One word for spelling mistake

English spelling mistakes happen because of the nuances of the English language, and this guide will help you identify and avoid them.

Spelling is necessary to proper English writing. Good writers generally assume they are also good spellers until they start digging into common English spelling mistakes. The English language has grown and developed over time, and as it has some spellings have changed.

Not only that, but English spelling is different in Australian English, British English, and American English. No wonder there is so much confusion among English writers! We did some research to determine what are the most common spelling mistakes in the English language, so you can avoid making them in your own writing.

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Contents

  • English Spelling Mistakes — The Research
  • Why English is So Hard to Spell
  • Most Common Mispellings In The English Language
  • Differences Between English and American Spelling
  • Other Tricky English Words
  • How to Avoid Common Misspellings
  • A Final Word On English Spelling Mistakes
  • FAQs About English Spelling Mistakes
  • Author

English Spelling Mistakes — The Research

How to avoid common english spelling mistakes

We performed some research about English words that people regularly misspell. Interestingly, the most commonly misspelled words are different based on where the English speaker lives. Some facts that we found include:

  • Favourite/Favorite is the most difficult word to spell across the English-speaking world.
  • Definitely and diarrhoea/diarrhea are runners-up.
  • In New Zealand, one of the most Googled spelling searches is “How to spell Australia.”
  • Potato is the top word that the Irish have trouble spelling.
  • Everyone is confused about spelling auntie/aunty. Interestingly, both are correct spellings.

Some things that trip up native speakers when spelling English words include:

  • Double letters, especially double consonants
  • Different spellings for English/British/Australian spellings
  • Homophones, 
  • Words with pronunciation different from the spelling

Why English is So Hard to Spell

English spelling mistakes
American English and British English are not the same

Across the globe, English remains one of the more challenging languages to learn that is rife with misspellings. Because English-speaking countries have had a global influence for centuries, it has become a “vampire” language, which means it absorbs words from other languages.

In the English vocabulary, you will find words that come from German, Latin, Greek, French, and even Spanish root words. Because these languages do not have the same spelling rules as English, the spelling changes.

In addition, American English and British English are not the same. Where “favorite” is correct in America, the word is “favourite” in England. Thus, a discussion of English spelling mistakes needs to have a breakdown between different countries.

Most Common Mispellings In The English Language

Because English is the language of several different countries, breaking down common misspellings is more challenging. However, across the English-speaking world, there are certain words that regularly come up in searches for how to spell. These include:

  • Gray/grey
  • Cancelled/canceled
  • Beautiful
  • Diarrhea/diarrhoea
  • Favorite/favourite
  • Auntie/aunty
  • Travelling/traveling
  • Michael
  • Honor/Honour
  • Counselor/Counsellor
  • Definitely 

Differences Between English and American Spelling

One of the reasons English can be difficult to spell is because American and British English spell words differently. For instance, American words that end in “or” typically end in “our” in British English, such as labour and labor. Some other common differences include:

  • The suffix -ize in American English is -ise in British (Apologize/apologise)
  • The ending “yze” in American English is “yse” in British (Analyze/analyse)
  • A double letter “l” in verbs ending in a vowel in British English, but not in American (Travelled/traveled)
  • Words spelled with an “e” in American English may have an “ae” or “oe” spelling in British English (manoeuvre/maneuver)
  • Some words ending in “ense” or “anse” in American English end in “ence” or “ance” in British (defense/defence)

Common Spelling Mistakes in the United Kingdom

Writers in the United Kingdom struggle to spell many words, but interestingly they are words that have their roots in the American English language. These words are:

  • Diarrhoea: Diarrhea in America
  • Favourite: Favorite in America
  • Definitely: Sometimes spelled defenetly, definately or definitely
  • Behaviour: Behavior in America
  • Honour: Honor in America
  • Assess: Sometimes misspelled asess or asses
  • Counsellor: Counselor in America
  • Auntie: Can also be Aunty
  • Travelling: Traveling in America

Common Spelling Mistakes in the United States

Interestingly, it is the difference between American and British spelling that trips up American writers as well. These words are the most commonly searched for their spelling in the U.S.:

  • Gray: Grey in England
  • Canceled: Cancelled in England
  • Beautiful: All those vowels confuse writers
  • Hors d’oeuvres: French word is confusing to English writers
  • Favorite: Favourite in England
  • Resume: Often confused because of two words with different pronunciations but the same spelling 
  • Tomorrow: Often incorrectly spelled tommorrow 
  • Forty: Fourty was once correct, but rarely used now
  • Bougie: Slang word that is difficult for many to spell
  • Definitely: Trips up Americans just like English writers

Common Spelling Mistakes in Canada

Canada is also among the English-speaking countries, and they have slightly different spellings than America. Canadian English tends to follow British spelling rules. Some words that are commonly confused as a result are:

  • Neighbour: Neighbor in America
  • License: Only the verb form in Canada, the noun is licence
  • Lose: Often confused with loose, which is a different word
  • Dessert: Often confused with desert, which is a different word 
  • Definitely: Sometimes spelled defenetly, definately or definitely
  • Niece: Common misspelling is neice
  • Received: Common misspelling is recieved
  • Receipt: Common misspelling is reciept
  • Beautiful: Vowels confuse writers
  • Counsellor: Counselor in America

Commonly Spelling Mistakes in Australia

In Australia, the double consonants that are common in British spelling, but not in American spelling, trip up writers quite often, as does the “o” vs “ou” spelling differences. Similarly, the suffix -ise is used in Australia, but -ize is the American spelling. Some of the most often misspelled words in Australia include:

