What really threw me was discovering that even editors and writers struggle with certain words. Ready to feel better about your spelling? Here are the most commonly misspelt words that trip up almost everyone, including the experts.
Double letters: The eternal struggle
That nagging doubt about whether a word needs two 'c's or one plagues even seasoned writers. Take "necessary", a word that sends many running to spell check. The trick? Remember one Collar, two Socks: one 'c', two 's's.
"Accommodate" brings similar headaches. Both 'c' and 'm' need doubling up. And don't forget "occurrence" with its two 'c's, two 'r's, but only one 'n'.
Silent letters
Did you know the English picked up many words from French, and those silent letters came along for the ride? "Receipt" keeps its 'p' from the Latin "receptus," though nobody pronounces it anymore. "Wednesday" holds onto its first 'd' like a stubborn toddler, while "February" clutches that first 'r' that most speakers skip right over.
The most troublesome offenders:
- Pneumonia (that sneaky 'p')
- Psychology (another silent 'p')
- Queue (four silent letters for one sound)
- Knife (the 'k' that refused to leave)
- Gnome (the 'g' that time forgot)
Words that break the rules
Some words seem designed to make writers look foolish. "Weird" breaks the 'i before e' rule that school teachers drilled into students' heads. "Height" lost its 'e' somewhere along the way, unlike its cousin "weight." And "their" leads a triple life alongside "they're" and "there," causing confusion everywhere.
The ie/ei battlefield
This particular spelling war has claimed many victims. The old rule "i before e except after c" sounds simple enough, until you meet the exceptions. And there are many exceptions.
Take "receive" and "receipt”, which follow the rule nicely with 'ei' after 'c'. But then "seize" and "weird" crash the party with their 'ei' spellings despite no 'c' in sight. "Science" throws another wrench in the works by using 'ie' after 'c', breaking the rule entirely.
Here's a quick survival guide to some frequent offenders:
- Receive/deceive/conceive (ei), the rule works here
- Believe/achieve/relieve (ie), no 'c', so 'i' comes first
- Ceiling/receipt/deceive (ei), following the rule after 'c'
- Achievement/field/shield (ie), these just have to be memorised
- Seize/weird/neither (ei), notorious rule-breakers
Some writers avoid the battle entirely by keeping a list of their personal troublemakers. Others rely on the rhythm of typing familiar words correctly rather than actively thinking about the spelling. But everyone needs to check occasionally, as these words have been known to trip up even the most seasoned writers.
The British vs American divide
When it comes to the most commonly misspelt words, British and American English add another layer of complexity and often differ in their spelling preferences. "Colour" becomes "color," "centre" transforms into "center," and "realise" gets a 'z’' makeover as "realize." Writers working across both markets need to keep track of these variations or risk looking unprofessional to half their audience.
Damn those blasted nuances.
Technology's impact
Spell check and autocorrect have changed the spelling game significantly. While these tools catch obvious errors, they've also made people more careless about learning correct spellings. Some words get mangled so often that the wrong versions start looking right. "Definately" shows up so frequently that dictionary websites now specifically warn against this misspelling of "definitely."
However, the likes of ChatGPT have shown their use in a way that was perhaps somewhat unexpected. If you fire something you’ve written into one of the LLMs and tell it your market—UK or US, etc—then it’ll look for any misspellings while making sure you’ve got the right spelling for the right country.
Words that look wrong when spelled right
Some correctly spelled words just look wrong. "Millennium" needs two 'n's and two 'l's. "Conscience" isn't spelled like "conscious," though they share a root. And "rhythm" seems to be missing several vital vowels.
The business world's spelling nemeses
Professional emails reveal certain words that consistently trip up writers in business settings:
"Entrepreneurial" tends to gain or lose letters at random.
"Professional" often loses its second 's'. And "similar" frequently picks up an extra 'i' to become the nonexistent "similiar."
Common suffixes and their quirks
Adding suffixes causes a very special type of chaos. When "argue" becomes "argument," the 'e' disappears. Just like "true" drops its 'e' to become "truly." Meanwhile, "noticeable" maintains its 'e', breaking the usual pattern of dropping it before '-able'.
Speaking of '-able' and '-ible', these suffixes create their own special category of spelling confusion. "Responsible" but "dependable." "Terrible" but "portable." The rules governing which ending to use have more exceptions than consistencies.
The social media effect
Social platforms have spawned their own spelling evolution. "Your" and "you're" confusion runs rampant. "Could of" appears where "could have" should be. And "alot" tries very hard to become a real word, though it remains stubbornly two words: "a lot."
Why spelling still matters
Despite casual communication becoming more accepted, proper spelling retains its importance in professional settings. A single misspelling in a CV or business proposal can sink an otherwise strong candidate or pitch. Dating profiles with spelling errors receive fewer responses. And marketing materials with mistakes can damage brand credibility.
The memory tricks that work
Rather than memorising rules full of exceptions, many writers rely on memory tricks:
- "Separate" has "a rat" in it
- "Principal" ends like "pal", the school principal should be your pal
- "Stationery" with an 'e' refers to letters and envelopes
- "Piece" follows the "i before e" rule, unlike "weigh"
How do you spell … ?
Spelling challenges aren't going away, but understanding which words commonly cause problems helps writers avoid the most frequent pitfalls. Keeping a personal list of troublesome words, double-checking when uncertain and learning from mistakes gradually builds spelling confidence. And remember that even professional writers keep grammar guides and dictionaries close at hand.
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