100 Commonly Misspelled Words Explained

Why Good Spellers Still Miss These Words

Most misspellings are not random. A word like "separate" is misspelled as "seperate" far more often than as anything else, because the middle vowel is barely pronounced and the ear offers no help. "Receive" becomes "recieve" because a half-remembered rule is applied in the wrong place. "Government" loses its n because nobody says that n out loud. Each mistake comes from one of a small number of traps, and once you can name the trap, the correct spelling stops being a guess.

That is why the 100 words below are grouped by trap rather than listed A to Z. Each entry shows the correct spelling, the look-alike misspellings it tends to attract, and a short reason the correct version is spelled the way it is — a root word, a rule, or a memory hook you can carry into a test or onto a spelling bee stage.

Where These Words and Misspellings Come From

Every word on this page is a live entry in the SpellingKids Grade 4–10 word bank, and the grade shown is the earliest grade where the word appears. The misspellings are the same wrong answers used in our Word Trivia game, where players pick the correct spelling from four look-alike options. We kept only the misspellings a real speller might plausibly write, and checked each one against a 259,000-word dictionary so that an accepted alternative spelling — British "judgement," for example — is never labelled as a mistake.

Double Letters: One or Two?

Double consonants are the single most common source of misspellings, because a doubled letter sounds exactly like a single one. The fix is almost always in the word's parts: a prefix that ends in the same letter the root begins with (il- + legible), a Latin prefix that changed to match the next letter (ad- becoming ag- or ap-), or the doubling rule for suffixes, which applies before -ing and -ed but not before -ment.

Correct Spelling	Look-Alike Misspellings	Why It’s Tricky	Grade
Accommodation	Accomodation · Acommodation	Two c’s and two m’s — the word is big enough to accommodate both pairs.	Grade 9
Address	Adress	Double d and double s — two pairs in one short word.	Grade 8
Aggressive	Agressive	ad- became ag- before “gress” (to step), so the g doubles.	Grade 6
Appropriate	Apropriate	ad- became ap- before “propriate,” giving the double p.	Grade 8
Beginning	Begining · Beggining	The stress falls on “-gin,” so the n doubles before -ing; the g never does.	Grade 10
Business	Bussiness · Busness	busy + ness: the y turns to i — one s before it, two at the end.	Grade 10
Commitment	Comitment · Committment	Double m, but commit + ment keeps a single t — doubling only happens before vowel suffixes (committed).	Grade 10
Embarrass	Embarass · Emberrass	Two r’s and two s’s; the vowel after “emb-” is an a.	Grade 9
Equipment	Equippment · Equiptment · Eqipment	equip + ment: no doubled p before a consonant suffix, no extra t, and q always takes its u.	Grade 10
Illegible	Ilegible	il- (not) + legible: the prefix l and the root l both stay.	Grade 7
Intelligence	Inteligence · Intelligance	From Latin inter + legere, so the l doubles; the ending is -ence.	Grade 9
Succeed	Suceed · Succead	Double c, double e — one of only three common -ceed words, with exceed and proceed.	Grade 10
Tomorrow	Tomerrow	One m, two r’s, and an o in every vowel slot.	Grade 8
Unanimous	Unnanimous · Unanamous	Not un- + something: it comes from Latin unus (one) + animus (mind), so there is only one n.	Grade 10
Unnecessary	Unnecessery	un- + necessary keeps both n’s, then one c, two s’s, and an -ary ending.	Grade 8
Withhold	Withold	with + hold: both h’s stay, even though you only hear one.	Grade 8

ie or ei? Where the Famous Rule Bends

"I before e, except after c" is right more often than it is wrong, but it has two big exceptions worth knowing by name. When "ci" makes a "sh" sound, as in efficient and conscience, ie can follow c. When the vowel pair says "ay" (neighbor) or "eye" (height), ei is common even with no c in sight. The words below cover the rule, both exceptions, and a few words that simply have to be learned.