  • Jewellery: Jewelry in America
  • Colour: Color in America
  • Definitely: Sometimes spelled defenetly, definately or definitely
  • Neighbour: Neighbor in America
  • Diarrhoea: Diarrhea in America
  • Aunt: The root word between the aunty/auntie debate
  • Dessert: Often confused with desert
  • Apologise: Apologize in America
  • Gorgeous: The three vowels at the end confuse writers

Common Spelling Mistakes in New Zealand

New Zealand has quite a bit in common with Australia and Britain. Its commonly misspelled words include:

  • Colour: Color in America
  • Aunty: Auntie is also correct
  • Favourite: Favorite in America
  • Diarrhoea: Diarrhea in America
  • Neighbour: Neighbor in America
  • Definitely: Sometimes spelled defenetly, definately or definitely
  • Gorgeous: The three vowels at the end remain confusing
  • Australia: The neighboring country confuses New Zealanders 
  • Believe: Often misspelled beleive
  • Vacuum: Sometimes misspelled vaccum or vaccuum

Common Spelling Mistakes in Ireland

In Ireland, some words are common with other countries, but it has some unique words on its common misspelling lists. Here are the most commonly searched spelling terms in Ireland:

  • Potato: May be misspelled potatoe
  • Gorgeous: Common challenging word because of the vowels
  • Programme: Program in America
  • Madam: Sometimes spelled madame
  • Throat: Sometimes misspelled throte
  • Definitely: Difficult for most English speaking countires
  • Anniversary: Often mistaken for aniversary
  • Colour: Color in America
  • Sympathy: The “y” at the beginning of the word confuses some Irish writers

Other Tricky English Words

While these words are unique to different countries, there are some English words that are universally difficult to spell beyond these. They include:

  1. Absence: Misspelled as abcense, absance, and absense
  2. Acceptable: Misspelled acceptible 
  3. Accommodate: Misspelled as acommodate or accomodate
  4. Acknowledge: Misspelled as acknowelge or aknowledge
  5. Acquaintance: Misspelled acquaintence or aquaintance
  6. A lot: Misspelled as one word, alot
  7. Awful: Misspelled awfull or aweful
  8. Because: Misspelled becuase
  9. Beginning: Misspelled begining
  10. Bureaucracy: Misspelled bureacrucy
  11. Business: Misspelled buisness
  12. Calendar: Misspelled calender
  13. Colleague: Misspelled collaegue or collegue
  14. Concede: Misspelled conceed
  15. Conscience: Misspelled concious or consious 
  16. Consensus: Misspelled concensus 
  17. Embarrass: Misspelled embarass
  18. Entrepreneur: Misspelled entreprenure
  19. Fascinating: Misspelled facinating
  20. Foreign: Misspelled foriegn
  21. Government: Misspelled goverment
  22. Guarantee: Misspelled garantee, garentee or garanty
  23. Hygiene: Misspelled hygene, hygiene or higeine
  24. Immediately: Misspelled imediately
  25. Independent: Misspelled independant
  26. Intelligence: Misspelled inteligence or intelligance
  27. Judgment: Misspelled judgement
  28. Kernel: Misspelled kernal or mistaken for homophone colonel
  29. Leisure: Misspelled liesure
  30. Liaison: Misspelled liason
  31. Lightning: Misspelled lightening
  32. Liquefy: Misspelled liquafy or liquify
  33. Memento: Misspelled momento
  34. Miniature: Misspelled miniture
  35. Minuscule: misspelled miniscule 
  36. Mischievous: Misspelled mischievious, mischievous or mischevious
  37. Misspell: Misspelled mispell or misspel
  38. Necessary: Misspelled neccessary or necessery
  39. Noticeable: Misspelled noticable
  40. Occasion: Misspelled occassion 
  41. Occurrence: Misspelled occurrance or occurence
  42. Outrageous: Misspelled outragous
  43. Particularly: Misspelled particulary
  44. Pastime: Misspelled passtime or pasttime 
  45. Plagiarize: Misspelled plagerize
  46. Possession: Misspelled posession or possesion
  47. Precede: Misspelled preceed
  48. Presence: Misspelled presance
  49. Privilege: Misspelled privelege or priviledge
  50. Pronunciation: Misspelled pronounciation  
  51. Publicly: Misspelled publically
  52. Queue: Misspelled que
  53. Questionnaire: Misspelled questionaire or questionnair
  54. Really: Misspelled realy
  55. Recommend: Misspelled recomend or reccommend
  56. Religious: Misspelled religous or religius
  57. Separate: Misspelled seperate
  58. Sergeant: Misspelled sargent
  59. Successful: Misspelled succesful, successfull or sucessful
  60. Supersede: Misspelled supercede
  61. Tomorrow: Misspelled tommorow or tommorrow
  62. Twelfth: Misspelled twelth
  63. Tyranny: Misspelled tyrany
  64. Underrate: Misspelled underate
  65. Unnecessary: Misspelled unecessary or unneccessary
  66. Upholstery: Misspelled upholstry
  67. Vacuum: Misspelled vaccuum, vaccum or vacume
  68. Withhold: Misspelled withold

How to Avoid Common Misspellings

English spelling mistakes are common, but if you are going to be a skilled writer you need to learn to avoid spelling errors. First, study this list of common mistakes. If you are guilty of any of them, take the time to learn the correct spellings.

Next, make sure you are using grammar and spell check software every time you write. Whether you are an ESL student trying to learn English or a native speaker, you are going to make mistakes. A spellchecker and grammar checker like Grammarly will help you catch those mistakes.

When using a spellchecker, make sure to set it to the appropriate style of English. this will ensure you are getting the English or British spelling correct.

