Commonly misspelled words

Also see: Wikipedia:Lists of common misspellings.

The term "commonly misspelled words"^[1] (or rarely, "common misspelled words") refers to the practice of often misspelling some common words, in general writing. A selected list of common words is presented below, under: Documented list of common misspellings. Although the word "common" is subjective depending on the situation, the focus is on general writing, rather than in a specific field. Official spellings also vary by country or region, with some rejecting the American or British variants as incorrect for the region.^[1][2][3]

Within a particular field of study, such as computer graphics, other words might be more common for misspelling, such as "pixel" misspelled as "pixle" (or variants "cesium" and "caesium"). Sometimes words are purposely misspelled, as a form in slang, abbreviations, or in song lyrics, etc.

In general writing, some words are frequently misspelled, such as the incorrect spelling "concensus"^[4] for "consensus" ^[5] found in numerous webpages on the Internet.^[4] Other common misspellings include "equiptment" (for "equipment"),^[4][6] "independant" (for "independent"),^[4][7] "readible" (for readable),^[3][8] or "usible" (for usable/useable).^{[3][4][9][10][11][12]}

Unlimited misspellings

Because many words can be extended with prefixes (such as "un-" or "anti-" or "re-") or suffixes (such as "-ly" or "-ing" or "-ness"), a comprehensive list of words prone to misspelling would contain thousands of variations from combining prefixes or suffixes (or both) added to the root words. To limit the scope to common words, the top 350 words are considered (according to various sources).

Documented list of common misspellings

The following list, of about 350 words, is based on documented lists^[4][10] of the top 100, 200, or 400^[3] most commonly misspelled words,^{[clarification needed]} rather than listing every conceivable misspelled word. Each word is followed by examples of misspellings:

A–B

absence – absense, absance[3][10] acceptable – acceptible [4] accidentally/accidently – accidentaly [4] accommodate – accomodate, acommodate[3][4] achieve – acheive[3] acknowledge – acknowlege, aknowledge[3] acquaintance – acquaintence, aquaintance[3] acquire – aquire, adquire [4] acquit – aquit [4] acreage – acrage, acerage[3] address – adress[3] adultery – adultary[3] advisable – adviseable, advizable[3] affect – effect[3] aggression – agression, aggresion[1] alcohol – alchohol[1] allege – alege, allage[1] allegiance – allegaince, allegience, alegiance[3] almost – allmost[3] a lot – alot (must be two words)[4] amateur – amatuer, amature [4]

amend – ammend[1] annually – anually, annualy[3] apparent – apparant, aparent [4] arctic – artic[3] argument – arguement[1][4] atheist – athiest[3][4] average – avrage, averege[1] awful – awfull, aweful[3] balance – ballance, balence basically – basicly because – becuase[3] becoming – becomeing[3] beginning – begining[3] believe – beleive [4] bellwether – bellweather[3][4] buoy/buoyant – bouy/bouyant[3] burglar – burgler[1] business – bisness,[1] bussiness, bizness, buisness

C–D

calendar – calender[3][4] camouflage – camoflage, camoflague[3] capitol – capital[3](both words exist, but are distinct) career – carrer careful – carefull Caribbean – Carribean[3] category – catagory[3][4] caught – cauhgt, caugt[3] ceiling – cieling cemetery – cemetary,[1] cematery[3] certain – certin changeable – changable[3][4] chief – cheif[3] citizen – citezen colleague – collaegue, collegue[3] collectible – collectable[3][4] column – colum [4] comfortable - confortable coming – comming[3] committed – commited, comitted[3][4] competition – compitition concede – conceed[3] conceive - concieve congratulate – congradulate[3] conscientious – consciencious [3][4] conscious – concious, consious [4]

consensus – concensus[1][3][4] controversy – contraversy[1] convenience – conveniance coolly – cooly[3] criticize – critecize, critisize daiquiri – dacquiri, daquiri [4] deceive – decieve[1][3] decide – dicide definite – definate,[1] definit[4] definitely – definitly,[4] definately, defiantly desperate – desparate[1][3] develop – develope difference – diffrence[3] dilemma – dilema[3] disappear – disapear, dissapear disappoint – disapoint[1] disastrous – disasterous[3] drunkenness – drunkeness [4] dumbbell – dumbell [4] during – durring

