded ram, chosen to lead the herd (with his bell), due to the greater likelihood that he will remain ahead of the ewes.
broccoli	President Bush didn't like it but he spelled it right: 2 Cs, 1 L.
Spelling	Memory Medicine

• C •
calendar	Remember: an E stands between two As in calendar. The last vowel is A.
camouflage	You can't camouflage the U in this word. Don't be misled by the abbreviation, camo.
cantaloupe	Here is another spelling that can throw you for a loop: we call them 'lopes but we spell them cantaloupes.
Caribbean	Breaking this word down into CA (California) + rib + bean might help you remember how to spell it. Anyway, one R, two Bs.
category	It isn't a catastrophe to spell category with two As, but it is pretty bad.
cemetery	Don't let this one bury you: there is nary an -ary in it. It starts with a C and ends on -ery.
changeable	The verb change keeps its E before this suffix because the [g] is soft, not hard.
chili	Even if you eat chilly chili in Chile, spell this word only with Is. You may double the L, however; chilli is now OK.
collectible	This is another [êbl] word spelled -ible.
colonel	Colonels form the kernel of the Army. They sound the same but you must spell them differently.
column	You find silent Es everywhere in English but silent Ns occur, too, especially after Ms.
committed	If you are committed to correct spelling, you may already know that words ending on consonants with the accent just before the consonant, generally double that consonant before the suffixes -ed and -ing.
conscience	Don't let misspelling this word weigh on your conscience: [ch] spelled SC is unusual but legitimate.
conscientious	Work on your spelling conscientiously and remember this word with the [ch] spelled two different ways: SC and TI. English spelling!
conscious	Try to be conscious of the SC spelling of the [ch] sound in this word. If you get all the vowels in the ending correct, i-o-u a note of congratulations.
consensus	Consensus doesn't take a census, so we spell them differently.
coolly	Some people think it cool to omit one of the Ls in this word. Well, it isn't.
Spelling	Memory Medicine

• D •
daiquiri	Don't make yourself another daiquiri until you learn how to spell the funny name of this Cuban village.
definite(ly)	This word definitely sounds as though it ends only on -it, but it carries a silent E everywhere it goes.
descendant	A person who is descendent from an ancestor is a descendant of that ancestor. Thpough both spellings are acceptable now in the US, elsewhere the adjective (descendent) and noun (descendant) are spelled slightly differently.
deterrence	Don't let the spelling of this word be a deterrence to using it: one T, two Rs, and -ence, not -ance.
discipline	A little discipline, spelled with the S and the C, will get you to the correct spelling of this one.
drunkenness	You would be surprised how many sober people omit one of the Ns in this one.
dumbbell	Even smart people forget one of the Bs in this one. (So be careful who you call one when you write.)

Spelling	Memory Medicine

• E •
embarrass(ment)	This one won't embarrass you if you remember it is large enough for a double R AND a double S.
equipment	This word is misspelled equiptment about 343,000 times on the web right now.
exhilarate	Remembering that H when you spell this word will lift your spirits and if you remember both As, it will be exhilarating!
exceed	Remember that this one is -ceed, not -cede. (To exceed all expectations, master the spellings of this word, precede and supersede below.)
existence	No word like this one spelled with an A is in existence. This word is a menage a quatre of one I with three Es.
experience	Don't experience the same problem many have with existence above in this word: -ence!
Spelling	Memory Medicine

• F •
fiery	The silent E on "fire" is so cowardly that it retreats inside the word rather than face the suffix -y.
foreign	Here is one of several words that violate the i-before-e rule. (See "believe" above.)
fulfill	You may fill things full but you don't need as many Ls to fulfill a promise.
Spelling	Memory Medicine

• G •
gauge	You must learn to gauge the positioning of the A and U in this word. Remember, they are in alphabetical order (though not the E).
grateful	You should be grateful to know that keeping great out of grateful is great.
guarantee	I guarantee you that this word is not spelled like warranty even though they are synonyms.
Spelling	Memory Medicine

• H •
handkerchief	Just remember that these things are kerchiefs for the hand and you won't forget the silent D. And, as always, I before E, of course.
harass	This word is too small for two double letters but don't let it harass you, just keep the Rs down to one.
height	English reaches the height (not heighth!) of absurdity when it spells "height" and "width" so differently. But that is its prerogative.
hierarchy	The i-before-e rule works here, so what is the problem?
humorous	Humor us and spell this word humorous: the R is so weak, it needs an O on both sides to hold it up.
hypocrisy	Even though it is an immense insult, this word has nothing to do with hippos, so preserve the two Ys.
Spelling	Memory Medicine