Correct Spelling	Look-Alike Misspellings	Why It’s Tricky	Grade
Achieve	Acheive · Acheave	Textbook “i before e” — there is no c right before the vowels.	Grade 8
Conscience	Consceince · Consceance	An ie after c — the rule bends because “sci” makes a “sh” sound here.	Grade 7
Deceive	Decieve · Decive	The rule’s own exception: e before i right after c.	Grade 9
Efficient	Efficeint · Efficeant	ie after c again, because “ci” says “sh” (ef-FISH-ent).	Grade 5
Fierce	Feirce · Fearce	Plain “i before e,” no c in sight.	Grade 7
Fiery	Feiry · Feary	Built from “fire”: the e shifts after the r (fire → fiery).	Grade 6
Foreign	Foriegn	A rule-breaker: ei with no c, plus a silent g.	Grade 7
Friend	Freind · Freand	ie, as in “a friend to the end” — fri-END.	Grade 8
Handkerchief	Handkercheif · Hankerchief	It ends in “chief,” and the silent d from “hand” stays in.	Grade 10
Height	Hieght	ei that says “eye” — compare “weight,” but with the long-i sound.	Grade 7
Hierarchy	Heirarchy · Heararchy	From Greek hieros (sacred): hi-er are two separate syllables, not one vowel team.	Grade 7
Hygiene	Hygeine · Higiene	Named for Hygieia, the Greek goddess of health — y first, then ie.	Grade 9
Neighbor	Nieghbor · Neighber	ei that sounds like “ay,” as in weigh; the ending is -or (British English uses neighbour).	Grade 8
Niece	Neice · Neace	Ordinary “i before e”; it matches “piece.”	Grade 6
Perceive	Percieve	Same family as deceive and receive: ei straight after c.	Grade 8
Sufficient	Sufficeint · Sufficeant	Like efficient — ie after c because “ci” says “sh.”	Grade 8
Yield	Yeild · Yeald	A regular ie word with no c in front.	Grade 6

Unstressed Vowels: The Hidden Guess

In most longer English words, one or more vowels shrink to a quick "uh" sound when spoken. Separate, grammar, and laboratory all contain one, and the ear cannot tell you whether that "uh" is an a, an e, or an o. The most reliable fix is to find a related word where the vowel is stressed and clearly heard — grammatical, categorical, labor — or a root word sitting inside the longer one, like temper in temperature.

Correct Spelling	Look-Alike Misspellings	Why It’s Tricky	Grade
Separate	Seperate · Seporate	The middle vowel is a lazy “uh” in speech; remember “there’s a rat in separate.”	Grade 8
Definitely	Definately · Definitly	Built on “finite” — keep the i, and keep the e before -ly.	Grade 10
Grammar	Grammer · Grammor	Ends in -ar; “grammatical” keeps the a audible.	Grade 7
Desperate	Desparate · Desporate	From Latin desperare: -per- in the middle, -ate at the end.	Grade 7
Category	Categery · Categary	Say “categorical” and the hidden o becomes clear.	Grade 7
Familiar	Familier · Familior	family + -iar: it ends exactly like “liar.”	Grade 7
Peculiar	Peculier	Same -iar ending as familiar.	Grade 8
Necessary	Necessery · Necessory	One collar, two sleeves: one c, two s’s — then -ary.	Grade 7
Imaginary	Imaginery	imagine + -ary: the e of “imagine” drops, and the ending is -ary, not -ery.	Grade 6
Temperature	Temparature · Temporature	It starts with “temper,” which keeps the e.	Grade 8
Opportunity	Oppertunity · Oppartunity	There’s a “port” in the middle — a harbor full of chances.	Grade 8
Laboratory	Labaratory · Laberatory	“Labor” is hiding at the front: labor + atory.	Grade 8
Difference	Diffarence · Difforence	differ + ence: the root keeps its -er.	Grade 8
Reference	Refarence · Reforence	refer + ence, just like difference.	Grade 7
Exaggerate	Exaggarate · Exaggorate	From Latin agger (a heap): double g, and an e after it.	Grade 7
Parallel	Perallel	An a first, then two l’s in the middle and one at the end — the double l looks like parallel lines.	Grade 7
Salary	Salery · Salory	From Latin salarium (salt money) — -ary, not -ery.	Grade 8
Sponsor	Sponser · Sponsar	A Latin “doer” word, so it ends in -or.	Grade 7
Bachelor	Bacheler · Bachelar	Ends in -or, and there is no t before the ch.	Grade 8
Boundary	Boundery · Boundory	bound + -ary; the a is easy to swallow when spoken.	Grade 8
Extraordinary	Extrordinary · Extraordanary · Extraordinery	Simply extra + ordinary — keep both words whole.	Grade 10
Caterpillar	Caterpiller · Catarpillar	cater + pillar: it ends in a pillar.	Grade 8
Itinerary	Itinarary · Itinerery	From Latin iter (journey): itiner + -ary.	Grade 8
Leopard	Leoperd · Leopord	leo (lion) + pard (panther); the o is silent, and the ending is -ard.	Grade 8
Sergeant	Sergient · Sergeent	Said “SAR-jent,” but spelled with er up front and an ea hiding in -geant.	Grade 7
Permanent	Parmanent · Pormanent	per- (through) + Latin manere (to remain), with -ent at the end.	Grade 8
Cylinder	Cylindar · Cylindor	From Greek kylindros: a y up front and -er at the end.	Grade 8
Controversy	Controvarsy · Controvorsy	contra + vers (turn), as in “versus.”	Grade 8
Exhilarate	Exhilerate · Exhilorate	Silent h, and it shares its a with “hilarious.”	Grade 8
Bizarre	Bizerre · Bizorre	One z, two r’s, and an a before them.	Grade 8

