162 commonly misspelled words and how to remember them

Spelling errors happen to the best of us. Whether it’s a tricky double letter or a word that just doesn’t look right, some words are notoriously hard to spell. This guide covers 162 of the most commonly misspelled words, along with memory tricks to help you spell them correctly every time.

Why do we misspell words?

English is full of spelling inconsistencies. Silent letters, borrowed words, and confusing phonetics make some words harder to remember. Common reasons for misspelling include:

• Homophones: Words that sound the same but have different spellings (e.g., "there," "their," and "they’re").

• Double consonants: Words like "accommodate" and "misspell" trip people up with repeated letters.

• Foreign origins: Many English words come from Latin, French, or Greek, leading to irregular spelling rules.

The ultimate list of 160 commonly misspelled words

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Here’s an extensive list of words that frequently get misspelled, grouped by common error types.

Words with double letters

1. Accommodate

2. Appearance

3. Appreciate

4. Committee

5. Embarrass

6. Harass

7. Mississippi

8. Occurrence

9. Possession

10. Success

11. Address

12. Aggressive

13. Assassinate

14. Belligerent

15. Collectible

16. Dilemma

17. Exaggerate

18. Flabbergasted

19. Gallop

20. Immediate

21. Innocuous

22. Necessary

23. Recommend

24. Vacuum

Tricky silent letters

1. Aisle

2. Baguette

3. Doubt

4. Gnome

5. Conscientious

6. Mortgage

7. Pneumonia

8. Receipt

9. Subtle

10. Wrinkle

11. Castle

12. Handkerchief

13. Island

14. Knapsack

15. Ballet

16. Bourgeois

17. Christmas

18. Epitome

19. Harbinger

20. Jettison

21. Knickknack

22. Psalm

23. Raspberry

24. Pharaoh

25. Resuscitate

26. Schedule

Confusing homophones

1. Accept vs. Except

2. Affect vs. Effect

3. Compliment vs. Complement

4. Lose vs. Loose

5. Principal vs. Principle

6. Stationary vs. Stationery

7. Their vs. There vs. They’re

8. Your vs. You’re

9. Who’s vs. Whose

10. Advise vs. Advice

11. Aloud vs. Allowed

12. Assent vs. Ascent

13. Breathe vs. Breath

14. Capital vs. Capitol

15. Cite vs. Site vs. Sight

16. Desert vs. Dessert

17. Elicit vs. Illicit

18. Emigrate vs. Immigrate

19. Farther vs. Further

20. Peek vs. Peak vs. Pique

21. Precede vs. Proceed

22. Weather vs. Whether

Commonly misspelled everyday words

1. Argument

2. Calendar

3. Definitely

4. February

5. Independence

6. Jewelry

7. License

8. Mischievous

9. Restaurant

10. Separate

11. Knowledge

12. Opportunity

13. Guarantee

14. Occasion

15. Discipline

16. Surveillance

17. Privilege

18. Conscience

19. Colonel

20. Jeopardy

21. Maintenance

Words ending in “-able” vs. “-ible”

1. Accessible

2. Adorable

3. Compatible

4. Credible

5. Edible

6. Forgivable

7. Horrible

8. Irresistible

9. Predictable

10. Visible

Commonly confused vowel combinations

1. Aerial

2. Beige

3. Leisure

4. Seize

5. Ceiling

6. Foreign

7. Feisty

8. Neighbor

9. Weird

10. Protein

11. Height

12. Veil

13. Reign

14. Ancient

15. Bureau

16. Choir

17. Deceive

18. Fiery

19. Opaque

20. Sovereign

Commonly confused consonant clusters

1. Aghast

2. Bough

3. Chassis

4. Drought

5. Fuchsia

6. Gnarled

7. Larynx

8. Mnemonic

9. Numb

10. Phlegm

11. Quizzical

12. Rhythm

13. Scheme

14. Tsunami

15. Unscathed

16. Whistle

17. Yachtsman

18. Zephyr

Challenging words

1. Acknowledgment

2. Bureaucracy

3. Camouflage

4. Connoisseur

5. Deceitful

6. Diphthong

7. Fluorescent

8. Hierarchy

9. Insurmountable

10. Juxtaposition

11. Kaleidoscope

12. Labyrinth

13. Millennium

14. Nauseous

15. Onomatopoeia

16. Paraphernalia

17. Quarantine

18. Rendezvous

19. Silhouette

20. Unintelligible

21. Chrysanthemum

How to remember tricky words

Here are some tried-and-true strategies to help you spell difficult words correctly:

• Break it down: Separate words into smaller parts (e.g., "necessary" → "neces-sary").

• Use mnemonics: Create fun phrases (e.g., "Never Eat Cake, Eat Salmon Sandwiches And Remain Young" for "necessary").

• Write it out: Repetition reinforces correct spelling.

• Say it aloud: Pronouncing all syllables helps solidify spelling.

• Use apps and tools: Spell check, online quizzes, and flashcards can reinforce learning.

Improving your spelling takes practice, but with this list and these memory tricks, you’ll be well on your way to writing with confidence. Keep practicing, and don’t be afraid to look up words when in doubt!

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This blog post is provided "as is" and should not be relied upon as a substitute for professional advice. Some content in this post may have been created using artificial intelligence; however, every blog post is reviewed by at least two human editors.