100 Most Commonly Misspelled Words Flashcards
acceptable
The suffix
accidentally
-ly
accommodate
- Remember that this word is large enough to accommodate two sets of double consonants. Double both the "c" and the "m" in this term.
acquire
- The "c" in "acquire" is silent, so it is often omitted in spelling. To help get it right, remember that you should "see" (sounds like "c") something before you acquire it.
acquit
- The challenge with spelling acquit is the same as with acquire. Remind yourself that acquit is related to accusations of criminal activities to help remember to include a "c."
a lot
allot
amateur
-eur
apparent
- It's apparent that you must pay the rent, so remember this word always has "rent" in it, but you don't want to pay double. In other words, double the "p,' not the "r."
argument
-ment
atheist
a-
believe
"i" usually comes before "e"
bellwether
- This term isn't about the weather, so don't spell it that way. A wether is a gelded ram that leads the herd. He wears a bell to alert the sheep to his presence and others to the herd's presence.
calendar
- To correctly spell calendar, remember that this word has one "e" sandwiched between two a's. The last vowel is an "a."
category
- In this word, the "y" is pronounced with a long "e" sound, but don't spell it that way. It's not spelled catastrophe, even though the end sounds are similar, because the middle vowel is an "e."
cemetery
pun intended
changeable
- The verb change keeps its "e" when able is added to the end. The spelling of this word indicates that the "g" is soft, not hard.
collectible
- Where do you keep a collection? In your home. Use the word "in" as a reminder that this word's final syllable ends with an "i."
committed
-ed
conscience
consonant blend
conscientious
- Work on your spelling conscientiously! For this word, remember that conscientious has the /ch/ sound spelled two different ways: "sc" and 'ti."
conscious
- Try to be conscious of the "sc" spelling of the /ch/ sound and the fact that there are three vowels in this word's last syllable. Keep the order straight by thinking of "i-o-u."
consensus
- Don't get tricked into spelling the end of this word like "census." The census does not require a consensus, since the two terms actually are not related in meaning.
daiquiri
proper nouns
definitely
-ly
discipline
- This commonly used word has an unusual spelling. Think of how this word is broken into syllables: dis-ci-pline. Remember that the "sc" sound actually comes from two different syllables. That should help keep you from leaving out one of the letters.
drunkenness
- To help you remember that drunkenness has two n's and two s's, remember that having too much to drink could cause one to see double!
dumbbell
compound noun
embarrass
- Spelling this word won't be a cause for embarrassment if you remember that it's large enough for a double "r" and a double "s."
equipment
- This word is misspelled "equiptment" a lot. However, the only "t" in this word is at the end, so be sure not to add one in the middle.
exhilarate
- Remembering the "h" is silent when you spell this word will lift your spirits high, with no "h" required. The other tricky part of this word is the fact that there are two a's.
exceed
-cede
existence
- People often replace one or both of the e's in this word with an "a." Remember that there is no "a" in existence.
experience
- It's fairly common for people to substitute an "a" for the last "e" in the word experience. Remind yourself that there are three e's in this word.
fiery
- This one is tough. The base word is fire, but when using it as an adjective, the "r" and "e" change places before a "y" is added to the end.
foreign
- The word foreign violates the i-before-e rule. Remember that something foreign is different from the norm, which is also the case with how this word is spelled.
gauge
- To gauge the positioning of the "a" and "u" in this word, remember that these two vowels appear in alphabetical order.
grateful
- Remember that grateful is based on the word gratitude, not the word great, so it should be spelled accordingly. Keep "great" out of "grateful."
guarantee
synonyms for each other
harass
- This word is too small for two sets of double letters, just double the "s" on the end.
height
- English reaches the height (not heigth!) of absurdity when it spells "height" and "width" so differently. Remember that height is the opposite of width, so it does not end with "th."
hierarchy
- The i-before-e rule works fine here. Remind yourself that "hierarchy" is all about proper order, so it makes sense to stick to the rule when you're spelling this word.
humorous
- People often leave out the second "o," incorrectly believing that only the "u" is needed rather than the "ou" diphthong. Think of it like this: The "r" is so weak here, it needs an "o" on both sides to hold it up.
ignorance
-ence
immediate
- Do you need something now? Then you need to spell this word with two m's for the proper emphasis!
independent
-ent
indispensable
-able
inoculate
- This word is often misspelled with a double "n." This one sounds like a shot in the eye. Remind yourself that one "n" in the eye is (more than) enough. Nobody needs two!
intelligence
-ence
its/it's
the difference between its and it's
jewelry
- Jewelry is made by a jeweler, but don't just add on a "y" to that word. Instead, the last "e" flees the scene (like a jewel thief!) when "y" is added to the end.
judgment
-ment
kernel
- There is more than a kernel of truth to the claim that all the vowels in this word are e's. There are no o's in this word. Save those for popcorn!
leisure
- This term is another violator of the i-before-e rule. Remember that if you go to Hawaii for some rest and relaxation (i.e., leisure), you'll be greeted with a lei.