Tricky Endings: -ance or -ence, -able or -ible, and -ous

Word endings cause trouble because the competing suffixes sound identical. A few patterns help: adjectives ending in -ant usually pair with nouns ending in -ance (ignorant, ignorance), -able is far more common than -ible (so the -ible words, like irresistible, are the ones to memorize), and a soft g before -ous keeps its e (courageous, gorgeous). Where no pattern applies, these endings have to be learned word by word.

Correct Spelling	Look-Alike Misspellings	Why It’s Tricky	Grade
Ignorance	Ignorence · Ignoranse	ignorant → ignorance: -ant adjectives usually take -ance.	Grade 9
Perseverance	Perseverence · Persevirance	persevere + -ance: no extra r, and -ance, not -ence.	Grade 9
Acquaintance	Acquaintence · Aquaintance	acquaint + -ance, and the silent c before qu stays.	Grade 10
Irresistible	Irresistable · Iresistible	ir- + resist + -ible: double r, and -ible, not -able.	Grade 9
Indispensable	Indispensible	in- + dispensable — this one takes -able.	Grade 9
Courageous	Couragous · Couragious	courage keeps its e so the g stays soft: courage + -ous.	Grade 10
Gorgeous	Gorgous · Gorgeus	The e keeps the g soft, and the ending is the full -ous.	Grade 10
Gracious	Gracius · Graceous	grace drops its e, and the “ci” makes a “sh” sound: -cious.	Grade 10
Conscious	Concious · Consious	con + sci + ous: the sc pair has to stay together.	Grade 9
Conscientious	Consciencious · Conscientius	conscience → conscientious: the c turns into a t, and -ous needs its o.	Grade 9
Anonymous	Anonimous · Anonymus	an- (without) + onym (name), as in synonym — y, not i.	Grade 9
Disastrous	Disastrious · Desastrous	disaster drops its e: disastr + ous, with no extra i.	Grade 9
Courteous	Curteous · Courtious	court + -eous, from the same root as courtesy.	Grade 9
Tremendous	Tremendious · Tremendus	-endous with no i — compare stupendous.	Grade 9
Humorous	Humerous	humor + -ous; spelled humorous in both American and British English.	Grade 9
Zealous	Zelous · Zealus	“Zeal” stays whole, then -ous.	Grade 9

Silent, Swallowed and Borrowed Letters

Some letters are written but never spoken: the p in psychology, the n in condemn, the u in guarantee. Others disappear in quick speech, like the middle e in mathematics or the n in government. And words borrowed from Greek, Latin, or French often keep spellings that follow their original language rather than English sound patterns. For all three groups, learning where the word came from is the fastest way to remember the letters you cannot hear.