A Final Word On English Spelling Mistakes

The English language is challenging because many words come from different languages, so many words are not spelled the way they sound. In addition, English spellings vary based on the part of the world where the writer is from. This can make the language a huge challenge to learn.

To make yourself a skilled English speller, take some time to study these common misspellings. Avoid them in your writing, and use grammar and spelling checkers to look for typos and other problems. Soon you will be able to create writing that is free from English spelling mistakes.

FAQs About English Spelling Mistakes

How Can I Improve My English Spelling Mistakes?

The best way to avoid spelling mistakes is to use a spellchecker every time you write. Also, take the time to memorize the common spelling mistakes that you make in your writing.

What are the most common spelling mistakes in English?

Some of the most common mistakes in English spelling include:
1. Separate
2. Definitely
3. Embarrass
4. Occurrence
5. Consensus
6. Unnecessary
7. Acceptable
8. Bureaucracy
9. Supersede
10. Questionnaire
11. A lot
12. Entrepreneur
13. Particularly
14. Liquefy
15. Conscience

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Table of Contents

  1. What is a synonym for misspell?
  2. What is a antonym for misspell?
  3. What is another word for typo?
  4. Whats the definition of misspell?
  5. What does typo mean in slang?
  6. What is the prefix of misspell?
  7. What is the suffix of misspell?
  8. Can you spell the most commonly misspelled words?
  9. What does misspell mean?
  10. What is another word for misspell?
  11. What is another word for spell?

How does the noun mistake differ from other similar words? Some common synonyms of mistake are blunder, error, lapse, and slip.

What is a synonym for misspell?

▲ Present participle for to spell incorrectly. misprinting. vitiating.

What is a antonym for misspell?

verb. ( mɪsˈspɛl, mɪˈspɛl) Spell incorrectly. Antonyms. unspell generalize. spell.

typographical error

  • clerical error.
  • erratum.
  • misprint.
  • mistake in typing.
  • printer’s error.
  • typing mistake.
  • typist’s error.
  • typo.

Whats the definition of misspell?

transitive verb. : to spell incorrectly The name of the town was misspelled on the map.

What does typo mean in slang?

TYPO means “Typing mistake.”

What is the prefix of misspell?

Mis-
Mis- is a prefix that means “wrong” or “mistaken.” When you add it to the verb spell, it means to spell incorrectly. The correct spelling is misspell. Be careful not to omit the second S in derivative forms, such as misspelling and misspells.

What is the suffix of misspell?

dis + satisfied = dissatisfied. mis. wrongly. mis + spell = misspell.

Can you spell the most commonly misspelled words?

Another one of the most common misspellings across the nation is the word “pneumonia,” which is understandable. Some words seem easier to spell than others, though. “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious” was the most commonly misspelled in West Virginia and Connecticut, which was easily the longest word on the list.

What does misspell mean?

Misspell is defined as to write a word with incorrect letters or an incorrect arrangement of letters.

What is another word for misspell?

other words for misspell. misprint. vitiate. TRY misspell IN A SENTENCE BELOW. MOST RELEVANT. Roget’s 21st Century Thesaurus, Third Edition Copyright © 2013 by the Philip Lief Group.

What is another word for spell?

Another word for spell. Noun. charm, magic spell, magical spell, spell – a verbal formula believed to have magical force. Example:- he whispered a spell as he moved his hands. go, spell, tour, turn – a time for working (after which you will be relieved by someone else)

Викторина
по английскому языку среди первых курсов.

1
конкурс
:

“Mistakes” – find a
spelling mistake in one word of each sentence.
(max. 10 points)

·        
I have brekfast at eight.

·        
Her mather and father are teachers.

·        
She is a doktor.

·        
Five plus seven is tvelve.

·        
My cet is fat and fanny.

·        
The boy likes to sleep in a big ded.

·        
His sun is good at Sport.

·        
I like to drink koffee.

·        
March, Aprel and May are spring
months.

·        
Nick’s eyes are broun.

Key: 1. breakfast 2. mother 3.
doctor 4. twelve 5. funny 6. bed 7. son 8. coffee 9. April 10.brown

2 конкурс:

“Countries” – match the
country with its capital: (max. 25 points)

Russia, the UK, the USA,
Germany, Italy, Spain, France, Brazil, Japan, Ukraine.

Tokyo, Kiev, Rome, London,
Moscow, Washington, Berlin, Paris, Brasilia, Madrid.

Key: Russia – Moscow, the UK –
London, the USA – Washington, Germany – Berlin, Italy – Rome, Spain – Madrid,
France – Paris, Brazil – Brasilia, Japan – Tokyo, Ukraine – Kiev.

3
конкурс:

“5
Themes” – name 10 words on the following themes: (max. 50 points)

“Family”,
“Food”, “Sport”, “School”, “Animals”

Студенты
должны по жребию выбрать тему и назвать 10 существительных по этой теме за 1
минуту. За каждое правильно названное слово – 1 балл. Если дети за отведённое
время не могут назвать 10 слов, считается то количество слов, которое они
вспомнили. Темы: “Семья”, “Еда”, “Спорт”, “Образование”, “Животные”.
Максимальное количество баллов – 50.

