Most Commonly Misspelled English Words

Learning a new language involves mastering many skills, and one of the most important is spelling. But what if you’re a native English speaker and still struggle with spelling certain words? You’re not alone—many people, even those fluent in English, often misspell common words. In today’s digital age, we rely heavily on autocorrect, which can make the problem worse. We often don’t have to think twice about spelling because our devices automatically fix our mistakes. However, when it comes to writing in a professional setting or during a job interview, poor spelling can be quite embarrassing and may even affect how others perceive you. In this article, we’ll explore some of the most commonly misspelled English words and provide tips on how to get them right.

Here are some words that often trip people up and learn strategies to remember their correct spelling:

Separate

Common Misspelling: Seperate

A common mistake is to spell “separate” with an “e” instead of an “a.” To get it right, notice the word “rat” in the middle of “separate.” By visualizing a “rat” separating the two halves of the word, you’ll remember to use “a” instead of “e.”

Embarrass

Common Misspelling: Embarass, Embarras

The word “embarrass” has double “r” and double “s.” An easy way to remember this is to visualize someone blushing twice from embarrassment, which corresponds to the double “r” and “s” in the word. This mental image can help prevent spelling errors.

Definitely

Common Misspelling: Definately

“Definitely” is often misspelled because it’s easy to confuse it with “definately.” A helpful trick is to focus on the word “finite” within “definite.” Since “finite” means something is certain or limited, remembering this word helps you spell “definitely” correctly, without the incorrect “a.”

Receive

Common Misspelling: Recieve

The “i before e, except after c” rule applies perfectly to the word “receive.” By following this rule, you can avoid the common misspelling “recieve.” Just remember, when you see a “c,” the “e” comes first.

Necessary

Common Misspelling: Neccessary, Necesary

“Necessary” can be tough because it involves single and double letters. The trick is to remember that it has one “c” and two “s” letters. Think of it as necessary to spell “necessary” with the correct number of “c”s and “s”s.

Convenient

Common Misspelling: Convinient, Convenent
“Convenient” is often misspelled because of the way it sounds. To get it right, break the word into “con” and “venient.” Remember that it’s “con” plus “venient,” not “convinent.”

Accommodate

Common Misspelling: Acommodate, Accomodate

The word “accommodate” is tricky because of its double letters. To remember it, think of “accommodate” as being very accommodating, providing not just one “c” and one “m” but two of each. This way, you won’t forget the double “c” and “m.”

Recommend

Common Misspelling: Reccomend, Recomend

The word “recommend” is often misspelled with one “m” or two “c”s. A helpful way to remember it is to think of recommending something twice, which reminds you to use double “m” but only one “c.”

Pronunciation

Common Misspelling: Pronounciation
“Pronunciation” is often confused with the word “pronounce.” However, remember that it’s “pronunciation” without an extra “o.” Think of it as related to “pronounce,” but slightly different in spelling.

Independent

Common Misspelling: Independant

“Independent” is often misspelled with an “a” instead of an “e.” To remember the correct spelling, break it down: “in-de-pen-dent.” Think of “independence” as the root, which doesn’t have an “a.”

Privilege

Common Misspelling: Privilage, Priviledge

“Privilege” is commonly misspelled with a “d” or as “privilage.” There’s no “d” in “privilege,” so you can remember that it’s a privilege not to add extra letters. Focus on the correct syllables: “priv-i-lege.”

Questionnaire

Common Misspelling: Questionaire, Questionnarie

“Questionnaire” has double “n”s, which are easy to forget. To help remember, think of a questionnaire as something that you double-check or review twice. This can help you remember the double “n” in the word.

Maintenance

Common Misspelling: Maintainance
People often misspell “maintenance” as “maintainance” because it’s easy to mix up the “ain” and “en.” To avoid this, focus on the word “maintain” within “maintenance.” Just remember that “maintain” stays the same, but with an added “ance” at the end.

Their/They’re/There

Common Misspelling: Their for There, There for Their

These homophones are often confused. “Their” indicates possession, “they’re” is a contraction for “they are,” and “there” refers to a place. To avoid mistakes, remember that “their” has the word “heir” in it, indicating ownership. “They’re” always has an apostrophe because it’s a contraction, and “there” has “here” in it, pointing to a location.

Piece

Common Misspelling: Peice

“Piece” is often misspelled because of the tricky “i before e” rule. Remember, in this case, the rule applies: it’s “i before e,” and you can think of “piece” as a “piece of pie” to help you remember the correct spelling. Additionally, visualizing “piece” as a part of something larger can reinforce the correct order of the letters.

Colleague

Common Misspelling: Collaegue, Collegue

“Colleague” can be tricky because of the “ea” combination in the middle. A helpful way to remember it is to think of “league” as in a team or group, since a colleague is someone you work with in a professional setting. Remember that it’s “colleague,” like “league,” with an extra “col” in front.

Conscious

Common Misspelling: Concious, Conscous

“Conscious” is often misspelled due to its complex structure. To remember it, break it down into “con-” and “sci” (like science), followed by “-ous.” Visualizing the word as related to “conscience” or “awareness” can also help reinforce the correct spelling. The “sc” combination can be tricky, so focusing on each part of the word helps ensure you spell it correctly.

Rhythm

Common Misspelling: Rythm, Rhythmn

“Rhythm” is tricky because of its lack of vowels between the “r” and “thm.” To remember it, think of “rhythm” as a beat with no vowels. Visualize the word as a pattern or beat, which can help you recall its unique spelling.

Misspell

Common Misspelling: Mispell

Ironically, “misspell” is often misspelled with just one “s.” Remember that it’s “miss” plus “spell,” so it needs both “s”s to be correct.

Accommodation

Common Misspelling: Acommodation, Accomodation

“Accommodation” is challenging due to its double “c”s and “m”s. Remember, when you accommodate someone, you’re giving them extra. Think of “accommodation” as requiring extra letters to be fully accommodating.

Entrepreneur

Common Misspelling: Entreprenuer, Entreprenure

“Entrepreneur” is tough because it’s borrowed from French. To break it down, think “entre” (to enter) and “preneur” (one who takes risks). Remembering these roots can help you spell it correctly.

Publicly

Common Misspelling: Publically

Many people mistakenly add an extra “l” in “publicly.” The trick is to remember that “public” just needs “ly” added to the end, without any extra letters.

Occasionally

Common Misspelling: Ocassionally, Occassionally

“Occasionally” is another word with tricky double letters. The key to getting it right is to remember that the word has two “c”s and two “l”s. You can think of “occasionally” as giving you two chances to use double letters, which helps you spell it correctly every time.

Whether you’re learning English as a new language or aiming to enhance your skills as a native speaker, honing your spelling abilities is essential for clear and effective communication. Reducing your reliance on autocorrect can also be beneficial in strengthening your spelling skills.

Want to read more? Check out 13 English Words with Unusual Origins.

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