Commonly misspelt words

Some words trip up even confident writers because they aren't spelt the way they sound: ⟦definitely⟧, ⟦separate⟧, ⟦necessary⟧, ⟦embarrass⟧. The trick is to notice exactly where the difficulty is (a double letter, a silent letter, a hidden vowel) and to have a way of remembering it.

Key facts

  • Double letters: ⟦accommodate⟧ (⟦cc⟧ and ⟦mm⟧), ⟦embarrass⟧ (⟦rr⟧ and ⟦ss⟧), ⟦address⟧, ⟦tomorrow⟧ (one ⟦m⟧, double ⟦r⟧), ⟦necessary⟧ (one ⟦c⟧, double ⟦s⟧).
  • Silent letters: ⟦knowledge⟧, ⟦column⟧, ⟦rhythm⟧, ⟦guarantee⟧, ⟦neighbour⟧.
  • Hidden vowels you don't hear clearly: say the word as it is spelt: ⟦Feb-ru-ar-y⟧, ⟦Wed-nes-day⟧, ⟦lib-rar-y⟧, ⟦gov-ern-ment⟧, ⟦en-vi-ron-ment⟧.
  • ⟦i⟧ before ⟦e⟧ (⟦believe⟧, ⟦achieve⟧), but ⟦ei⟧ after ⟦c⟧ (⟦receive⟧, ⟦ceiling⟧), and some words just break the rule: ⟦weird⟧, ⟦height⟧, ⟦foreign⟧, ⟦leisure⟧.
  • Find a smaller word inside: there is ⟦a rat⟧ in ⟦separate⟧, ⟦finite⟧ in ⟦definitely⟧, ⟦end⟧ in ⟦friend⟧, ⟦bus⟧ in ⟦business⟧.
  • Prefixes and suffixes keep every letter: ⟦dis + appear = disappear⟧, ⟦un + necessary = unnecessary⟧, ⟦sincere + ly = sincerely⟧. American English spells some words differently (⟦neighbor⟧); both are accepted here.

Worked examples

Example 1

Which is correct: ⟦seperate⟧ or ⟦separate⟧?

  1. Remember: there is ⟦a rat⟧ in ⟦separate⟧.
  2. So the middle is ⟦-par-⟧, not ⟦-per-⟧: ⟦separate⟧.

Answer: ⟦separate⟧

Example 2

Spell the word: ⟦accommodate⟧ or ⟦accomodate⟧?

  1. ⟦accommodate⟧ is long enough to take two doubles.
  2. It has a double ⟦c⟧ and a double ⟦m⟧: ⟦ac-com-mo-date⟧.

Answer: ⟦accommodate⟧

Example 3

Correct the spelling: ⟦I recieved your letter.⟧

  1. The letters come straight after ⟦c⟧.
  2. After ⟦c⟧ we write ⟦ei⟧: ⟦received⟧.

Answer: ⟦I received your letter.⟧

Example 4

Why is ⟦disappear⟧ spelt with one ⟦s⟧ and two ⟦p⟧s?

  1. The prefix is ⟦dis⟧ (one ⟦s⟧).
  2. The root word is ⟦appear⟧ (two ⟦p⟧s).
  3. Keep every letter of both parts: ⟦disappear⟧.

Answer: ⟦dis⟧ + ⟦appear⟧