4
конкурс:

Topics:

1.      London

2.      The UK

3.      Riddles

4.      The Idioms

5.      Holidays

6.      Grammar and Tenses

London:

100 The name of the river in
London is … (the Thames)

200 What can you see in the
middle of Trafalgar Square ( The stature of Nelson)

300 When was the great fire of
London? ( in 1666)

400 Where are the tombs of many
kings and queens and other famous people? ( in Westminster

Abbey)

500 Where is memorial of Diana
Memorial Fountain? ( in Hyde park)

The UK

100 What is the official name
of the UK? (The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland)

200 What is the capital of
Northern Ireland? (Belfast)

300 The flag of the UK is known
as …. (the Union Jack)

400 What is Great Britain? ( an
island)

500 Who is the head of England? (queen)

Riddles

100 There are six of us in
every family, but only four in a town. What are we? (Letters)

200 I have cities but no
houses; forests but no trees, rivers but without water. What am I? (a map)

300 Which month has 28 days?
(They all have 28 days)

400 What has no head, no arms,
no legs, and still has a tongue? ( a shoe)

500 On what day of the year do
children talk the least? ( on the 22nd of December because it’s the
shortest day of the year)

The USA

100 The Native
Americans were… ( Indians)

200 America was
discovered by (Cristopher Columbus)

300 In which city and state is
Disney World located? (in Orland, Florida)

400 Which American state was
the last to acquire “state” status? (Hawaii)

500 What is the name of the
first U.S. national park and in which state is located? (Yellowstone ; in
Wyoming)

Holidays around the
world.

100 When is Christmas
celebrated in Russia? ( on the 7th of January)

200 What season is in Australia
when they celebrate Christmas? ( summer)

300 What holiday do English
people celebrate on the 5th of November? (Guy Fawkes Night)

400 The holiday in Russia when
people eat pan-cakes? (Maslenitsa)

500 What holiday is celebrated
in the USA on the fourth Thursday in November? (Thanksgiving day)

Tenses

100 My wife and I are happy
together: we are married since 1985. My wife and I are happy together: we have been
married
since 1985.

200 We usually have had our lunch
before 2 p.m. We usually have our lunch before 2 p.m.

300 Он изучает древнюю
историю
в колледже. He
studies history in college.

400 Рената носит
контактные линзы уже около 10 лет.
Renata is
wearing contact lenses for about 10 years already.

500 Give the forms of 10 irregular
verbs.  

Бланк
ответов группа
____________________________

1
конкурс
:

“Mistakes” – find a
spelling mistake in one word of each sentence.
(max. 10 points)

·        
I have brekfast at eight.

·        
Her mather and father are teachers.

·        
She is a doktor.

·        
Five plus seven is tvelve.

·        
My cet is fat and fanny.

·        
The boy likes to sleep in a big ded.

·        
His sun is good at Sport.

·        
I like to drink koffee.

·        
March, Aprel and May are spring
months.

·        
Nick’s eyes are broun.

2 конкурс:

“Countries” – match the
country with its capital: (max. 25 points)

Russia, the UK, the USA,
Germany, Italy, Spain, France, Brazil, Japan, Ukraine.

Tokyo, Kiev, Rome, London,
Moscow, Washington, Berlin, Paris, Brasilia, Madrid.

1
конкурс

2
конкурс

3
конкурс

4
конкурс

АМ 19

АМ 19п

ИС 19

ИС 19п

ЖК 19

_____________________________

Spelling Mistakes! English spelling can be tricky, even for English speakers. In this lesson, you will learn a list of 70+ common spelling mistakes in English and how to correct them.

While some words admit multiple spellings, some are not considered standard, and thus are misspellings. A misspelled word can be a series of letters that represents no correctly spelled word of the same language at all or a correct spelling of another word. Misspellings of the latter type can easily make their way into printed material because they are not caught by simple computerized spell checkers.

Misspellings may be due to either typing errors, or lack of knowledge of the correct spelling. Whether or not a word is misspelled may depend on context, as is the case with American/ British English distinctions. Misspelling can also be a matter of opinion when variant spellings are accepted by some and not by others.

