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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.

 

 

  

 

While some words admit multiple spellings, some are not considered standard, and thus are misspellings. A misspelled word can be a series of letters that represents no correctly spelled word of the same language at all or a correct spelling of another word. Misspellings of the latter type can easily make their way into printed material because they are not caught by simple computerized spell checkers.

 

Misspellings may be due to either typing errors, or lack of knowledge of the correct spelling. Whether or not a word is misspelled may depend on context, as is the case with American / British English distinctions. Misspelling can also be a matter of opinion when variant spellings are accepted by some and not by others.

 

Incorrect: acommodation

Correct: accommodation

Incorrect: acheive

Correct: achieve

Incorrect:  accross

Correct: across

Incorrect:  adress

Correct: address

Incorrect:  appearence

Correct: appearance

Incorrect:  assasination

Correct: assassination

Incorrect:  beggining

Correct: beginning

Incorrect:  buisness

Correct: business

Incorrect:  collegue

Correct: colleague

Incorrect:  commitee

Correct: committee

Incorrect:  concious

Correct: conscious

Incorrect:  copywrite

Correct: copyright

Incorrect:  dependance

Correct: dependence

Incorrect:  desireable

Correct: desirable

Incorrect:  embarass

Correct: embarrass

Incorrect: enviroment

Correct: environment

Incorrect:  Febuary

Correct: February

Incorrect:  fourty

Correct: forty

Incorrect:  glamourous

Correct: glamorous

Incorrect:  independance

Correct: independence

Incorrect:  interupt

Correct: interrupt

Incorrect:  intresting

Correct: interesting

Incorrect:  knowlege

Correct: knowledge

Incorrect:  libary

Correct: library

Incorrect:  lightening

Correct: lightning

Incorrect:  mischievious

Correct: mischievous

Incorrect:  mispell

Correct: misspell

Incorrect:  neccessary

Correct: necessary

Incorrect:  neice

Correct: niece

Incorrect:  calender

Correct: calendar

Incorrect:  definately

Correct: definitely

 

 

Incorrect:  tommorrow

Correct: tomorrow

Incorrect:  noticable

Correct: noticeable

Incorrect:  convinient

Correct: convenient

Incorrect:  deterioreit

Correct: deteriorate

Incorrect:  dissappear

Correct: disappear

Incorrect: arguement

Correct: argument

Incorrect: Wensday

Correct: Wednesday

Incorrect: ignor

Correct: ignore

Incorrect: occured

Correct: occurred

Incorrect: opertunity

Correct: opportunity

Incorrect: que

Correct: queue

Incorrect: speach

Correct: speech

Incorrect: thier

Correct: their

Incorrect: truely

Correct: truly

Incorrect: liesure

Correct: leisure

Incorrect: sieze

Correct: seize

Incorrect: wierd

Correct: weird

Incorrect: intresting

Correct: interesting

Incorrect: knowlege

Correct: knowledge

Incorrect: lollypop

Correct: lollipop

Incorrect: paralell

Correct: parallel

Incorrect: pasttime

Correct: pastime

Incorrect: persue

Correct: pursue

Incorrect: potatoe

Correct: potato

Incorrect: preceeding

Correct: preceding

Incorrect: pronounciation

Correct: pronunciation

Incorrect: recieve

Correct: receive

Incorrect: reccomend

Correct: recommend

Incorrect: rythm

Correct: rhythm

Incorrect: shedule

Correct: schedule

Incorrect: seige

Correct: siege

Incorrect: sentance

Correct: sentence

Incorrect: seperate

Correct: separate

Incorrect: sincerly

Correct: sincerely

Incorrect: tatoo

Correct: tattoo

Incorrect: tendancy

Correct: tendency

Incorrect: untill

Correct: until

Incorrect: vaccuum

Correct: vacuum

Incorrect: vegeterian

Correct: vegetarian

Incorrect: whereever

Correct: wherever

Incorrect: writen

Correct: written

Incorrect: finaly

Correct: finally

Incorrect: fluoroscent

Correct: fluorescent

Incorrect: goverment

Correct: government

Incorrect: grammer

Correct: grammar

Incorrect: happend

Correct: happened

Incorrect: dilemna

Correct: dilemma

Incorrect: existance

Correct: existence

Incorrect: familar

Correct: familiar

Incorrect: foriegn

Correct: foreign

Incorrect: futher

Correct: further

 

The Most Common Spelling Mistakes for English Language Learners

 

The English language doesn’t always seem completely logical and some spellings aren’t obvious, even to native speakers. These are words that you just have to learn.

This is especially confusing when it comes to words that sound the same but have different meanings. It’s very easy to mix these up when you’re writing them down, but it will cost you a lot of marks in your writing exam.

Let’s look at some of the most common mistakes that English learners make – and how to avoid them.

It’s and Its

“It’s” is short for it is. Here, the apostrophe takes the place of the “i”. For example, you would write “it’s very cold outside” (it is very cold outside) or “it’s half past twelve” (it is half past twelve).

