The most commonly misspelled words in English are everyday words such as separate, definitely, embarrass, occurrence, accommodate, necessary and a lot. They trip people up because of silent letters, double consonants, unstressed vowels and borrowed spellings. Below are 60 of the words people get wrong most often, with the correct spelling, the usual mistake and a memory trick for each, plus the rules that explain them and a short self-test.
A 2010 survey commissioned by Oxford University Press found "separate" was the word people in the survey most often misspelled, followed by "definitely," "manoeuvre" and "embarrass." Lists from schools, editors and dictionaries tend to agree on the same troublemakers.
The top 20 from the Oxford survey
| Word | Common mistake | Memory trick |
|---|---|---|
| separate | seperate | There is "a rat" in sep-a-rate. |
| definitely | definately | It contains the word "finite." |
| manoeuvre (UK) / maneuver (US) | manouver | Know which spelling your country uses. |
| embarrass | embarass | Two r's and two s's: you go "really red" and feel "so silly." |
| occurrence | occurence | Double c, double r, and -ence. |
| consensus | concensus | Think "consent," with an s. |
| unnecessary | unneccessary | One collar (c), two sleeves (ss). |
| acceptable | acceptible | You are "able" to accept it. |
| broccoli | brocolli | Double c, single l. |
| referred | refered | Stress on the last syllable means double the r. |
| bureaucracy | beaurocracy | Starts with "bureau" (a desk or office). |
| supersede | supercede | The only common English word ending in -sede. |
| questionnaire | questionaire | Double n, like "millionaire." |
| connoisseur | conoisseur | Double n, double s. |
| a lot | alot | Two words, like "a little." |
| entrepreneur | entrepeneur | Two r's before the "neur." |
| particularly | particulary | Particular + ly. |
| liquefy | liquify | -efy, like "putrefy." |
| conscience | concience | Con + science. |
| parallel | paralell | The two l's in the middle are parallel lines. |
Many misspellings are really sound-alike mix-ups; see our homophones list for 120 of them.
40 more everyday words people misspell
Double letters
- accommodate: big enough for two c's and two m's.
- address: double d, double s.
- beginning: double n before -ing.
- committee: double m, double t, double e.
- millennium: double l, double n.
- necessary: one c, two s's.
- occasion: double c, single s.
- possession: two pairs of s's.
- recommend: one c, two m's.
- tomorrow: one m, two r's.
- until: only one l.
- misspell: mis + spell, so it has a double s.
Several of these errors come down to knowing when to double consonants before -ing or -ed.
Silent or unexpected letters
- February: say the first r: Feb-ru-ary.
- Wednesday: think "Wed-nes-day."
- government: govern + ment; keep the n.
- environment: environ + ment.
- library: two r's; say "li-brar-y."
- rhythm: "rhythm helps your two hips move."
- receipt: a silent p, like "receive" plus a p.
- knowledge: know + ledge.
- foreign: there is a "reign" in foreign.
- restaurant: "rest-au-rant": rest a while, then rant about the food.
Ie or ei
- believe: never believe a lie.
- receive: e before i after c.
- achieve: ie, like believe.
- weird: weird breaks the rule, which is weird.
- seize: seize breaks it too.
- friend: a friend to the end.
- neighbor (US) / neighbour (UK): ei says "ay."
- height: ei, though it rhymes with "kite."
Words like receive and weird trip people up because of the i before e except after c rule; here is when it works.
Unstressed vowels
- calendar: ends in -ar.
- cemetery: three e's.
- category: think "cat."
- grammar: ends in -ar; "don't mar your grammar."
- independent: -ent, not -ant.
- privilege: no d; "two i's and two e's."
- existence: -ence.
- relevant: -ant.
- maintenance: main + ten + ance.
- pronunciation: no "noun" inside it, even though the verb is pronounce.
Why these words are hard
Unstressed vowels
In words like separate, definitely and calendar, one vowel is unstressed and sounds like a soft "uh." Your ear cannot tell you whether it is an a, e, i or o. Linking the word to a related word helps: definite comes from "finite," and grammar is related to "grammatical."
Double consonants
English has rules for when consonants double, but they are easy to forget. A common one: when a word stresses its last syllable and ends in one vowel plus one consonant, double the consonant before a suffix that starts with a vowel. So refer becomes referred and occur becomes occurrence, but "offer," stressed on the first syllable, becomes "offered."
Borrowed words
Many tricky words came from French, Italian or Greek: bureaucracy, connoisseur, entrepreneur, rhythm, broccoli. Their spellings follow the original language rather than English sound patterns.
"I before e except after c"
The rhyme helps with believe, receive and ceiling, but it has many exceptions, including weird, seize, height, science and their. Learn the exceptions as a small separate list.