Incorrect: acommodation

Correct: accommodation

Incorrect: acheive

Correct: achieve

Incorrect:  accross

Correct: across

Incorrect:  adress

Correct: address

Incorrect:  appearence

Correct: appearance

Incorrect:  assasination

Correct: assassination

Incorrect:  beggining

Correct: beginning

Incorrect:  buisness

Correct: business

Incorrect:  collegue

Correct: colleague

Incorrect:  commitee

Correct: committee

Incorrect:  concious

Correct: conscious

Incorrect:  copywrite

Correct: copyright

Incorrect:  dependance

Correct: dependence

Incorrect:  desireable

Correct: desirable

Incorrect:  embarass

Correct: embarrass

Incorrect: enviroment

Correct: environment

Incorrect:  Febuary

Correct: February

Incorrect:  fourty

Correct: forty

Incorrect:  glamourous

Correct: glamorous

Incorrect:  independance

Correct: independence

Incorrect:  interupt

Correct: interrupt

Incorrect:  intresting

Correct: interesting

Incorrect:  knowlege

Correct: knowledge

Incorrect:  libary

Correctlibrary

Incorrect:  lightening

Correct: lightning

Incorrect:  mischievious

Correct: mischievous

Incorrect:  mispell

Correct: misspell

Incorrect:  neccessary

Correct: necessary

Incorrect:  neice

Correct: niece

Incorrect:  calender

Correct: calendar

Incorrect:  definately

Correct: definitely

Incorrect:  tommorrow

Correct: tomorrow

Incorrect:  noticable

Correct: noticeable

Incorrect:  convinient

Correct: convenient

Incorrect:  deterioreit

Correct: deteriorate

Incorrect:  dissappear

Correct: disappear

Incorrect: arguement

Correct: argument

Incorrect: Wensday

Correct: Wednesday

Incorrect: ignor

Correct: ignore

Incorrect: occured

Correct: occurred

Incorrect: opertunity

Correct: opportunity

Incorrect: que

Correct: queue

Incorrect: speach

Correct: speech

Incorrect: thier

Correcttheir

Incorrect: truely

Correct: truly

Incorrect: liesure

Correct: leisure

Incorrect: sieze

Correct: seize

Incorrect: wierd

Correct: weird

Incorrect: intresting

Correct: interesting

Incorrectknowlege

Correctknowledge

Incorrectlollypop

Correctlollipop

Incorrectparalell

Correctparallel

Incorrectpasttime

Correctpastime

Incorrectpersue

Correctpursue

Incorrectpotatoe

Correctpotato

Incorrectpreceeding

Correctpreceding

Incorrectpronounciation

Correctpronunciation

Incorrectrecieve

Correctreceive

Incorrectreccomend

Correctrecommend

Incorrectrythm

Correctrhythm

Incorrectshedule

Correctschedule

Incorrectseige

Correctsiege

Incorrectsentance

Correctsentence

Incorrectseperate

Correctseparate

Incorrectsincerly

Correctsincerely

Incorrecttatoo

Correcttattoo

Incorrecttendancy

Correcttendency

Incorrectuntill

Correctuntil

Incorrectvaccuum

Correctvacuum

Incorrectvegeterian

Correctvegetarian

Incorrectwhereever

Correctwherever

Incorrectwriten

Correctwritten

Incorrectfinaly

Correctfinally

Incorrectfluoroscent

Correctfluorescent

Incorrectgoverment

Correctgovernment

Incorrectgrammer

Correctgrammar

Incorrecthappend

Correcthappened

Incorrectdilemna

Correctdilemma

Incorrectexistance

Correctexistence

Incorrectfamilar

Correctfamiliar

Incorrectforiegn

Correctforeign

Incorrectfuther

Correctfurther

Common Spelling Mistakes | Images

Common Spelling Mistakes

Common Spelling Mistakes

Common Spelling Mistakes

Not everyone finds spelling easy. Children and adults, native and non-native speakers, and individuals with and without learning difficulties can all struggle with the irregularity of spelling in English.

That’s because more than one letter or letter combination can be used to represent a sound. An f is used in fire-truck but ph is used in phone. Similarly, the same letter(s) can represent different sounds. The pronunciation of c in face is soft but the c in car is hard. The initial sound in kick is k, but the same sound is spelled with a ck at the end of the word.

And while there are a number of rules and English spelling patterns, it isn’t always obvious how a word should be spelled if you’re hearing it for the first time. There are also many exceptions to the rules.

This is due to the way English evolved, and to the high number of loan words it contains. For example, bureau is a French word that contains a vowel string of three letters that stand for only one sound. Hypothesis is of Greek origin which is evident in the way it is made plural, hypotheses.

How easy is it to learn to spell? 

The peculiarities of English spelling make it hard for young kids who are learning how to read and write, and mistakes are common from kindergarten through fourth, fifth, and even sixth grade. However, it’s also possible for spelling problems to persist into junior-high and high-school, and even adulthood.

                        
Whether or not an individual is prone to making spelling mistakes can depend on a number of factors such as how often they read and write, any other languages they know, and the size of their spoken vocabulary in English. Additionally, some words are more commonly misspelled than others. But it is important to note that spelling difficulties are often seen when language-based learning difficulties are present.

What causes spelling problems?

Dyslexia

Dyslexia can affect how an individual breaks words down into their component sounds. Problems with short-term memory make the memorization of rules a challenge, and spelling may be inconsistent from one day to the next. Learn more about spelling strategies for individuals with dyslexia.

Dyspraxia

Motor skills difficulties, such as dyspraxia, can cause spelling problems because they make writing by hand physically painful, which distracts an individual from getting the spelling right. Dyspraxia can additionally cause problems with sequencing and letter order.

Dysgraphia 

Dysgraphia is a learning difficulty that complicates writing and can make misspelled words more common.

Visual impairment and visual processing difficulties

Children and adults who struggle with visual impairment or visual processing difficulties may find spelling more challenging as they get less reinforcement from exposure to correct written forms. 

English as a second, foreign or additional language 

In individuals who are not native English speakers, first language interference can cause spelling errors. 

For example, there’s been ample research on Arabic first language speakers who are more prone to making English spelling mistakes that have to do with missing or incorrect short vowels, also known as vowel blindness. 

This is because in Arabic, short vowel sounds are not written and thus learning to write them after a lifetime of leaving them out is a very difficult process. 

Depending on a person’s first language background, different kinds of spelling errors may be more common.

Learn more about writing in English and check out our strategies and tips for teaching EAL, EFL and ESL learners who are struggling with English spelling.

1. Mixing up homophones.

If you make mistakes with to (the preposition), two (the number), and too (the adverb) you are not alone. These words not only sound the same, but their spelling is similar. Nonetheless, they have different meanings and grammatical functions. The same goes for their, there, and they’re, whether and weather, and its and it’s which cause a lot of confusion. 

These words are phonologically encoded in the same way. However, in writing we have to go out of our way to specify which version of the spoken word we want. Sometimes we skip this step and inadvertently put the wrong version down. This can happen in fluent bursts of writing where stopping to consciously process a word can interrupt the flow of thoughts. 

As homophones are not necessarily misspelled (they’re the wrong word) and they sound the same, you are less likely to pick up on these mistakes in proofreading, unless you’re specifically looking for them. 

What can you do to avoid making mistakes with homophones? As is the case with many pairs of words which look similar and are also close in meaning (affect and effect for example), sometimes we need to create a mnemonic device to help us tell the two (or three) apart. 

Make sure you know how to use both words in the correct way and try learning a few sample sentences to give you examples you can reference when in doubt.