“Its” means that the next thing in the sentence belongs to whatever the “it” is. For example, you could say, “the dog dropped its ball” or “the best thing about the iPhone is its camera”. In these sentences, it would not make sense to say “the dog dropped it is ball” or “the best thing about the iPhone is it is camera”.

So, if you are unsure of which to use, replace “it’s”/”its” with “it is”. If it still makes sense, you should use “it’s”. It if doesn’t, use “its”.

They’re, Their and There

“They’re” is the plural version of the “it’s”. It’s short for “they are”. For example: “What time are your friends arriving?” “They’re arriving at 8pm” (They are arriving at 8pm).

“Their” is the plural form of “its”, “hers” or “his”. For example, “The children put on their shoes” or “the lions showed their teeth”.

Finally, “there” refers to a place – to where something is. For example, you could say “I put the book over there” or “The car is parked there”, or “It was there that we saw the fireworks”.

 

The English language doesn’t always seem completely logical and some spellings aren’t obvious, even to native speakers. These are words that you just have to learn.

This is especially confusing when it comes to words that sound the same but have different meanings. It’s very easy to mix these up when you’re writing them down, but it will cost you a lot of marks in your writing exam.

Let’s look at some of the most common mistakes that English learners make – and how to avoid them.

It’s and Its

“It’s” is short for it is. Here, the apostrophe takes the place of the “i”. For example, you would write “it’s very cold outside” (it is very cold outside) or “it’s half past twelve” (it is half past twelve).

“Its” means that the next thing in the sentence belongs to whatever the “it” is. For example, you could say, “the dog dropped its ball” or “the best thing about the iPhone is its camera”. In these sentences, it would not make sense to say “the dog dropped it is ball” or “the best thing about the iPhone is it is camera”.

So, if you are unsure of which to use, replace “it’s”/”its” with “it is”. If it still makes sense, you should use “it’s”. It if doesn’t, use “its”.

They’re, Their and There

“They’re” is the plural version of the “it’s”. It’s short for “they are”. For example: “What time are your friends arriving?” “They’re arriving at 8pm” (They are arriving at 8pm).

“Their” is the plural form of “its”, “hers” or “his”. For example, “The children put on their shoes” or “the lions showed their teeth”.

Finally, “there” refers to a place – to where something is. For example, you could say “I put the book over there” or “The car is parked there”, or “It was there that we saw the fireworks”.

 

Common MISTAKES in ENGLISH

  

PRESENT PERFECT X SIMPLE PAST

 

 

  

 

 

What's the difference? Present Perfect and Past Simple

 

Present Perfect Simple	Past Simple
Unfinished actions that started in the past and continue to the present: I've known Julie for ten years (and I still know her).	Finished actions: I knew Julie for ten years (but then she moved away and we lost touch).
A finished action in someone's life (when the person is still alive: life experience): My brother has been to Mexico three times.	A finished action in someone's life (when the person is dead): My great-grandmother went to Mexico three times.
A finished action with a result in the present: I've lost my keys! (The result is that I can't get into my house now).	A finished action with no result in the present: I lost my keys yesterday. It was terrible! (Now there is no result. I got new keys yesterday).
With an unfinished time word (this week, this month, today): I've seen John this week.	With a finished time word (last week, last month, yesterday): I saw John last week.

 

We use this tense for unfinished and finished actions.

Unfinished Actions

1: We use this tense when we want to talk about unfinished actions or states or habits that started in the past and continue to the present. Usually we use it to say 'how long' and we need 'since' or 'for'. We often use stative verbs.

 

• I've known Karen since 1994.
• She's lived in London for three years.
• I've worked here for six months.

 

'Since' and 'For'

We use 'since' with a fixed time in the past (2004, April 23rd, last year). The fixed time can be another action, which is in the past simple (since I was at school, since I arrived).

 

• I've known Sam since 1992.
• I've liked chocolate since I was a child.
• She's been here since 2pm.

 

We use 'for' with a period of time (2 hours, three years, six months).

 

• I've known Julie for ten years.
• I've been hungry for hours.
• She's had a cold for a week.

 

Finished Actions

2: Life experience. These are actions or events that happened sometime during a person's life. We don't say when the experience happened, and the person needs to be alive now. We often use the words 'ever' and 'never' here.

 

• I have been to Tokyo.
• They have visited Paris three times.
• We have never seen that film.

 

3: With an unfinished time word (this month, this week, today). The period of time is still continuing.

 

• I haven't seen her this month.
• She's drunk three cups of coffee today.
• I've already moved house twice this year!

 

We CAN'T use the present perfect with a finished time word.

 

• NOT:I've seen him yesterday.

 

4: A finished action with a result in the present (focus on result). We often use the present perfect to talk about something that happened in the recent past, but that is still true or important now. Sometimes we can use the past simple here, especially in US English.

