15 Commonly Misspelled Words That Prove English is a Tricky Language
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English is akin to a linguistic maze, with its rules, exceptions to those rules, and exceptions to the exceptions! It’s no wonder that both native speakers and English learners often find themselves tripping over the spelling of seemingly simple words. English’s beauty—and sometimes the frustration—lies in its rich history, absorbing elements from different languages and making for a colorful conquer of spellings that can challenge the best of us.
Here’s a roundup of 15 commonly misspelled words, accompanied by handy tricks to remember the correct spelling.
Accommodate
‘Accommodate’ can be pretty unaccommodating when remembering its correct spelling. But here’s the trick: This word is big enough to accommodate both a double ‘c’ and a double ‘m’. Think of it as needing to have room for all those letters.
Extra space is needed when accommodating someone—or, in this scenario, extra letters.
Definitely
“Definitely” is a word that causes eyebrows to wrinkle in concentration. Hold onto the fact that it has the word “finite” tucked inside, symbolizing a definite limit or end, and you’re one step closer to spelling it right.
Embarrass
Feeling embarrassed about spelling embarrass incorrectly? You’re not alone. Here’s how to never blush with spelling shame again: there’s enough embarrassment for two pairs of ‘r’s and ‘s’s. Just think of those letters doubling up to mirror your cheeks’ redness in an embarrassing situation.
Questionnaire
‘Questionnaire’ is tricky, but it’s all about breaking it into manageable parts. The first syllable, “quest,” is easy enough—like going on a quest to find the correct answer. Then comes “ion,” which sounds like “eye on.”
Finally, there’s “air,” which can be remembered as something fancy or grand (like a millionaire). Put it all together, and you have successfully spelled the questionnaire.
Millennium
The word millennium often feels like a thousand years to spell correctly. Here’s a quick guide to traverse the time correctly—there are two ‘l’s and two ‘n’s in this timeframe. Remember, it takes two millennia to make up the millennial generation.
Occurrence
An occurrence occurs so frequently that one would think it’d be easier to spell. Yet those pesky double letters trip us up again. Recall that an occurrence is ‘e’ before the ‘n.’ And double up the ‘c’ and ‘r’ for a fuller event!
Receive
When you receive something, it’s important to remember the “i” before the “e” rule. But this case has an exception after “c.” So, to receive any other word with these letters, think of the phrase “I before E, except after C.”
However, it’s better to focus on saying thank you rather than spelling correctly if you’re receiving many gifts.
Recommend
“Recommend” is one of those words that can trip you up because it’s easy to forget the double ‘m’ in the middle.
A helpful tip is to think of it as “commending,” which also has two ‘m’s.’ So, when recommending something, commend it with a double’ m.’
Harass
Often misspelled as “harass” or “harass,” the word “harass” only needs one ‘r’ and two ‘s’s. Think of it as less is more, as harassment requires just one ‘r’ to be correct. You’ll save yourself a lot of trouble by getting this right.
Conscientious
A true beast of a word, “conscientious,” is frequently misspelled as “conscientious” or “conscientous.” It combines “conscience” and “us” in a way that can confuse even the best spellers.
A handy trick is to break it down into “con-science-tious,” which helps to remember its tricky construction.
Entrepreneur
Often misspelled as “entrepreneur” or “entrepreneur,” “entrepreneur” demands a bit more attention. This word originates from French, which explains its tricky spelling.
Break it into “entre” and “preneur” to remember its correct form. Master this, and you’ll prove you have what it takes to be an entrepreneur in any field!
Liaison
Liaison brings together two ‘i’s as it links or connects ideas. Keep both ‘i’s on this French-originated word; you’ll make the proper connection every time.
Miscellaneous
Miscellaneous is as assorted in its spelling as its meaning. To spell it right, Remember that it starts with “misc,” like “mischief,” which is always miscellaneous trouble. Also, it contains a ‘cell’ in the middle, where many miscellaneous items end up.
Noticeable
What’s noticeable about ‘noticeable’? It retains the complete form of ‘notice’ before adding ‘able.’ When you notice things, they become more able to be noticed.
Thoroughly
Thorough can be thorough trouble if we’re not careful. It looks similar to ‘through,’ but don’t rush through it. Think of ‘thorough’ as having an ‘ough’ to plow through to demonstrate it being complete and detailed.
English may be tricky, peppered with landmines of silent letters and inexplicable rules. However, it can be mastered with practice and a few mnemonic tricks like any challenge.
Separate
The “a” in the middle is often mistakenly replaced with an “e,” resulting in “separate.” After tackling these, give yourself a pat on the back—your English spelling is on its way to impeccable!
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