Next, it’s time to practice spelling. You can try flashcards, dictation exercises, or even a typing program like Touch-type Read and Spell  – there’s even a homophones subject — until the words become automatized. 

Automatization in spelling means you spell it without having to think about it. In touch-typing, your hands automatically follow the correct finger movement patterns to type the word.

Lastly, if you know these words are a problem, go out of your way to check every instance of them in your own writing – just to be sure you haven’t made any mistakes.

Why is spelling in English so hard and which mistakes do people make

2. To double or not to double the letter.

One way in which we can change word stems in English is to add a prefix or suffix. These are the bits that come at the start or end of the word. 

It may be a prefix that changes a word to the opposite meaning, such as in legal/illegal. It could also be a suffix the changes the tense of a verb from hop to hopped or swim to swimming

It might be something more complicated too, like removing one ending and adding another, for example when happy becomes happier

When prefixes and suffixes are concerned, the English speller has to make some tough decisions about doubling or not doubling letters (and in the case of happy dropping letters and changing vowels too!). 

Certain suffixes require you to double the consonant at the end, for example -ing and  -ed, and others, like -ly, do not. 

There’s also doubling that occurs when there’s a vowel before the final letter, as in the hopped example above, or the word split which becomes splitting

But as always in English, there are exceptions. If there’s already a double letter, you leave it. If the word ends in a vowel, you don’t double. If the final consonant is preceded by two vowels, there shouldn’t be any doubling.

 
There are some letters that are always doubled, like z, and others that are never doubled, take h, w, x and y for example. 

There are words like tomorrow in which you just have to learn that only one of the middle consonants is doubled. There are also words with two pairs of doubles, accommodate, and those words where a double letter changes the meaning and pronunciation, such as in desert vs. dessert

All in all, the double letter issue has tricked a lot of good English spellers, so don’t feel bad if you’re one of them. 

How can you stop making spelling mistakes related to doubled letters? It does help to learn the rules and see lists of words which do and do not have their consonants doubled. If you know you struggle with a particular word, you can try coming up with a trick to remember its spelling. 

Some people think that it’s hot in the desert so you only have one s, but with dessert, it’s so sweet you always want more so there are two. 

If it’s a word in which you are tempted to double a letter that doesn’t need doubling, try writing it out repeatedly or typing it over and over until the one letter version becomes automatic. Unfortunately, if you’ve been misspelling it for some time it can be hard to get the fossilized form to go.

3. One word or two?

There are a number of words in English that are commonly misspelled as two words, or treated as one when they should be two. This is because adding two words together to make a new one, also known as compounding, is a perfectly acceptable thing to do in English.

A common spelling mistake is to write a lot as alot and no one as noone. In the case of the latter, no one is a multi-word chunk that behaves grammatically as though it were one word, but is actually two words. This is particularly confusing given nobody and nowhere are one word. 

Some people are tempted to add hyphens. While it is true that hyphens can sometimes work, it depends if you are writing in UK or US English as they have different rules concerning their usage. And for words, like no one, you can’t use a hyphen no matter where you live.

Some words can be both one and two words. A lot of people spell everyday using its modifier form ‘It was just an everyday shirt, nothing special,’ when they really mean it as an expression of frequency which requires two words ‘I go to school every day.’

English also has a lot of phrasal verbs which have prepositions after them that function as part of the verb and can complicate the one or two-word distinction. You log in to the program but you use your login name and password to do so. 

So how do you learn which words stay together and which should be kept apart? The best approach is to pull a list of confusing compound words and study them on a case by case basis. If you can come up with a story to help you remember, even better ‘no one wants to be packed in too tightly – people need a little space between.’ 

Spelling and grammar checks will alert you to this type of error when you’re writing on a computer, but they have a harder time catching context driven mistakes, as both word forms are permissible. However, if you’re aware of the errors you’re likely to make, it can help you be a more effective proof-reader of your own work.

Other types of errors

Leaving out silent letters

English has its fair share of silent letters. Silent -e’s abound at the end of words and it can be tempting to add them where they don’t belong, especially for young children who are just learning how to spell. 

Mixing up word endings

English has a lot of similar bits that come up at the start and end of words. The -ible -able distinction is one that causes a lot of spelling mistakes.

Reversing letter order

This can happen in consonant clusters like tch or spl or when two or more vowels come together to make a sound ae vs. ea. Letter order is especially tricky for foreign loan words in which the consonant or vowel strings do not appear in many other English words.

Which words are the hardest to spell?

Every word has a different difficulty level for every person depending on a number of factors, ranging from how many words that person uses, to how commonly they encounter the word or have to produce it in writing. 

Nonetheless, there are some factors which can make a word harder to spell, including the number of letters it contains, the number of syllables it contains, its general frequency in English and the transparency of its phonology. 

Learn more about word-factors that affect spelling difficulty.

People commonly make spelling mistakes with double consonants

When does spelling matter?

Spelling ability is in no way related to intelligence, nor does it say anything about an individual’s strength as a writer. In fact, some of the most famous and celebrated English authors were notoriously bad spellers, from Jane Austin, to Hemingway, and even Agatha Christie!

But misspelled words can still lead to lower marks in education, and making mistakes is often seen as laziness attributed to poor proofreading.

More importantly, receiving a paper full of red marks can be quite demotivating and embarrassing for students. It can knock a child’s self-confidence and distract teachers from focusing on the quality of the actual composition. 

Fear of making spelling errors may even impact future assignments by preventing kids from using the full extent of their vocabulary. 

In adults, spelling mistakes may undermine respect and lead people to negatively judge a person’s capability as a worker. An adult who is self-conscious about his or her spelling skills may not pursue their preferred career or try for work promotions if they feel those lacking skills will be put on display.