American vs British spelling
Some "mistakes" are really regional differences: maneuver vs manoeuvre, neighbor vs neighbour, color vs colour, center vs centre. Pick the style your school, workplace or publication uses and stay consistent.
Words with silent letters cause a lot of these misspellings; our silent letter guide sorts them A to Z.
How to remember spellings for good
- Use a memory trick. Silly sentences stick: "a rat in separate," "never believe a lie."
- Break the word into parts. Con-science, en-viron-ment, Wed-nes-day.
- Say it the way it is spelled. Pronounce the hidden letters in your head: "Feb-ru-ary," "lib-rar-y."
- Look, say, cover, write, check. Look at the word, say it, cover it, write it and check. Repeat until it is automatic.
- Learn word families. If you can spell "finite," you can spell "definitely" and "infinite."
- Keep a personal list. Write down every word you get wrong in a note and review it weekly.
- Read more. Seeing a word spelled correctly many times is one of the best ways to remember it.
Commonly confused words
Some mistakes are not misspellings of one word but a mix-up between two real words. Spell checkers usually miss these, so they are worth learning on their own.
| Pair | How to tell them apart |
|---|---|
| their / there / they're | their = belongs to them; there = a place; they're = they are |
| your / you're | your = belongs to you; you're = you are |
| its / it's | its = belongs to it; it's = it is or it has |
| affect / effect | affect is usually the verb; effect is usually the noun |
| then / than | then = time; than = comparison |
| lose / loose | lose = misplace; loose = not tight |
| principal / principle | the principal is your pal; a principle is a rule |
| stationary / stationery | stationery with an e is paper and envelopes |
| complement / compliment | a complement completes; a compliment is praise |
| desert / dessert | dessert has two s's because you want seconds |
A quick test for the apostrophe pairs: replace the word with the long form. If "it is" or "you are" makes sense, use the apostrophe. If not, leave it out.
Can a spell checker fix all of this?
Spell checkers catch many errors, but not all. They miss real words used in the wrong place, such as "their" for "there," and they may accept a regional spelling you did not intend. Autocorrect can also swap a word for a different one without you noticing. Use the tools, but proofread anything important yourself, reading slowly and, if you can, out loud. Knowing the common troublemakers on this page tells you exactly where to look.
Tips for parents and teachers
- Teach a few words at a time. Five words a week, reviewed often, sticks better than a long list once.
- Let students invent the memory trick. A sentence a child makes up is easier for that child to remember.
- Sort words by pattern. Group double-letter words, ie/ei words and unstressed-vowel words so learners see the rule, not just the word.
- Use games. Spelling relays, hangman and a quick class bee turn practice into play. Our guide to running a classroom spelling bee shows how to set one up in a single period.
- Praise the fix, not just the score. Correcting a word you once missed is real progress.
A quick self-test
Cover the lists above, then pick the correct spelling in each pair. Answers are below.
- seperate / separate
- definately / definitely
- accommodate / accomodate
- occurrence / occurence
- neccessary / necessary
- embarrass / embarass
- recieve / receive
- supersede / supercede
- alot / a lot
- rhythm / rythm
Answers: separate, definitely, accommodate, occurrence, necessary, embarrass, receive, supersede, a lot, rhythm. Score 9 or 10 and you are ahead of most writers. Score lower and add the words you missed to your personal list.
For spelling bee learners
If you are preparing for a school or regional bee, everyday words like these are a great foundation, because the same patterns appear in harder competition words. Combine this list with our guide on how to prepare for a spelling bee, the spelling bee words by grade lists and our tips on prefixes and suffixes. For fun practice, try our free spelling bee game. Spelling Bee Hub is an independent site and is not affiliated with The New York Times.
Some "misspellings" are only the other variety; see our guide to British vs American spelling.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the most commonly misspelled word?
In a 2010 survey for Oxford University Press, "separate" was the word people most often misspelled, followed by "definitely," "manoeuvre" and "embarrass." Other everyday troublemakers include accommodate, necessary, occurrence and a lot.
Why is "separate" so often misspelled?
The middle vowel is unstressed and sounds like "uh," so people guess "e." Remember that there is "a rat" in sep-a-rate.
Is it "alot" or "a lot"?
"A lot" is always two words. "Alot" is not standard English. "Allot" is a different word that means to give out or assign.
How do I remember how to spell "accommodate"?
The word is big enough to accommodate two c's and two m's. Break it into ac-com-mo-date if you need to.
Does "i before e except after c" always work?
No. It works for words like believe and receive, but there are many exceptions, including weird, seize, height, science and their. Learn the exceptions as a separate list.
What is the best way to improve your spelling?
Use memory tricks, break long words into parts, practice with look-say-cover-write-check, keep a list of the words you miss, and read often. Small, regular practice works better than long cramming sessions.