• I •
ignorance	Don't show your ignorance by spelling this word -ence!
imitate	Be sure you don't imitate the spelling of immediate in writing this word.
immediate	The immediate thing to remember is that this word has a prefix, in- "not" which becomes M before M (or B or P). "Not mediate" means direct which is why immediately means "directly."
incredible	It isn't so incredible to believe that this -able word is spelled with an I.
independent	Please be independent but not in your spelling of this word. It ends on -ent, not -ant.
indispensable	Your life will be a smooth as sable if you remember that indispensable ends on sable.
inoculate	This one sounds like a delayed knock in. One N the eye is enough.
intelligence	Using two Ls in this word and ending it on -ence rather than -ance are marks of . . . you guessed it.
its/it's	The apostrophe marks a contraction of "it is." Something that belongs to it is its.
Spelling	Memory Medicine

• J •
jewelry	Sure, sure, it is made by a jeweler but the last E in this case flees the scene like a jewel thief. However, if you prefer British spelling, remember to double the L: jeweller and jewellery. (See also pronunciation.)
just deserts	Even though it is only just to get dessert if you eat your vegetables, the phrase for "appropriate punishment" is just deserts since desert, when pronounced like dessert [dê-zêrt], means "what is deserved".
Spelling	Memory Medicine

• K •
kernel	There is more than a kernel of truth in the claim that all the vowels in this word are Es. So why is the military rank (colonel) pronounced identically? English spelling can be chaotic.
Spelling	Memory Medicine

• L •
leisure	Yet another violator of the i-before-e rule. You can be sure of the spelling of the last syllable but not of the pronunciation.
liaison	Another French word throwing us an orthographical curve: a spare I, just in case. That's an S, too, that sounds so much like a Z.
library	It may be as enjoyable as a berry patch but that isn't the way it is spelled. That first R should be pronounced, too.
license	Where does English get the license to use both its letters for the one sound S in this word? The British are at least consistent when they spell it licence.
lightning	Learning how to omit the E in this word should lighten the load of English orthography a little bit.
Spelling	Memory Medicine

• M •
maintenance	The main tenants of this word are main and tenance even though it comes from the verb maintain. English orthography at its most spiteful.
maneuver	The price you pay for borrowing from French is high. This one goes back to French main + oeuvre "hand-work," a spelling better retained in the British version, manoeuvre.
marshmallow	However mellow a marshmallow might be, it is spelled with an A.
medieval	The medieval orthography of English even lays traps for you: everything about the MIDdle Ages is medieval or, as the British would write it, mediaeval.
memento	Why would something to remind of you of a moment be spelled memento? Well, it is.
millennium	Here is another big word, large enough to hold two double consonants, double L and double N.
miniature	Since that A is seldom pronounced, it is seldom included in the spelling—a miniature problem at most.
minuscule	Since something minuscule is smaller than a miniature, shouldn't they be spelled similarly? Less than cool is minus-cule.
mischievous	This mischievous word holds two traps: I before E and O before U. Four of the five English vowels reside here.
misogyny	The gyn in this word is the same as the one in gynecology; it means "woman".
missile	A missal (letter) is always more welcome than a missile (rocket). Misspelling either is welcomed nowhere.
misspell	What is more embarrassing than to misspell the name of the problem? Just remember that it is mis + spell and that will spell you the worry about spelling "spell."
Spelling	Memory Medicine

• N •
nauseous	Don't you just feel like throwing up when you see this word misspelled?
neighbor	No wonder many speaking Black English say hood for neighborhood—it avoids the i-before-e rule and the silent GH. If you use British spelling, it will cost you another U: neighbour.
necessary	It is necessary to remember that this word has one C and two Ss.
no one	Like a lot and a while, this is a phrase, not a single word.
noticeable	The E is noticeably retained in this word to indicate that the C is "soft," pronounced like S. Without the E, it would be pronounced "hard," like [k], as in applicable.
Spelling	Memory Medicine

• O •
occasion	Two Cs, one S on every occasion.
occasionally	Writers occasionally tire of doubling so many consonants and omit one, usually one of the Ls. Don't you ever do it.
occurrence	Remember not only the occurrence of double consonants in this word, but that the suffix is -ence, not -ance. No reason; English likes to be ornery.
Spelling	Memory Medicine

• P •
pastime	Since a pastime is something you do to pass the time, you would expect a double S here. Well, there is only one. The second S was slipped through the cracks in English orthography long ago.
perseverance	All it takes is perseverance and you, too, can be a (near-)perfect speller. The suffix is -ance for no reason at all.
personnel	Funny Story: The assistant Vice-President of Personnel notices that his superior, the VP himself, upon arriving at his desk in the morning opens a small, locked box, smiles, and locks it back again. Some years later when he advanced to that position (inheriting the key), he came to work early one morning to be assured of privacy. Expectantly, he opened the box to see what was inside the secret box. In contained a single piece of paper which said: "Two Ns, one L."
pigeon	Either the actor Walter Pidgin or the mangled pidgin English confuses people on this one. This bird flies without a D.
playwright	Those who play right are right-players, not playwrights. Well, since they write plays, they should be "play-writes," wright right? Rong Wrong. Remember that a play writer in Old English was called a "play worker" and wright is an old form of work (see also wrought iron)
plenitude	There are plenty of reasons why this word should have a T after the N but it doesn't.
possession	Possession possesses more Ss than a snake.
precede	What follows, succeeds, so what goes before should, what? No, no, no, you are using logic. Nothing confuses English spelling more than common sense. "Succeed" but "precede." (Wait until you see "supersede.")
principal/principle	The spelling principle to remember here is that the school principal is a prince and a pal (despite appearances)—and the same applies to anything of foremost importance, such as the principal principle of principles. A "principle" is a rule.
privilege	According to the pronunciation (not "pronounciation"!) of this word, that middle vowel could be anything. Remember: two Is + two Es in that order.
pronunciation	Nouns often differ from the verbs they are derived from. This is one of those. In this case, the pronunciation is different, too, an important clue.
publicly	Let me publicly declare the rule (again): if the adverb comes from an adjective ending on -al, you include that ending in the adverb; if not, as here, you don't.
Spelling	Memory Medicine