E–H

easily – easely eighth – eigth either – iehter, ether embarrass – embarass[1][4] entrepreneur – enterpreneur environment – enviroment equipped – equiped equipment – equiptment (wrong in numerous webpages)[4] exaggerate – exagerate exceed – excede [4] excellent – exellent, excelent except – exsept exercise – exercize, exersize exhausted - exausted exhilarate – exilerate [4] existence – existance [4] expect - exspect experience – experiance [4] experiment – experament explanation – explaination extreme – extreem[1] familiar – familier fascinating – facinating,[1] fasinating fiery – firey [4] finally – finaly

fluorescent – flourescent[1] fluoride – flouride foreign – foriegn [4] forty – fourty forward – foreward friend – freind[1] fulfil – fullfil (American: fulfill)[1] fundamental – fundemental gauge – guage[1][4] generally – generaly, genrally government – goverment grammar – grammer grateful – gratefull, greatful[1][4] guarantee – garantee, garentee, garanty[1][4][10] guidance – guidence [11] happiness – happyness harass – harrass[1][4] height – heighth, heigth [4] heroes – heros hierarchy – heirarchy [4] hors d'oeuvres – hors derves, ordeurves[3] humorous – humerous [4] hygiene – hygene, hygine, higeine, hygeine[3] hypocrisy/hypocrite – hipocrit[1][3]

I–K

identity – idenity, identidy ignorance – ignorence [4] imaginary – imaginery imitate – immitate[3] imitation – immitation, imitashun immediately – imediately[1][4] incidentally – incidently independent – independant [4][7] indispensable – indispensible [4] inoculate – innoculate [4] intelligence – inteligence, intelligance [4] interesting – intresting

interfere interpretation interruption – interuption irrelevant – irrelevent irritable – irritible island – iland jealous – jellous jewelry (UK: jewellery) – jewelery [4] judgment – judgement (issue in the U.S.)[4] kernel – kernal, distinct from homophone colonel[4] kindergarten - kindergarden knowledge – knowlege

L–O

leisure – liesure [4] liaison – liason[1][4] library – libary, liberry [4] license – lisence[4] (US always license, UK noun licence)[1] lightning – lightening [4] loneliness – lonelyness lose – loose losing – loosing, loseing lying – lieing maintenance – maintenence, maintnance[1] maneuver – manuever, manuver (UK: manoeuvre) marriage – marrige masturbation—masterbation mathematics – mathmatics medicine – medcine[citation needed] medieval – medeval, medevil, mideval [4] memento – momento [4] millennium – millenium, milennium[1][4] miniature – miniture[1][4] minuscule – miniscule[1][4][dubious – discuss] minute – minite

mischievous – mischevous, mischevious [4] misspell – mispell, misspel[1][4] mysterious – misterius,[citation needed] misterious naturally – naturaly necessary – neccessary, necessery[1] niece – neice[1] neighbor – nieghbor [4] neither – niether noticeable – noticable [4] occasion – occassion[1] occasionally – occasionaly, occassionally [4] occurrence – occurrance, occurence [4] occurred – occured[1] official – oficial often – offen omission – ommision, omision[1] operate – oprate opportunity – oppurtunity optimism – optimisim original – orignal[1] ought outrageous – outragous[1]

P–Q

paid – payed parallel – parrallel, parellel parliament – parliment[1] particularly – particurly pastime – passtime, pasttime [4] peculiar – peculier perceive – percieve[1] perform – preform permanent – pernament perseverance – perseverence [4] personally – personaly personnel – personell, personel[4] persuade – persaude pervious - (1) pervious, (2) previous; check individually picture – pichure, pitcher piece – peice planning – planing plagiarize – plagerize[3] playwright – playright, playwrite[4] pleasant – plesant political – pollitical possession – posession, possesion[1][4] potatoes – potatos[1] practical – practicle

precede – preceed [4] prejudice – predjudice presence – presance[1] primitive – primative principle – principal [4] privilege – privelege, priviledge[1][4] probably – probly professional – proffesional professor – professer[3] promise – promiss [11] pronunciation – pronounciation [4] proof – prufe [12] prophecy (as noun) – prophesy (valid as verb)[3] psychology – psycology publicly – publically[4] quantity – quanity quarantine – quarentine[3] queue – que (from Bar-B-Que)[3] questionnaire – questionaire, questionnair[1] quite – distinct from quiet

