50 Commonly Misspelled Words
Let’s face it: English spelling can feel like an uphill battle. It’s as if the language was designed to trip us up, especially when the way words sound and the way they’re spelled don’t match up. Blame it on history - English is a glorious mishmash of Latin, French, Germanic, and even Greek influences, which means the rules often contradict themselves. And don’t get me started on silent letters or those rogue vowels!
Ever found yourself typing “definately” or “seperate,” only to get that smug little red underline from spellcheck? You’re not alone. From students to seasoned writers, we all have our nemesis words that seem impossible to get right. Some of them are deceptively simple, while others look like they belong in a foreign language (because, surprise, they probably do).
But here’s the thing: spelling mistakes don’t just make us look sloppy - they can change the meaning of a sentence or undermine the point we’re trying to make. The good news? You can avoid the most common pitfalls once you understand why they happen and how to fix them. Stick with me as we dive into 50 of the most commonly misspelled words in English, complete with examples and tips to help you nail them every time.
| Word (Part of Speech) | Explanation | Common Misspellings | Correct Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Accommodate (Verb) | Often confused with the number of "m"s and "c"s. It requires two of each. | Acomodate, Accomodate | The hotel can accommodate you. |
| Acknowledgment (Noun) | Silent "e" in "acknowledge" is often dropped; American spelling omits the "e" after "g." | Aknowledgment, Aknowledgement | His acknowledgment was clear. |
| Acquire (Verb) | Confusion arises from the "q" always following "c," and the "u" is often dropped. | Aquire, Aquiere | She wants to acquire new skills. |
| Amateur (Noun/Adjective) | Derived from French, the "eur" ending is tricky and simplified incorrectly. | Amature, Amatuer, Amatur | He is an amateur photographer. |
| Believe (Verb) | "I before e except after c" is often forgotten, leading to reversal of letters. | Beleive, Belive, Beleve | I believe in you. |
| Bureaucracy (Noun) | French origin makes the "eau" and "au" difficult, often leading to oversimplified spellings. | Beurocracy, Beaurocracy, Burocracy | Bureaucracy can slow processes. |
| Cemetery (Noun) | Commonly misspelled with "a"s because it only uses "e"s. | Cemetary, Cematary, Semetary | We visited the cemetery. |
| Changeable (Adjective) | Retains the "e" before adding "able," unlike most similar words. | Changable, Changible | The weather is changeable. |
| Colleague (Noun) | Omission of "a" or "u" creates confusion, as it resembles "college." | Collegue, Coleague, Collague | My colleague is very helpful. |
| Collectible (Adjective/Noun) | Often replaced with "collectable," which is a less common variant. | Collectable, Collectoble | This is a rare collectible. |
| Conscience (Noun) | Pronunciation doesn’t match spelling; "sc" sounds like "sh," leading to omitted letters. | Consciense, Conscence, Concience | Follow your conscience. |
| Conscious (Adjective) | Commonly confused due to the silent "sci" and "ous." | Conscous, Concious, Consious | He was fully conscious. |
| Definitely (Adverb) | Phonetically misspelled as it sounds like "definately" or "definetly." | Definately, Definetly, Definitly | I will definitely attend. |
| Desperate (Adjective) | Confusion between "a" and "e" in the second syllable is common. | Desparate, Desperit, Despert | She was desperate for help. |
| Disappear (Verb) | Double "p" is often reduced, and "ear" is mistakenly replaced with "ere." | Dissapear, Disapear, Desapear | The magician made it disappear. |
| Discipline (Noun/Verb) | The silent "sc" and complex "pline" create spelling challenges. | Disipline, Displine, Discpline | Discipline is essential for success. |
| Environment (Noun) | The silent "n" before "ment" is often omitted. | Enviroment, Environent | Protect the environment. |
| Exaggerate (Verb) | Double "g" and "e" placement cause oversimplified misspellings. | Exagerate, Exxagerate | Don’t exaggerate the facts. |
| Experience (Noun/Verb) | Silent vowels often lead to errors. | Experiance, Expirience, Expirance | I had a great experience. |
| Fascinating (Adjective) | "Sc" spelling is often simplified incorrectly to "s." | Fasinating, Fasciniting | The story was fascinating. |
| Friend (Noun) | Many reverse "i" and "e" or drop letters. | Freind, Frind | He is a loyal friend. |
