100 MOST OFTEN MISPELLED MISSPELLED WORDS IN ENGLISH

Dr. Language has provided a one-stop cure for all your spelling ills. Here are the 100 words most often misspelled ("misspell" is one of them). Each word has a mnemonic pill with it and, if you swallow it, it will help you to remember how to spell the word. Master the orthography of the words on this page and reduce the time you spend searching dictionaries by 50%.

A
acceptable	Several words made the list because of the suffix pronounced -阞l but sometimes spelled -ible, sometimes -able. Just remember to accept any table offered to you and you will spell this word OK.
accidentally	It is no accident that the test for adverbs on -ly is whether they come from an adjective on -al ("accidental" in this case). If so, the -al has to be in the spelling. No publical, then publicly.
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 (the equivalent of English -er).
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 that this word comprises the prefix a- "not" + the "god" (also in the-ology) + -ist "one who believes."
B
believe	You must believe that [i] usually comes before [e] except after [c] or when it is pronounced like "a" as "neighbor" and "weigh" or "e" as in "their" and "heir." Also take a look at "foreign" below. (The "i-before-e" rule has more exceptions than words it applies to.)
bellwether	Often misspelled "bellweather." A wether is a gelded ram, chosen to lead the herd (thus his bell) due to the greater likelihood that he will remain at all times ahead of the ewes.
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梟ary an -ary in it. You already know it starts on [c], of course.
changeable	The verb "change" keeps its [e] here to indicate that the [g] is soft, not hard. (That is also why "judgement" is the correct spelling of this word, no matter what anyone says.)
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	Don"t let misspelling this word weigh on your conscience: [ch] spelled "sc" is unusual but legitimate.
conscientious	Work on your spelling conscientiously and remember this word with [ch] spelled two different ways: "sc" and "ti".
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 of congratulations.
consensus	The census does not require a consensus, since they are not related.
D
daiquiri	Don"t make yourself another daiquiri until you learn how to spell this 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" 22,932 times on the web right now.
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. This word is a menage a quatre of one [i] with three [e]s.
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.
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	The immediate thing to remember is that this word has a prefix, in- "not" which becomes [m] before [m] (or [b] or [p]). "Not mediate" means direct which is why "immediately" means "directly."
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	This one sounds like a shot in the eye. One [n] the eye is enough.
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
jewelry	Sure, sure, it is made by a jeweler but the last [e] in this case flees the scene like a jewel thief. However, if you prefer British spelling, remember to double the [l]: "jeweller," "jewellery."
judgement	"Judgement" is governed by one of the rare rules of English orthography, so why not enjoy it? After [c] and [g], [e] is retained to indicate the letter is "soft," i.e. pronounced like [s] or [j], respectively. Omitting it indicates it is "hard," i.e. pronounced [k] or [g], as in "fragment," "pigment". If we write "management," "arrangement," we should write "judgement," "acknowledgement," "abridgement." The presence of the [d] is of no significance to English orthography.
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 patch 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." English orthography at its most spiteful.
maneuver	Man, the price you pay for borrowing from French is high. This one goes back to French main + oeuvre "hand-work," a spelling better retained in the British spelling, "manoeuvre."
medieval	The medieval orthography of English even lays traps for you: everything about the MIDdle Ages is MEDieval or, as the British would write, mediaeval.
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
neighbor	No wonder many speaking Black English say "hood" for "neighborhood"梚t avoids the i-before-e rule and the silent "gh". If you use British spelling, it will cost you another [u]: "neighbour."
noticeable	The [e] is noticeably retained in this word to indicate the [c] is "soft," pronounced like [s]. Without the [e], it would be pronounced "hard," like [k], as in "applicable."
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 double consonants in this word, but that the suffix is -ence, not -ance. No reason, just the English language keeping us on our toes.
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. The second [s] was slipped through the cracks in English orthography long ago.
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	Funny Story (passed along by Bill Rudersdorf): The assistant Vice-President of Personnel notices that his superior, the VP himself, upon arriving at his desk in the morning opens a small, locked box, smiles, and locks it back again. Some years later when he advanced to that position (inheriting the key), he came to work early one morning to be assured of privacy. Expectantly, he opened the box. In it was a single piece of paper which said: "Two Ns, one L."
playwright	Those who play right are right-players, not playwrights. Well, since they write plays, they should be "play-writes," wright right? Rong Wrong. Remember that a play writer in Old English was called a "play worker" and "wright" is from an old form of "work" (wrought iron, etc.)
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."
principal/principle	The spelling principle to remember here is that the school principal is a prince and a pal (despite appearances)--and the same applies to anything of foremost importance, such as a principal principle. A "principle" is a rule. (Thank you, Meghan Cope, for help on this one.)
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	Final consonants are often doubled before suffixes (remit: remitted, remitting). However, this rule applies only to accented syllables ending on [l] and [r], e.g. "rebelled," "referred" but "traveled," "buffered" and not containing a diphthong, e.g. "prevailed," "coiled."
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	Actually, "rime" was the correct spelling until 1650. After that, egg-heads began spelling it like "rhythm." Why? No rhyme nor reason other than to make it look like "rhythm."
rhythm	This one was borrowed from Greek (and conveniently never returned) so it is spelled the way we spell words borrowed from Greek and conveniently never returned.
S
schedule	If perfecting your spelling is on your schedule, remember the [sk] is spelled as in "school." (If you use British or Canadian pronunciation, why do you pronounce this word [shedyul] but "school," [skul]? That has always puzzled me.)
separate	How do you separate the [e]s from the [a]s in this word? Simple: the [e]s surround the [a]s.
sergeant	The [a] needed in both syllables of this word has been pushed to the back of the line. 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	I will never stop harping on this until this word is spelled with an extra [l] for the last time!
V
vacuum	If your head is not a vacuum, remember that the silent [e] on this one married the [u] and joined him inside the word where they are living happily ever since. Well, the evidence is suggestive but not conclusive. Anyway, 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]!)