R–S

readable – readible [8] realize – relize, reelize really – realy[1] receive – recieve[1][4] receipt – reciept [4] recognize – reconize, reckonize recommend – recomend, reccommend[1][4] referred – refered [4] reference – referance, refrence [4] relevant – relevent, revelant[3][4] religious – religous, religius[12] repetition – repitition[12] restaurant – restarant, restaraunt [4] rhyme – rime, ryme [4] rhythm – rythm, rythem[1][4] ridiculous – rediculous, ridicolous sacrifice – sacrefice safety – saftey, safty scissors – sissors

secretary – secratary, secretery[1] seize – sieze[1] separate – seperate[1][4] sergeant – sargent [4] shining – shineing similar – similer,[1] simmilar, simular sincerely – sinceerly skilful – skilfull (American: skillful)[1] soldier – solider speech – speach, speeche (archaic)[12] stopping – stoping strength – strenght succeed – succede successful – succesful, successfull, sucessful[1] supersede - supercede [4] surely – surelly surprise – suprise, surprize[1]

T–Z

their – they're [4] tomatoes – tomatos[1] tomorrow – tommorrow[1] twelfth – twelth [4] tyranny – tyrany [4] underrate – underate[4] until – untill [4] upholstery – upholstry[4] usable/useable – usible [9]

using – useing usually – usualy vacuum – vaccuum, vacume [4] vegetarian – vegatarian[1] vehicle – vehical[1] vicious – visious[1] weather – wether [4] weird – wierd[1][4] welfare – wellfare, welfair[3] whether – wether[3] wilful – wilfull (American: willful)[1] withhold – withold[1] writing – writting, writeing [12]

Common causes of those misspellings

Mispronunciation

Mispronunciation is known to be one of the most common causes of misspelling.^[13] Hence, phonetic misspelling is common, once a word is mispronounced; for example, the word "realize" is misspelled as "relize".

Typing errors

Some spelling errors are introduced because people's typing is not perfect, such as

• letters are doubled, or more frequently double letters tripled, such as "betwween" and "betweeen"
• letters are singled, such as "betwen"
• keys are transposed, so "because" becomes "becuase". (see Teh)

Some of the errors listed may be due to mistyping rather than ignorance, for example "solider" for "soldier".

These misspellings rarely happen in handwritten text.

Homophones

Two differently spelt words with different meanings may be homophones, with the same pronunciation; e.g., right, rite, wright, and write; read (most tenses of verb) and reed; read (past, past participle) and red. This list includes only a few homophones although incorrect use of homophones is a very common error; the following words from the list are all good English words, though often incorrectly used in place of their homophones: advice, affect, artic (colloquial UK usage for "articulated lorry"), aweful, breath, calender, capital, dose, its, lightening, loose, loosing, planing, principal, rime, solider, stoping, they're, wether and you're. Spelling checkers do not detect incorrect use of homophones.

Personal names

Personal names and surnames may be pronounced like a standard English word, but with different spelling: "balance" and "John Ballance"; "war" and "Evelyn Waugh"; "marshal" and "George Marshall". Personal names do of course generally start with a capital letter.

Foreign writers

A misspelling in English might be made by someone used to a different spelling in another language; for example, "address" is translated "adresse" in French and German. Many Spanish words are similar or identical to English words, but with an "n" inserted, or replacing an "m", leading to errors: "inmigrant" from "inmigrante", "cementery" from "cementerio", "confortable". The English word 'loose' reasonably looks like it should be pronounced as 'lose' to Germans, as in German the lone 's' often has the sound of an English 'z', and a lone 'o' in English very seldom has the 'oo' sound.

Strange misspellings

Sometimes words are misspelled so strangely that one would never guess.^{[citation needed]} These misspellings are often one-off typographical errors, for example: "sucseessor" for "successor".