Learn more about spelling skills for adults.

Ideas for improving spelling

  • Involve all of your senses
    Whereas fifty years ago writing the term repeatedly might have been your best option, today you can access an audio recording as you see the word and either write or type it out. Multi-sensory learning can make a big difference in retention as the combination of diverse sensory input helps reinforce learning to make words ‘stick.’
     
  • Use phonics
    Words are built of morphemes which are the smallest units of sound that carry meaning. Learning more about how English breaks down into individual sounds, and how those sounds are spelled, can give you a good grounding in English phonics and familiarize you with some of the basic spelling patterns.
     
  • Be creative
    When repetition doesn’t work, try detail to help with memory. Draw the word out and illustrate each letter. Make cut out collages. Activating your creative and artistic side can help with learning. Try this list for more tips on creative approaches to spelling.
     
  • Get typing 
    Most of the writing we do these days happens on a computer or electronic device so it can help to become a proficient typist. Additionally, with typing you’re harnessing muscle memory in the fingers to transfer a word’s spelling into a series of movements. This is a particularly helpful technique for individuals who struggle with spelling because of dyslexia.

Touch-type Read and Spell

TTRS is a multi-sensory typing program that helps you improve your spelling skills gradually, and through a gentle approach. 

The program features audio so you hear, see and type a word at the same time. Lessons follow a program of phonics to build your knowledge of English word-parts. Your spelling will improve and you don’t have to study any spelling rules.

See if the TTRS approach can work for you. By investing as little as ten minutes a day, you can become a proficient typist and a better speller in no time.

Learn more

How confident are you of your spelling skills? We asked top academics and writing experts to give us their top 100 hardest words to spell they’ve seen in students’ writing assignments. Spellings is extremely importnant, not less than grammar. This is what they came up with tips and a list of 100 most difficult words.

Tips on How to Spell Hard Words

So by now, you’ve realized that you have made your share of spelling mistakes and are wondering what you need to do to be a better speller. These tips are the same ones we see young students participating in spelling competitions use when they tackle any of several hard English words to spell. Give them all a try to see which tips work best for you:

  • Watch what others do.

    The first thing you may want to consider doing is looking at how others utilize different techniques to spell out difficult words. Start with the kids who compete in national spelling bees to get a sense of all the different things they do spell long or rare words correctly.

  • Use your palms to spell.

    If you have scratch paper at hand you can always spell out the word as close as you can and then make corrections when you see what you feel can be wrong. Other than this, you can

  • Consider the origins.

    The origin of words is a study known as etymology which traces a word’s lineage and existence to the first known use in written form. It is especially helpful to people wanting to learn how to spell words because you can trace root words and syllables.

Hard Words to Spell for 6th Graders

If you want to challenge yourself with very hard words to spell at the sixth-grade level, then this collection might be just what you’re looking for:

  • Noticeable (Correct) / Noticable (Incorrect)
  • Vacuum (Correct) / Vacume (Incorrect)
  • Recommend (Correct) / Recomend (Incorrect)
  • Occasion (Correct) / Ocassion (Incorrect)
  • Beginning (Correct) / Begginning (Incorrect)
  • Government (Correct) / Goverment (Incorrect)
  • Committee (Correct) / Comitee (Incorrect)
  • Mississippi (Correct) / Missisipi (Incorrect)
  • Ancient (Correct) / Ainshent (Incorrect)
  • Culture (Correct) / Culcher (Incorrect)

Hard Words to Spell for 7th Graders

In a time when spellcheck comes with every computer writing program, we may lose sight of terms in this list of hard words to spell:

  • Chaos (Correct) / Kaos (Incorrect)
  • Accommodation (Correct) / Accomodation (Incorrect)
  • Strengthen (Correct) / Strengten (Incorrect)
  • Misspelled (Correct) / Mispelled (Incorrect)
  • Deceive (Correct) / Deseave (Incorrect)
  • Receipt (Correct) / Receit (Incorrect)
  • Arithmetic (Correct) / Arithmatic (Incorrect)
  • Embarrass (Correct) / Embaras (Incorrect)
  • Constitution (Correct) / Constatution (Incorrect)
  • Encyclopedia (Correct) / Encyclopaedia (Incorrect)

Hard Words to Spell for 8th Graders

Here are hard to spell words spell for middle-school teenagers, particularly those in the 8th grade. Can you spell them without using spell-check?

  • Pneumonia (Correct) / Neumonia (Incorrect)
  • Acknowledgment (Correct) / Acknoledgement (Incorrect)
  • Accidentally (Correct) / Accidentilly (Incorrect)
  • Descendant (Correct) / Desendent (Incorrect)
  • Exaggerate (Correct) / Exagerate (Incorrect)
  • Courageous (Correct) / Corageous (Incorrect)
  • Competent (Correct) / Compitent (Incorrect)
  • Patriarch (Correct) / Patrearch (Incorrect)
  • Pediatrician (Correct) / Pidiatrision (Incorrect)
  • Picturesque (Correct) / Picturesche (Incorrect)

Hard Words to Spell for 9th Graders

In your first year of high school, you will likely encounter some of the hardest words to spell ever. Check out this list for 9th grade:

  • Cavalcade (Correct) / Cavacade (Incorrect)
  • Conscientious (Correct) / Consciescience (Incorrect)
  • Fluorescent (Correct) / Florescent (Incorrect)
  • Martyr (Correct) / Marter (Incorrect)
  • Olfactory (Correct) / Ofactory (Incorrect)
  • Facsimile (Correct) / Faximile (Incorrect)
  • Gruesome (Correct) / Grewsome (Incorrect)
  • Incessant (Correct) / Incessent (Incorrect)
  • Reservoir (Correct) / Resavoire (Incorrect)
  • Spasmodic (Correct) / Spasmodick (Incorrect)