 

• I've lost my keys (so I can't get into my house).
• She's hurt her leg (so she can't play tennis today).
• They've missed the bus (so they will be late).

 

5: We can also use the present perfect to talk about something that happened recently, even if there isn't a clear result in the present. This is common when we want to introduce news and we often use the words 'just / yet / already / recently'. However, the past simple is also correct in these cases, especially in US English.

 

• The Queen has given a speech.
• I've just seen Lucy.
• The Mayor has announced a new plan for the railways.

 

Been and Gone

In this tense, we use both 'been' and 'gone' as the past participle of 'go', but in slightly different circumstances. We use 'been' (often when we talk about life experience) to mean that the person we're talking about visited the place and came back.

 

• I've been to Paris (in my life, but now I'm in London, where I live).
• She has been to school today (but now she's back at home).
• They have never been to California.

 

We use 'gone' (often when we are talking about an action with a result in the present) to mean that the person went to the place and is at the place now.

 

• Where's John? He's gone to the shops (he's at the shops now).
• Julie has gone to Mexico (now she's in Mexico).
• They've gone to Japan for three weeks (now they're in Japan).

Using the past simple

 

This is the basic past tense. We use it whenever we want to talk about the past and we don't have any special situation that means we should use the past perfect, present perfect or past continuous.

Finished actions, states or habits in the past

1: We use it with finished actions, states or habits in the past when we have a finished time word (yesterday, last week, at 2 o'clock, in 2003).

• I went to the cinema yesterday.
• We spent a lot of time in Japan in 2007.

2: We use it with finished actions, states or habits in the past when we know from general knowledge that the time period has finished. This includes when the person we are talking about is dead.

• Leonardo painted the Mona Lisa.
• The Vikings invaded Britain.

3: We use it with finished actions, states or habits in the past that we have introduced with the present perfect or another tense. This is sometimes called 'details of news'.

• I've hurt my leg. I fell off a ladder when I was painting my bedroom.
• I've been on holiday. I went to Spain and Portugal.

4: For stories or lists of events, we often use the past simple for the actions in the story and the past continuous for the background.

• He went to a café. People were chatting and music was playing. He sat down and ordered a coffee.

 

Unreal or imaginary things in the present or future

5: We use the past simple to talk about things that are not real in the present or future. So we use it with the second conditional and after words like 'wish'.

• If I won the lottery, I would buy a house.
• I wish I had more time!

 

Direct and Indirect Speech

 

 

Top 70+ Most Popular Contraction

  

Top 70+ Most Popular Contractions in English with Examples

Below are the contractions definition and list of commonly used contractions in English.

What is a Contraction?

Contractions definition: We use contractions (I’m, we’re) in everyday speech and informal writing. Contractions, which are sometimes called “short forms”, commonly combine a pronoun or noun and a verb, or a verb and not, in a shorter form. Contractions are usually not appropriate in formal writing.

Examples of Contractions

• Yes, please, I’d love a coffee.
• They’ve been asking a lot of questions.
• He’s my brother.
• I’ll be with you in spirit.
• She’s been invited to a party.
• You’re never too old to learn.
• I’d a big argument with my mother this morning.
• She’ll appear in court tomorrow.
• There’s a distinct improvement in your English.
• Who’s the woman in the black hat?

List of Contractions in English

Would

• I would = I’d
• You would = You’d
• He would = He’d
• She would = She’d
• It would = It’d
• We would = We’d
• They would = They’d
• That would = That’d
• These would = These’d
• There would = There’d
• Who would = Who’d
• What would = What’d
• Where would = Where’d
• When would = When’d
• Why would = Why’d
• How would = How’d

Be

• You are = You’re
• He is = He’s
• She is = She’s
• It is = It’s
• We are = We’re
• They are = They’re
• That is = That’s
• These are = These’re
• There is = There’s
• Who is = Who’s
• What are = What’re
• Where is = Where’s
• When is = When’s
• Why is = Why’s
• How are = How’re

Have/ Has

• I have = I’ve
• You have = You’ve
• He has = He’s
• She has = She’s
• It has = It’s
• We have = We’ve
• They have = They’ve
• That has = That’s
• These have = These’ve
• There has = There’s
• Who has = Who’s
• What have = What’ve
• Where has = Where’s
• Why has = Why’s
• How have = How’ve

Had

• I had = I’d
• You had = You’d
• He had = He’d
• She had = She’d
• It had = It’d
• We had = We’d
• They had = They’d
• That had = That’d
• These had = These’d
• There had = There’d
• Who had = Who’d
• What had = What’d
• Where had = Where’d
• Why had = Why’d
• How had = How’d

Will

• I will = I’ll
• You will = You’ll
• He will = He’ll
• She will = She’ll
• It will = It’ll
• We will = We’ll
• They will = They’ll
• That will = That’ll
• These will = These’ll
• There will = There’ll
• Who will = Who’ll
• What will = What’ll
• Where will = Where’ll
• When will = When’ll
• Why will = Why’ll
• How will = How’ll