Has correct spelling become passé?
Internet and texting acronyms may have led to linguistic
laziness. Maybe it all started with OK and ASAP. However it began, we seem to
have slipped into a mire of misspellings.
What words are most commonly misspelled by writers?
Misspelled words may appear in published materials because
they resemble real words.
Spell-check programs can be extremely useful, except that
they do not catch homonyms. What are homonyms? Words that sound the same, but
are spelled differently, are homonyms. Examples include “ascent” and “assent,” “bare”
and “bear,” “bridal” and “bridle,” “hole” and “whole,” and “straight” and “strait.”
Such words tend to trip writers up often.
Here’s a roster of 300
of the most commonly misspelled words.
Have any of these words proved to be your own proofreading
nemesis?
- absence
- absurd
- accidentally
- accommodate
- accumulate
- achievement
- acknowledgement
- acquaintance
- absence
- accidentally
- acquire
- acquitted
- advice
- advise
- aerospace
- airplane
- alcohol
- alleged
- amateur
- among
- analysis
- analyze
- annual
- annulment
- apartment
- apparatus
- apparent
- appearance
- arctic
- arguing
- argument
- arithmetic
- ascend
- athletic
- attendance
- balance
- balloon
- bankruptcy
- barbaric
- barbecue
- battalion
- beginning
- belief
- believe
- beneficial
- benefited
- bicycle
- bookkeeper
- boundaries
- Britain
- Business
- Calendar
- Candidate
- Category
- cemetery
- census
- chaotic
- changeable
- changing
- choose
- chose
- coming
- commission
- commitment
- committee
- comparative
- compelled
- conceivable
- conferred
- conscience
- conscientious
- conscious
- consensus
- constitution
- control
- controversial
- controversy
- criticize
- deductible
- decaffeinated
- deferred
- definitely
- definition
- dependent
- describe
- description
- desperate
- dictionary
- dining
- disappearance
- disappoint
- disastrous
- discipline
- dissatisfied
- dormitory
- ecstasy
- effect
- eighth
- eligible
- eliminate
- embarrass
- eminent
- encouragement
- encouraging
- environment
- equipped
- especially
- exaggerate
- excellence
- exhilarate
- existence
- existent
- experience
- explanation
- extraordinary
- familiar
- fascinate
- February
- fiery
- focused
- foreign
- foreword
- forty
- forward
- fourth
- frantically
- gauge
- generally
- government
- grammar
- grandeur
- grievous
- handkerchief
- harass
- height
- heroes
- hindrance
- hoping
- humorous
- hygiene
- hypocrisy
- hypocrite
- immediately
- inadvertent
- incidentally
- incredible
- independence
- indispensable
- inevitable
- intellectual
- intelligence
- interesting
- irresistible
- jewelry
- judgment
- knowledge
- knowledgeable
- laboratory
- laid
- lasagna
- led
- liaison
- license
- lieutenant
- lightning
- loneliness
- lose
- losing
- maintenance
- maneuver
- manufacture
- marriage
- mathematics
- maybe
- medieval
- mere
- millionaire
- miniature
- miscellaneous
- mischievous
- mnemonic
- monastery
- mysterious
- necessary
- negotiable
- ninety
- noticeable
- occasionally
- occurred
- occurrence
- omitted
- opinion
- opportunity
- optimistic
- outrageous
- paid
- parallel
- paralysis
- paralyze
- parliamentary
- particular
- pastime
- performance
- permissible
- perseverance
- personal
- personnel
- perspiration
- physical
- picnicking
- playwright
- pneumonia
- possession
- possibility
- possible
- practically
- precede
- precedence
- preference
- preferred
- prejudice
- preparation
- prevalent
- principal
- principle
- privilege
- probably
- procedure
- proceed
- profession
- professor
- prominent
- pronunciation
- pursue
- quantity
- quarantine
- questionnaire
- quizzes
- recede
- receipt
- redemptive
- reference
- referring
- repetition
- reservoir
- restaurant
- restaurateur
- rhyme
- rhythm
- ridiculous
- sacrifice
- sacrilegious
- salary
- sandwich
- schedule
- seize
- sense
- separate
- separation
- sergeant
- severely
- shepherd
- shining
- similar
- sincerely
- sophomore
- specifically
- specimen
- statue
- studying
- succeed
- succession
- supercede
- surprise
- technique
- temperamental
- tendency
- tongue
- tragedy
- transferring
- tries
- truly
- tyranny
- ukulele
- unanimous
- unconscionable
- undoubtedly
- unnecessary
- until
- usually
- vacuum
- village
- villain
- weather
- weird
- whether
- willful
- withholding
- writing
- yacht
Why not bookmark this post for future reference?
While we’re at it, here are a few helpful articles on editing
and proofreading, published by friends and writing colleagues.
- Professional Editing: Why Professional Editing is Necessary for Writers – Michy Lynn
- Proofreading 101 & Proofreading 102 – Sandy James
- Tips to Improve Your Writing: How to Proofread More Accurately – Maura Nicholson
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Related Items:
- Compute in Hot Pursuit - Poetic Fast-Talk on Beating the Clock
- Cramping My Style - Imagination or Inflammation?
- Headlines & Deadlines - an Editor's Day on Poetic Display
- Improving Your Writing Skills
- Rival Revival - the Spry Sprite of Night that Incites Me to Write
- Simply Driven - Rhymed Desire to Aspire Much Higher
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