Correct Spelling	Look-Alike Misspellings	Why It’s Tricky	Grade
Government	Goverment · Govermment	govern + -ment: the n is easy to drop in quick speech.	Grade 10
Mathematics	Mathmatics · Mathimatics	The middle e syllable gets swallowed when spoken: math-e-matics.	Grade 9
Argument	Arguement	argue drops its e before -ment, an exception to the usual rule.	Grade 9
Judgment	Jugment · Judgmant	Keep the d of “judge.” American English drops the e; British “judgement” is also correct.	Grade 9
Knowledgeable	Nowledgeable · Knowlegeable	Silent k up front, and knowledge keeps both its d and its e before -able.	Grade 9
Pronunciation	Pronounciation · Pronunceation	pronounce loses its o in the noun: pro-NUN-ciation.	Grade 9
Condemn	Condem · Condeman	Silent n at the end — you can hear it in “condemnation.”	Grade 9
Lieutenant	Leiutenant · Leautenant	French lieu (place) + tenant (holding): ie, then u.	Grade 8
Psychology	Sychology · Psycology	Silent p from Greek psyche, plus the ch of “-chology.”	Grade 9
Entrepreneur	Entreprenur · Entreprenneur	A French word: entre + pren + the -eur ending, with a single n.	Grade 9
Playwright	Playright · Plaiwright	A “wright” is a maker, as in shipwright — not someone who writes.	Grade 8
Guarantee	Guerantee · Guarantea	A silent u after the g, and a double-e ending.	Grade 7
Onomatopoeia	Onomatopeia · Onamatopoeia	Greek onoma (name) + poiein (to make): the “poeia” keeps its o, e, i, a.	Grade 9
Idiosyncrasy	Idiosyncracy · Idiosincrasy	Ends in -crasy (Greek krasis, a mixture), not -cracy as in democracy.	Grade 9
Medieval	Medeival · Medeaval	Latin medium (middle) + aevum (age): medi + eval.	Grade 8
Surreptitious	Surreptitous · Surruptitious	sur- + rept (snatched) + -itious: double r, and an i before -ous.	Grade 10
Tragedy	Tradgedy · Tragidy	No d before the g, unlike “edge” or “fridge.”	Grade 9
Fluorescent	Fluerescent · Fluarescent	Named for the mineral fluorite: u before o, then the sc of -escent.	Grade 7
Colleague	Colleegue · Colliegue	col- + “league” — the whole word league sits inside.	Grade 8
Mortgage	Mertgage · Martgage	mort- as in mortal, and a silent t before -gage.	Grade 7
Vegetable	Vejetable · Veggetable	veg-e-table: a soft g (not j), one g, and “table” at the end.	Grade 8

Quick Quiz: Spot the Correct Spelling

Cover the tables above and pick the correct spelling in each set. The answers are in the next section.

1. (a) Seperate (b) Separate (c) Seporate

2. (a) Decieve (b) Decive (c) Deceive

3. (a) Accommodation (b) Accomodation (c) Acommodation

4. (a) Definitely (b) Definately (c) Definitly

5. (a) Irresistable (b) Iresistible (c) Irresistible

6. (a) Goverment (b) Government (c) Govermment

7. (a) Concious (b) Conscious (c) Consious

8. (a) Embarass (b) Emberrass (c) Embarrass

9. (a) Pronunciation (b) Pronounciation (c) Pronunceation

10. (a) Handkercheif (b) Hankerchief (c) Handkerchief

Want more rounds like this? Word Trivia gives you four look-alike spellings and one right answer, with new words every game.

Play Word Trivia →

Quiz Answers

1 (b) Separate · 2 (c) Deceive · 3 (a) Accommodation · 4 (a) Definitely · 5 (c) Irresistible · 6 (b) Government · 7 (b) Conscious · 8 (c) Embarrass · 9 (a) Pronunciation · 10 (c) Handkerchief

If a question caught you out, go back to that word's section and read the reason next to it rather than just the spelling. Knowing why deceive takes ei, or why government keeps its n, is what makes the correct version stick the next time.

Turning This List Into Practice

Reading a list of correct spellings helps less than testing yourself on them. Work through one trap group at a time: cover the first column, read the look-alikes and the reason, and write the correct spelling from memory before checking. A group of 15 to 20 words is a comfortable single sitting, and coming back to the same group a few days later does more for long-term memory than one long session.

Recognising the right spelling among look-alikes is a different skill from writing a word from scratch, and both matter. Word Trivia on SpellingKids.com trains recognition with the same kind of four-option question used in the quiz above, and typed Spelling Practice trains recall by having you spell each word after hearing it. For practice away from a computer, the Spelling Bee Trivia apps for Grades 4–8 bring the same multiple-choice format to Android.