• Q •
queue	It is difficult to remember to use twice as many UEs as are necessary to spell this word. It refers to a standing-in line and comes from the Old French word for "tail".
questionnaire	The French making English difficult again. Double up on the Ns in this word and don't forget the silent E. Maybe someday we will spell it the English way.
Spelling	Memory Medicine

• R •
raspberry	Remember how raspy the raspberry bush is and you will be less likely to forget the P in this word.
receive/receipt	I hope you have received the message by now: I before E except after . . . .
recommend	I would recommend you think of this word as the equivalent of commending all over again: re+commend. That would be recommendable.
referred	Final consonants are often doubled before suffixes (remit: remitted, remitting). However, this rule applies only to accented syllables ending on L and R, e.g. rebelled, referred but traveled, buffered and not containing a diphthong, e.g. prevailed, coiled.
reference	Refer to the last mentioned word and also remember to add -ence to the end for the noun.
relevant	The relevant factor here is that the word is not revelant, revelent, or even relevent. L before V and the suffix -ant.
restaurant	'Ey, you! Remember, these two words when you spell "restaurant." They are in the middle of it.
rhyme	Actually, rime was the correct spelling until 1650. After that, egg-heads began spelling it like rhythm. Why? No rhyme nor reason other than to make it look like rhythm.
rhythm	This one was borrowed from Greek (and conveniently never returned) so it is spelled the way we spell words borrowed from Greek and conveniently never returned.
Spelling	Memory Medicine

• S •
sandal	Candle and handle, but sandal and vandal—you just have to remember.
schedule	If perfecting your spelling is on your schedule, remember the SK is spelled as in "school." (If you are British or Canadian, you pronounce this word [shedyul] but school, [skul].)
scissors	English has a 'silent' version of every letter. In this word we have a silent C.
seize	Again, seize the opportunity to remember that the I-before-E rule betrays us.
separate	How do you separate the Es from the As in this word? Simple: the Es surround the As.
sergeant	The A needed in both syllables of this word has been pushed to the back of the line. Remember that, and the fact that E is used in both syllables, and you can write your sergeant without fear of misspelling his rank.
supersede	This word supersedes all others in perversity. As if we don't have enough to worry about, keeping words on -ceed and -cede (succeed, precede, etc.) straight in our minds, this one has to be different from all the rest. The good news is: this is the only English word based on this stem spelled -sede.
Spelling	Memory Medicine

• T •
their/they're/there	They're all pronounced the same but spelled differently. Possessive is their and the contraction of "they are" is they're. Everywhere else, it is just there.
threshold	This one can push you over the threshold. It looks like a compound thresh + hold but it isn't. Two Hs are enough but never two together.
tomorrow	How do you remember which consonant is doubled? Don't wait until tomorrow to get the single M and double R in this word straight.
turmeric	Although some spice cans omit the first R, you won't find a dictionary that does. (Check ours.)
twelfth	Even if you omit the F in your pronunciation of this word (which you shouldn't do), it is retained in the spelling.
tyranny	If you are still resisting the tyranny of English orthography at this point, you must face the problem of [y] inside this word, where it shouldn't be. The guy is a tyrant and his problem is tyranny. (Don't forget to double up on the Ns, too.)
Spelling	Memory Medicine

• U •
until	I will never stop harping on this word until it is spelled with an extra L for the last time!
Spelling	Memory Medicine

• V •
vacuum	If your head is not a vacuum, remember that the silent E that should end this one married the U and joined her inside the word where they are living happily ever since. Well, the evidence is suggestive but not conclusive. Anyway, spell this word with two Us and not like volume.
Spelling	Memory Medicine

• WXYZ •
weather	Whether you like the weather or not, you have to write the A after the E when you spell it.
weird	It is weird seeing the I-before-E Rule broken so often but here we go again: I before E except after...? (Well, it isn't W!)
The Most Often Mispronounced Words and Phrases in English Miss Spelling's Sure Cure for Misspelled Words Game!

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The Most Often Mispelled Misspelled Words in English