List of commonly misspelled words
Some words are frequently misspelt because whilst being only (relatively) difficult to spell they are in common usage.
Use this list of most commonly misspelled words to find out which ones you find hard to spell. There are some tips at the end to help you improve.
What’s the most commonly misspelt word in the English language? Reveal answer
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absence abysmal accessible accidentally accommodation acknowledge acquaint acquire |
across address advertisement allege already although amount |
annual apparatus appearance argument arrangement attach awkward |
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basically beautiful because |
beginning believe |
benefited business |
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calendar catarrh choose/chose ceiling cellar college |
commitment committed committee comparative comparison conscience |
conscientious conscious consensus consolidate control criticism |
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daily debt deceit defence definite description desirable |
desperately detached develop development different difference |
diminution disagreeable disappear disappointed discipline dissatisfied |
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eighth efficient embarrassment equipment exaggerate exceed |
excellent excessive excite, exciting excitement exercise |
exhilarating existence expense extraordinary exuberant |
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familiar favourite February |
fortunately fortieth forty |
fulfil fulfilled |
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gauge glamorous government |
grammar grateful grievous |
guarantee guard |
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harass hare-brained height |
heir honorary holiday |
humorous humour |
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idiosyncrasy immediately imminent |
incidentally independence install |
instalment interested irrelevant |
| jewellery (jewelry) | ||
| knowledge | knack | knuckle |
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liaison leisure |
lieutenant | loose/lose |
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maintain maintenance marvellous |
medicine miniature |
miscellaneous mischievous |
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necessarily neighbour |
niece ninth |
noticeable nuisance |
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occasion occasionally occur |
occurred occurrence occurring |
omission omit opportunity |
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paid panicked parallel(ed) parliament particularly pastime playwright possess |
precede preceding prefer(red) prejudice premises preparation privilege procedure |
proceed profession prominent pseudonym publicly pursue pursuing |
| quay | queue | quiet/quite |
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receipt receive recommend |
refer(red) recognize |
relevant repetition |
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schedule scissors seize sentence separate |
siege sieve skilful stationary stationery |
strength succeed supersede suppress surprise |
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temporary tendency |
tragedy truly |
twelfth tie, tied, tying |
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undoubtedly unmistakable |
unnecessary unparalleled |
until |
| vicious | vigorous | vinegar |
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waist waste |
Wednesday weird |
wilful woollen |
How to help yourself
1. Make a list of the spelling mistakes you make most frequently, underlining the letter(s) you get wrong: e.g. sincerely, sentence, receive. In each case learn the correct spelling by heart.
2. When writing a new word, check its spelling, before you write it, so that you write it correctly first time.
