100 most misspelled words in english

Here are the 100 words most often misspelled ('misspell' is one of them). Master the orthography of the words on this page and reduce the time you spend searching dictionaries by 50%.

A

• acceptable
•  Just remember to accept any table offered to you and you will spell this word OK.
• accidentally
•  When It is an adverb the ending is ally and al in case of adjective ("accidental" in this case). 
• accommodate
• Remember, this word is large enough to accommodate both a double "c" AND a double "m".

• acquire
• Try to acquire the knowledge that this word and the next began with the prefix ad- but the [d] converts to [c] before [q].
• acquit
• See the previous discussion.
• a lot
• Two words! Hopefully, you won't have to allot a lot of time to this problem.
• amateur
• Amateurs need not be mature: this word ends on the French suffix -eur 
• apparent
• A parent need not be apparent but "apparent" must pay the rent, so remember this word always has the rent.
• argument
• Let's not argue about the loss of this verb's silent [e] before the suffix -ment.
• atheist
• Lord help you remember not to commit a heist.

B

• believe
• You must believe that [i] usually comes before [e] except after [c] 
• bellwether
• Often misspelled "bellweather."

C

• calendar
• This word has an [e] between two [a]s. The last vowel is [a].
• category
• This word is not in a category with "catastrophe" even if it sounds like it: the middle letter is [e].
• cemetery
• Don't let this one bury you: it ends on -ery.  
• changeable
• The verb "change" keeps its [e] here to indicate that the [g] is soft, not hard.
• collectible
• Another -ible word. You just have to remember.
• column
• Silent final [e] is commonplace in English but a silent final [n] is not uncommon, especially after [m].
• committed
• if you  are committed to correct spelling, you will remember that this word doubles its final [t] from "commit" to "committed."
• conscience
• do not con your science
•   conscientious
• your spelling conscientiously and remember this word with [ch] spelled two different ways: "sc" and "ti". English spelling!
• conscious
• Try to be conscious of the "sc" [ch] sound and all the vowels in this word's ending and i-o-u a note .
• consensus
• The census does not require a consensus, since they are not related.

D

• daiquiri
•  this is a funny word-the name of a Cuban village.
• definite (ly)
• This word definitely sounds as though it ends only on -it, but it carries a silent "e" everywhere it goes.
• 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 [n]s in this one.
• dumbbell
• Even smart people forget one of the [b]s in this one. (So be careful who you call one when you write.)

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
• exhilarate
• Remembering that [h] when you spell this word will lift your spirits and if you remember both [a]s, 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.
• experience
• Don't experience the same problem many have with "existence" above in this word: -ence!

F

• fiery
• The silent "e" on "fire" is also cowardly: 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.)

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.

H

• harass
• This word is too small for two double letters but don't let it harass you, just keep the [r]s down to one.
• height
• English reaches the height (not heighth!) of absurdity when it spells "height" and "width" so differently.
• 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.

I

• ignorance
• Don't show your ignorance by spelling this word -ence!
• immediate
•  remember it has two Ms.
• independent
• Please be independent but not in your spelling of this word. It ends on -ent.
• indispensable
• Knowing that this word ends on -able is indispensable to good writing.
• inoculate
• Remember it as in+oculate
• intelligence
• Using two [l]s 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."

J

• jewellery
• remember the word has two Ls preceded and followed by E.

• judgement
• The word has been misspelled judgment in all forms of the English language. In the US at least, judgment is still preferred and judgement is considered incorrect by many American style guides.

K

• kernel (colonel)
• There is more than a kernel of truth in the claim that all the vowels in this word are [e]s. So why is the military rank (colonel) pronounced identically? English spelling can be chaotic.

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 like a [z].
• library
• It may be as enjoyable as a berry, 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 sound [s] in one word?
• lightning
• Learning how to omit the [e] in this word should lighten the load of English orthography a little bit.

M

• maintenance
• The main tenants of this word are "main" and "tenance" even though it comes from the verb "maintain."
• manoeuvre
• Man, the price you pay for borrowing from French is high. This one goes back to French main + oeuvre "hand-work”.
• mediaeval
• the best way to remember this word is to add EVAL to MEDIA.
• 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. This one is a "mini ature;" remember that.
• minuscule
• Since something minuscule is smaller than a miniature, shouldn't they be spelled similarly? Less than cool, or "minus cule."
• mischievous
• This mischievous word holds two traps: [i] before [e] and [o] before [u]. Four of the five vowels in English reside here.
• 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."

N

• neighbour
• The word "neighbour" breaks the i-before-e rule and includes the silent "gh".
• noticeable
• you should be ABLE to NOTICE.

O

• occasionally
• Writers occasionally tire of doubling so many consonants and omit one, usually one of the [l]s. 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.

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. 
• 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
• remember the word has "Two Ns, one L."
• playwright
•  Well, since they write plays, they should be "play-writes," but Remember “WRIGHT"
• possession
• Possession possesses more [s]s 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. A "principle" is a rule.
• privilege
• According to the pronunciation (not "pronounciation"!) of this word, that middle vowel could be anything. Remember: two [i]s + two [e]s 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.

Q

• questionnaire
• The French doing it to us again. Double up on the [n]s in this word and don't forget the silent [e]. Maybe someday we will spell it the English way.

R

• 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
• remember to add RED TO REFER.
• 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

• remember to add ME TO RHY.
• rhythm
• remember there are no vowels in this word.

S

• schedule
• If perfecting your spelling is on your schedule, remember the [sk] is spelled as in "school."
• separate
• How do you separate the [e]s from the [a]s in this word? Simple: the [e]s surround the [a]s.
• sergeant
•  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.

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 "there."
• threshold
• This one can push you over the threshold. It looks like a compound "thresh + hold" but it isn't. Two [h]s are enough.
• 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 [n]s, too.)

U

• until
•  stop  using the  extra [l] for the last time!

V

• vacuum
•  spell this word with two [u]s and not like "volume."

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 having to repeat this rule so many times: [i] before [e] except after...? (It isn't [w]!)