We All Mess These Up
Look, spelling is hard. English is weird. Words don’t follow the rules they’re supposed to. Even good writers mess up these common words all the time. I still have to think twice about some of these, and I write for a living!
So here are 40 words that trip people up constantly, plus some tricks to remember them.
The Really Common Ones
1. Accommodate
Wrong: Accomodate, Acommodate
Trick: Two C’s, two M’s. Think “CC and MM stay together like roommates”
2. Definitely
Wrong: Definately, Definitly
Trick: There’s FINITE in the middle. “Defin-ITE-ly”
3. Separate
Wrong: Seperate
Trick: There’s “A RAT” in separate. Weird but it works!
4. Occurred
Wrong: Occured, Ocurred
Trick: Two C’s, two R’s. It occurred twice!
5. Beginning
Wrong: Begining, Beggining
Trick: One G at the start, two N’s in the middle
Words That Look Totally Wrong But Aren’t
6. Rhythm
Wrong: Rythm, Rhythem
Trick: “Rhythm Helps Your Two Hips Move”
7. Weird
Wrong: Wierd
Trick: “WE are weIRD” – breaks the “i before e” rule
8. Colonel
Wrong: Kernel (that’s corn!)
Trick: This one’s just ridiculous. Memorize it or avoid using it.
9. Playwright
Wrong: Playwrite
Trick: They “wright” (build) plays, like a shipwright builds ships
10. Queue
Wrong: Que, Cue
Trick: It’s just Q with four silent letters following it. Thanks, English.
Double Letter Troubles
11. Embarrass
Wrong: Embarass, Embarras
Trick: Really REALLY red – two R’s, two S’s
12. Harassment
Wrong: Harrassment
Trick: Only one R (unlike embarrass – yeah, it’s confusing)
13. Occurrence
Wrong: Occurence, Occurrance
Trick: Two C’s, two R’s, -ence ending
14. Necessary
Wrong: Neccessary, Necessery
Trick: One C, two S’s. “One Collar, Two Sleeves”
15. Tomorrow
Wrong: Tommorrow, Tommorow
Trick: One M, two R’s. “Tom OR Row”
Silent Letter Nightmares
16. Wednesday
Wrong: Wenesday
Trick: Wed-NES-day (say it like that in your head)
17. February
Wrong: Febuary
Trick: Feb-RU-ary (there’s an R before the U)
18. Restaurant
Wrong: Restaraunt, Restraunt
Trick: “Rest-AU-rant” – AU like “ouch”
19. Environment
Wrong: Enviroment
Trick: Iron is in the environment
20. Government
Wrong: Goverment
Trick: Govern + ment (don’t drop the N)
The Confusing Pairs
21. Lose vs Loose
Lose = can’t find it (one O)
Loose = not tight (two O’s, like goose)
22. Desert vs Dessert
Desert = sandy place (one S)
Dessert = sweet treat (two S’s because you want more!)
23. Advice vs Advise
Advice = noun (rhymes with ice)
Advise = verb (rhymes with eyes)
24. Practice vs Practise
In the US: Always practice (with a C)
In the UK: Practice (noun), Practise (verb)
25. Stationary vs Stationery
Stationary = not moving
Stationery = paper stuff (E for Envelope)
Words People Always Get Wrong
26. A lot
Wrong: Alot
Trick: Two words! “A lot” like “a little” or “a bunch”
27. Until
Wrong: Untill
Trick: One L. “Til” also works (short version)
28. Accidentally
Wrong: Accidently
Trick: Accident + ally = Accidentally
29. Argument
Wrong: Arguement
Trick: The E gets kicked out during the argument
30. Judgment
Wrong: Judgement (in US English)
Trick: Americans drop the E. Brits keep it. Both work, just pick one!
Work Email Classics
31. Maintenance
Wrong: Maintainance, Maintenence
Trick: Maintain + ance
32. Receipt
Wrong: Reciept
Trick: “I before E except after C” actually works here!
33. Colleague
Wrong: Collegue, Colleage
Trick: Ends like league – “Cole-LEAGUE”
34. Schedule
Wrong: Shedule
Trick: It starts with “sche” like school
35. Commitment
Wrong: Committment, Commitement
Trick: Two M’s, two T’s, one ment
The Last Five
36. Completely
Wrong: Completly
Trick: Complete + ly
37. Immediately
Wrong: Immediatly
Trick: Immediate + ly (keep that E!)
38. Successful
Wrong: Succesful
Trick: Two C’s, two S’s, one L. Success + ful
39. Grateful
Wrong: Greatful
Trick: You’re full of gratitude, not greatitude
40. Across
Wrong: Accross
Trick: One C, two S’s
How to Actually Get Better
Okay, memorizing all this is hard. Here’s what actually helps:
1. Make a list of YOUR problem words – Everyone has different words they mess up. Figure out yours and focus on those.
2. Use spellcheck – But don’t rely on it 100%. It won’t catch everything (like “their” vs “there”).
3. Read more – Seeing words spelled correctly over and over helps your brain remember them.
4. Write them out – Old school, but writing problem words by hand helps you remember them better.
5. Make up silly tricks – The weirder your memory trick, the better it works. Seriously.
Don’t Stress Too Much
Look, even professional writers make spelling mistakes. That’s why we have editors. The important thing is to care enough to check your work when it matters (like in job applications or important emails).
For casual texts and emails to friends? Nobody cares if you spelled “definitely” wrong. It’s fine. We all knew what you meant.
But if you’re writing something professional? Take an extra minute to double-check these common troublemakers. It’s worth it.