240 Common Spelling Mistakes in English

English spelling can be tricky, even for English speakers! That’s because English is not 100% phonetic and also because there are so many exceptions. Study the 240 most commonly misspelled words below. Then, try the free spelling test at the end to check how well you’re doing.

Jump to a letter: A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

A

absence
acceptable
accessible
accommodation
accomplish
achievement
acquire
address
advertisement
advice – (noun)
advise – (verb)
amateur
apartment
appearance
argument
athletic
attendance

B

basically
beginning
belief – indicating the noun
believe – indicating the verb
beneficial
business

C

calendar
campaign
category
cemetery
challenge
characteristic
cigarette
clothes
column
committee
commitment
completely
condemn
conscience
conscientious
conscious
controversy
convenient
correspondence
criticism

D

deceive
definitely
definition
department
describe
despair
desperate
development
difference
difficult
disappointed
discipline
disease

E

easily
effect
eighth
either
embarrass
encouragement
enemy
entirely
environment
especially
exaggerate
excellent
existence
experience
experiment

F

familiar
February
finally
financial
foreign
foreigner
formerly
forty
fourth

G

general
generally
genius
government
grammar
grateful
guarantee
guidance

H

happily
height
heroes
humorous
hypocrite

I

ideally
imaginary
immediate
incredible
independent
influential
insurance
intelligent
interference
interrupt
introduce
island
its – for possession
it’s – for “it is” or “it has”

J

jealous
jealousy

K

kneel
knowledge

L

later
legitimate
length
library
lightning
likely
loneliness
lose (verb)
loose (adjective)
lovely
luxurious

M

maintain
maintenance
manageable
management
manufacture
marriage
married
millionaire
misspell
mischievous
money
mortgage
muscle
mysterious

N

naturally
necessary
neighbor / neighbour
ninety
noticeable
nowadays

O

obedient
obstacle
occasional
occurred
official
opinion
opportunity
opposition
ordinary
originally

P

particular
peculiar
perceive
performance
permanent
personal
personnel
physical
physician
piece
pleasant
possession
possible
possibility
potatoes
practically
prefer
privilege
professor
professional
pronounce / pronunciation
psychology
psychological

Q

quantity
quality
questionnaire
queue
quizzes

R

realistic
realize
really
receipt
receive
recognize
recommend
religion
religious
remember
representative
restaurant
rhythm
ridiculous
roommate

S

sacrifice
safety
scared
scenery
schedule
secretary
sentence
separate
similar
sincerely
strength
surprise
suspicious
success
successful

T

technical
technique
temperature
temporary
their (possessed by them)
there (not here)
they’re (contraction of “they are”)
themselves – not themself

U

undoubtedly
unforgettable
unique
until

V

valuable
village
violence
violent
vision
volume

W

weather – indicating climate – The weather is nice today.
Wednesday
weird
whether – (indicating if)
which
woman – (singular)
women – (plural)
worthwhile
width
writing

X Y Z

yacht
young