Concatenation

While "albeit" is a correct concatenation of "all be it", "upto" is not yet a recognized concatenation of "up to". "Alright" is often accepted for "all right".

Apostrophes

There can be confusion over a plural possessive form. If the singular is "book's title" and the plural "books' titles", the latter can appear as "book's", or even "books's". The plural can be written with an erroneous apostrophe ("grocer's apostrophe" in Britain): "apple's and pear's". Elision can lead to misspelling: "doesn't", where the apostrophe represents the elided "o", can be misspelled "does'nt".

See also

• Cut spelling

Notes

1. ^ ^{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 aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj ak al am an ao ap aq ar as at au av aw ax ay az ba bb bc bd be bf bg bh bi bj bk bl bm bn bo bp bq} "AskOxford: Commonly Misspelled Words", Oxford University Press, 2009, webpage: Ask-spell.
2. ^ "Canadian, British and American Spelling", LukeMastin.com, December 2008, webpage: LM-spelling.
3. ^ ^{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 aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj ak al am an ao ap aq ar as at au av aw ax ay az ba bb bc bd be bf bg bh} "Canadian, British and American Spelling – Some Commonly Misspelled Words", LukeMastin.com, December 2008, webpage: LM-misspelled.
4. ^ ^{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 aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj ak al am an ao ap aq ar as at au av aw ax ay az ba bb bc bd be bf bg bh bi bj bk bl bm bn bo bp bq br bs bt bu bv bw bx by bz ca cb cc cd ce cf cg ch ci cj ck cl cm cn co cp cq cr cs ct cu cv cw cx cy} "100 Most Often Misspelled Words in English", LoveToKnow, Corp., December 2008, webpage: YDict.
5. ^ "Merriam-Webster Online" (results for misspelling as "concensus"), Merriam-Webster, 2008, webpage: MW-concensus.
6. ^ "Merriam-Webster Online" (results for misspelling as "equiptment"), Merriam-Webster, December 2008, webpage: MW-equiptment.
7. ^ ^{a b} "Merriam-Webster Online" (results for misspelling as "independant"), Merriam-Webster, December 2008, webpage: MW-independant.
8. ^ ^{a b} "Merriam-Webster Online" (results for misspelling as "readible"), Merriam-Webster, December 2008, webpage: MW-readible.
9. ^ ^{a b} "Merriam-Webster Online" (results for misspelling as "usible"), Merriam-Webster, December 2008, webpage: MW-usible.
10. ^ ^{a b c d} "200 Most Commonly Misspelled Words (Part 1)", Richard Nordquist (see below: References).
11. ^ ^{a b c} "200 Most Commonly Misspelled Words (Part 2)", Richard Nordquist (see below: References).
12. ^ ^{a b c d e f} "200 Most Commonly Misspelled Words (Part 3)", Richard Nordquist (see below: References).
13. ^ "How to Prepare for the Canadian GED High School Equivalency Exam", Murray Rockowitz, Dale Shuttleworth, et al., 2002, ISBN 0764117890, p.177, Google Books webpage: GoogleB-9LU.

References

• "100 Most Often Misspelled Words in English", LoveToKnow, Corp., December 2008, webpage: YDict.
• "Canadian, British and American Spelling", LukeMastin.com, December 2008, webpage: LM-spelling.
• "Canadian, British and American Spelling: Some Commonly Misspelled Words", LukeMastin.com, December 2008, webpage: LM-misspelled.
• "Merriam-Webster Online" (results for misspelling as "concensus"), Merriam-Webster, 2008, webpage: MW-concensus.
• "200 Most Commonly Misspelled Words (Part 1)", Richard Nordquist, About.com, December 2008, webpage: Aboutcom-misspelled-A.
• "200 Most Commonly Misspelled Words (Part 2)", Richard Nordquist, About.com, December 2008, webpage: Aboutcom-misspelled-B.
• "200 Most Commonly Misspelled Words (Part 3)", Richard Nordquist, About.com, December 2008, webpage: Aboutcom-misspelled-C.

External links

• "100 Most Often Misspelled Words in English", LoveToKnow, Corp., December 2008, webpage: YDict-100.