| Government (Noun) | Silent "n" in "gov" confuses spellers. | Goverment, Govermant | The government made a decision. |
| Guarantee (Noun/Verb) | Silent "u" and vowel placements like "ar" and "ee" create errors. | Guarentee, Garantee, Guarente | I guarantee it will work. |
| Harass (Verb) | Confusion over whether to double the "s." | Harrass, Haras | Don’t harass your coworkers. |
| Height (Noun) | "I" and "e" are reversed, influenced by words like "weight." | Heigth, Hight | The height of the building is impressive. |
| Independent (Adjective) | "Ent" is mistakenly replaced with "ant." | Independant, Independint | She is an independent thinker. |
| Intelligence (Noun) | Missing or extra letters like "l" and "e" lead to errors. | Inteligence, Intilligence | His intelligence is remarkable. |
| Jewelry (Noun) | British spelling "jewellery" is confused with American spelling. | Jewelery, Jewlry | The jewelry is exquisite. |
| Judgment (Noun) | British spelling adds "e" after "g" (judgement); Americans omit it. | Judgement, Judgmant | Trust your judgment. |
| Leisure (Noun) | "Ei" placement is often reversed or simplified. | Liesure, Leasure | Enjoy your leisure time. |
| License (Noun/Verb) | Regional differences in spelling lead to confusion. | Licence (British), Lisence | She applied for a driver’s license. |
| Maneuver (Verb/Noun) | British "manoeuvre" complicates American spelling, with "e"s misplaced. | Manuever, Manuver | He had to maneuver quickly. |
| Mischievous (Adjective) | Pronounced with an extra "i" sound ("mischievious"), leading to spelling errors. | Mischievious, Mischivous | The child was mischievous. |
| Necessary (Adjective) | Errors arise from the number of "s"s and "c"s in the word. | Necesary, Neccessary | It is necessary to finish today. |
| Occurrence (Noun) | Double "r" and "c" are often reduced to single letters. | Ocurrence, Occurance | It was a rare occurrence. |
| Perseverance (Noun) | Silent vowels and incorrect doubling of consonants create issues. | Perseverence, Perserverance | Perseverance |
| Playwright (Noun) | Despite its pronunciation, "wright" refers to a maker or builder, not "write" as in writing. The spelling is often confused due to this misconception. | Playwrite, Playright | The playwright is known for his brilliant comedies. |
| Possession (Noun) | The double "s" in both parts of the word trips spellers up. | Posession, Posession, Possesion | The painting is in his possession. |
| Questionnaire (Noun) | The double "n" and "e" in "naire" are frequently missed due to its French origin. | Questionaire, Questionere | Fill out the questionnaire, please. |
| Rhyme (Noun/Verb) | The silent "h" confuses many, leading to phonetic spellings. | Rime, Rhime | This poem has a perfect rhyme. |
| Sergeant (Noun) | The "e" before "a" doesn’t match its pronunciation, leading to phonetic errors. | Sargent, Sergant | The sergeant gave the orders. |
| Supersede (Verb) | Derived from Latin, the "sede" ending (not "cede") is uncommon in English, making it a common mistake. | Supercede, Supersceed, Superceed | This rule supersedes all others. |
| Twelfth (Adjective/Noun) | The "fth" combination at the end is tricky due to its awkward pronunciation and spelling. | Twelth, Twelf, Twelvth | The twelfth chapter is my favorite. |
| Vacuum (Noun) | The double "u" in the middle confuses writers, leading to omissions or replacements. | Vacum, Vaccuum, Vaccum | Use the vacuum to clean the floor. |
| Weird (Adjective) | The "i before e except after c" rule doesn’t apply, creating confusion. | Wierd, Weard | That’s a weird thing to say. |
Conquer Spelling, One Word at a Time
Here’s the deal: mastering English spelling is less about perfection and more about persistence. It’s okay to make mistakes—every writer does. But if you can start recognizing patterns, practicing your tricky words, and even embracing a little curiosity about why the English language is so weird, you’re already ahead of the game.
Think of spelling as a muscle. The more you work it, the stronger it gets. Whether it’s remembering that “accommodate” has room for two “m”s and two “c”s or finally nailing the silent “n” in “environment,” every small victory adds up.
So, the next time you’re staring at a word that just doesn’t look right, don’t panic. Take a breath, think about what you’ve learned here, and maybe even double-check it (no shame in using a dictionary, folks). The goal isn’t to never make mistakes—it’s to learn from them and keep improving.
Now go forth, armed with your newfound spelling superpowers, and show those words who’s boss. You’ve got this!