Hard Words to Spell for 12th Graders

As you advance through educational levels, you will be introduced to more reading assignments and will grow your vocabulary. These are the hardest English words to spell at the 12th-grade level:

  • Acquiesce (Correct) / Aquese (Incorrect)
  • Ambiguous (Correct) / Ambiguus (Incorrect)
  • Stringent (Correct) / Stringint (Incorrect)
  • Evanescent (Correct) / Evansent (Incorrect)
  • Querulous (Correct) / Quarelous (Incorrect)
  • Spontaneity (Correct) / Spontenaity (Incorrect)
  • Tenacious (Correct) / Tenashus (Incorrect)
  • Divergent (Correct) / Divergeant (Incorrect)
  • Resilient (Correct) / Resiliant (Incorrect)
  • Renovation (Correct) / Renovashun (Incorrect)

Hard Words to Spell for College Students

Technology has made learning the hardest words to spell a rare activity. This list of 10 terms is considered to be college-level. See if you’re able to spell them without help:

  • Pharaoh (Correct) / Farow (Incorrect)
  • Intelligence (Correct) / Inteligense (Incorrect)
  • Didactic (Correct) / Didachtik (Incorrect)
  • Pronunciation (Correct) / Pronounsiation (Incorrect)
  • Gobbledegook (Correct) / Gobblydigook (Incorrect)
  • Euphemism (Correct) / Yufamism (Incorrect)
  • Abrogate (Correct) / Abrohgate (Incorrect)
  • Demagogue (Correct) / Demagog (Incorrect)
  • Facetious (Correct) / Faseshus (Incorrect)
  • Hyperbole (Correct) / Hyperboly (Incorrect)

Common Words that Are Hard to Spell

This list includes common hard words to spell for adults. It’s surprising how so many people struggle but all you have to do is check the web for examples of this happening:

  • Thorough (Correct) / Thorogh (Incorrect)
  • Rhythm (Correct) / Rythm (Incorrect)
  • Peculiar (Correct) / Pechuliar (Incorrect)
  • Buffet (Correct) / Bufay (Incorrect)
  • Liaison (Correct) / Liason (Incorrect)
  • Anecdote (Correct) / Anechdote (Incorrect)
  • Anonymous (Correct) / Anonimous (Incorrect)
  • Collaborate (Correct) / Colaborate (Incorrect)
  • Substantiate (Correct) / Substanchiate (Incorrect)
  • Reconciliation (Correct) / Reckonsiliation (Incorrect)

Long Hard Words to Spell

Sometimes multisyllabic words that are hard to spell are difficult because we don’t think about silent letters that may appear anywhere. Check these out below:

  • Grammatically (Correct) / Gramatically (Incorrect)
  • Magnanimous (Correct) / Magnanimus (Incorrect)
  • Metamorphosis (Correct) / Metamofisus (Incorrect)
  • Satisfactorily (Correct) / Satisfactory (Incorrect)
  • Surveillance (Correct) / Surveylance (Incorrect)
  • Unanimous (Correct) / Unianomous (Incorrect)
  • Reconciliation (Correct) / Reconsiliation (Incorrect)
  • Procrastinate (Correct) / Procrastanate (Incorrect)
  • Ostentatious (Correct) / Ostantatious (Incorrect)
  • Camaraderie (Correct) / Comraderie (Incorrect)

Super Hard Words to Spell

These are really hard words to spell, even for the best English spellers in the world. As you can see most are words familiar to medical professionals and scientists, so unless you’re familiar with the field you are likely to have trouble with them:

  • Syllepsis (Correct) / Sylepsis (Incorrect)
  • Antediluvian (Correct) / Antidiluvian (Incorrect)
  • Crustaceology (Correct) / Crustaciology (Incorrect)
  • Epidemiologist (Correct) / Epidimialogist (Incorrect)
  • Ophthalmologist (Correct) / Optamologist (Incorrect)
  • Nephrology (Correct) / Nefrology (Incorrect)
  • Entomology (Correct) / Entimology (Incorrect)
  • Chiaroscurist (Correct) / Chiaraschurist (Incorrect)
  • Logorrhea (Correct) / Logoria (Incorrect)
  • Sacrilegious (Correct) / Sacriligious (Incorrect)

Easy Words that Are Hard to Spell

Finally, this last set includes hard words to spell that is considered easy. Take your time spelling these out because you may find yourself feeling a bit embarrassed if you make a simple mistake:

  • Acquire (Correct) / Akwire (Incorrect)
  • Argument (Correct) / Arguement (Incorrect)
  • Maintenance (Correct) / Maintanence (Incorrect)
  • Gauge (Correct) / Ghage (Incorrect)
  • Memento (Correct) / Mamento (Incorrect)
  • Occurrence (Correct) / Ocurrance (Incorrect)
  • Questionnaire (Correct) / Questionaire (Incorrect)
  • Sergeant (Correct) / Sargeant (Incorrect)
  • Weather (Correct) / Wheather (Incorrect)
  • Awkward (Correct) / Awkwerd (Incorrect)

What did you think of our list? Did you manage to spell the majority of them? As you can see, a lot of the mistakes come from simple mispronunciations of the words or syllables. This, of course, can be fixed with time and patience. We’re always available to assist you, so just get a hold of our customer support team and we’ll provide you with more tips and tricks to improve your spelling skills and get better writing jobs.

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