liaison
orthographical curve
library
pronounced and enunciated
license
- Remember that there's only one "s" in license, so the other soft /s/ sound has to be a "c." Fortunately, these letters appear alphabetically in this word.
maintenance
- The main tenants of this word are "main" and "tenance" even though the term comes from the verb to maintain. It has exactly two e's, though people often wrongly use a third "e" instead of the second "a."
maneuver
main
medieval
- The medieval orthography of English lays traps for you: everything about the Middle Ages is Medieval or, as the British would write, mediaeval. In both situations, there is an additional vowel before the second "e."
memento
memento
millennium
- This word is large enough to hold two sets of double consonants, double "l" and double "n." Plus, remember that it began in a year with double o's at the end.
miniature
- Since that "a" is seldom pronounced, it's easy to leave it out of spelling. Remind yourself that this one has four distinct syllables, two of which are solo vowels: min-i-a-ture.
minuscule
- Since something minuscule is smaller than a miniature, it's a minus, not a mini. See? That's why this word has a "u" before the "s."
mischievous
-ous
misspell
mis-
neighbor
- The word neighbor invokes a silent "gh," as well as the /ei/ sound as a rule. This is fraught with error potential. It is one of the designated exceptions to the "i" before "e" rule, so the "e" comes before the "i." As far as the "g" goes, remind yourself to try to be a good neighbor.
noticeable
- The "e" is noticeably retained in this word to indicate the "c" is soft, which means that it's pronounced like /s/. Without the "e," the "c" would be hard and have the /k/ sound, as with the word applicable.
occasionally
- Writers occasionally tire of doubling so many consonants (or just forget). Remember that the word "occasionally" refers to something that occurs more than once as a reminder to double the "c" and the "l."
occurrence
-ence
pastime
- Since a pastime is something you do to pass the time, you would expect a double "s" here. However, you aren't talking about the passing of time or how time passes, which would include two s's. A pastime is an activity, which is an enjoyable way to spend time. Knowing the different meanings should help.
perseverance
-ance
playwright
Old English
possession
- Possession possesses more s's than a hissing snake. Remember that there are two occurrences of double s's in this word for a total of four.
precede
pre
principal
- The words principle and principal sound the same but are spelled differently. When you're referring to someone who is in charge (such as a school principal) or at the top (such as a principal dancer), use principal with an "a". They're at the top of their occupation, so their final vowel is at the top of the alphabet.
privilege
- According to the pronunciation of this word, that middle vowel could be anything. Remember that this word has two i's followed by two e's.
pronunciation
- Nouns often differ from the verbs they're derived from, which is true in this case. Here, the second "o" has been dropped from the root word pronounce, as well as the "e."
publicly
-al
questionnaire
- The French are doing it to us again. Don't question it, just double up on the n's and don't forget the silent "e" on the end.
receipt
- This is another example of the "i" before "e" rule. Plus, to further complicate things, this word has a silent "p." Think of patiently waiting for a receipt to print in the store.
recommend
re-
referred
-ed
reference
-ence
relevant
-ant
rhyme
- Actually, "rime" was the correct spelling until 1650, but it is not correct now. After that time, the spelling was changed to rhyme. Remember that it begins the same way as the word rhythm.
rhythm
- This one was borrowed from Greek (and conveniently never returned). As a result, it's spelled the way words that are borrowed from are spelled.
schedule
- If perfecting your spelling is on your schedule, remember the /sc/ sound is spelled the same way as the beginning of the word "school." Think about your school schedule and remind yourself to use the same three consonants at the beginning of both words.
separate
- How do you separate the e's from the a's in this word? Simply remember that "e" is the first vowel in the article and the last. In other words, the e's surround the a's.
sergeant
- The "a" in this word has been marched to the back of the line, so it's in the last syllable. Remember that, along with the fact that "e" is used in both syllables. You'll be able to write to or about your sergeant without fear of a spelling error.
supersede
-sede
their/they're/there
difference between these three words
threshold
- This one can push you over the threshold. It looks like a compound of "thresh" and "hold" but it isn't. Two h's in the word are enough. The letter "h" does not appear side-by-side in this word.
twelfth
- Even if you omit the "f" in your pronunciation of this word (which you shouldn't, as this is a pronunciation error), it's always retained in the spelling. When in doubt, you could always opt to write 12th instead.
tyranny
- If you are still resisting the tyranny of English orthography at this point, you must face the problem of the "y" inside this word. It refers to a tyrant and whose problem is tyranny. Don't forget to double up on the n's before adding the "y."
until
- Don't add an extra "l" to until. This word needs only one. It would be wrong to add more; there are no double letters in this term.
vacuum
- People tend to misspell this word by using two c's and one "u," or two of both of these letters. Both are incorrect. To spell vacuum correctly, remember that "u" is the only double letter in the term.
weather
- Whether you like the weather or not, you have to have the "a" after the "e" when you put it in writing. Of course, that's if you're referring to the weather conditions. The word whether serves an entirely different purpose.
weird
- This word is an exception to the rule about "i" I before "e" except after "c." Remember that this word is an exception, though of course exceptions aren't so weird in the English language! It's full of exceptions to the rule.