Commonly Misspelled Words 

[Always know the starred words; always look up the different usages and homonyms in combinations with slashes. Note where I have bolded particularly pesky problems.]

A

absence absolutely abundance academic
* accept / except accidentally accommodate accompanied
accomplish accumulate accurate accuse
achieve achievement acknowledge acquaintance
acquire across address adolescent
advantageous adverse / averse advice / advise advisable
aggravate a lot [always two words] all ready / already all right [ditto]
allusion / illusion all together / altogether almost altar / alter
although amateur among analysis
analyze ancient annual answer
apology apparatus apparently appearance
applies applying appreciated appropriate
approximate approximately arctic * argument
arithmetic arrangement article ascend
ascent assistance assistant association
* athlete attacked attendance attendant
attitude audience available

B

bachelor balance bargain basically
* beginning belief believe benefit
benefited brilliant Britain bureau
business

C

cafeteria calendar candidate capital / capitol
category cemetery censor / censure changeable
characteristic chief chocolate choose / chose
cite / site circumstances civilization coarse / course
column coming commercial * commitment
committed committee comparative competitive
complement / compliment conceive conceivable condemn
conference conferred confidential * congratulations
conqueror conscience / conscientious conscious consequently
convenient correspondence council / counsel courteous
criticize criticism curiosity

D

dealt deceive decision defense
deferred * definite definitely definition
descend descendant describe description
despair desperate * develop dictionary
dining disagree disappear disappoint
disastrous discipline discussed discrimination
distinctly does doesn't dissatisfied
dormitory dropped duplicate don't

E

earliest * effect / affect efficient eighth
eligible eliminate elimination * embarrass
eminent / immanent emphasize employee enclosure
encouraging endeavor * English enormous
entirely entrance * environment equipment
equipped equivalent especially essential
eventually exaggerate examination excellence
excellent excitement executive exhibition
exhilaration existence expense experience
explanation extraordinary extremely

F

familiar fascinate February financial
flourish * foreign forfeit forty / fourth
fortunately freight friend fulfill

G

generally genuine glimpse * government
* grammar grandeur gratitude grievous
guard guidance

H

happiness harass height heir
hindrance hoping / hopping humor humorous
hypocrisy

I/J/K

ignorance ignorant illiterate illustration
imaginary imagination immediate immediately
immense * imply / infer incidentally inconvenient
incredible indefinite independence indispensable
industrial inevitable inquiries inquiry
installation intelligence intelligent interesting
interfere irresistible * its / it's journal
* knowledge

L

laboratory lead / led legitimate library
license lightning * literature loneliness
* loose / lose

M

magazine maneuver maintenance manufacturer
marriage mathematics maybe * memento
merchandise merely mileage miniature
* mischievous misspell multiplied mutual
mysterious

N/O

nauseated / nauseous * necessary necessarily neither
nevertheless ninety * noticeable obstacle
obvious * occasion * occasionally occupied
occur * occurred * occurrence official
omitted opinion opportunity opposition
optimistic ordinarily organization original
originally outrageous

P/Q

pamphlet parallel paralyze particularly
passed / past pastime peculiar perceive
perform performance permanent permissible
perseverance personal personally personnel
perspiration persuade petition phenomenon
physical physically picnicking * planned
playwright positively * possess possession
practical practically precede / proceed preference
prejudice / prejudiced preparation presence prevalent
* principal / principle primitive privilege probably
preceding / proceeding professional * professor prominent
pronounce pronunciation protein purchase
quality quantity quiet / quite quiz
quizzes

R

Realtor recede receipt * receive
receiving recognize * recommend reference
referred regard religion religious
repetition restaurant revolution rhythm
ridiculous roommate

S

sacrifice salary sandwich satisfied
scarcely scenic schedule scientific
secretary seize senseless sensual / sensuous
* separate sergeant several severely
siege signature * similar simile
sincerely society soliloquy sophomore
specifically specimen stationary / stationery strictly
substituted subtle subtly * succeed
successfully sufficient supersede * suppose / supposed
* surprise

T

temperature tendency than / then * their / there / they're
thorough * through [not "thru"] to / too / two tragedy
transferred tremendous * tries * truly

UVWXYZ

unanimous * undoubtedly unfortunate * unnecessary
unnecessarily unpleasant until urgent
usually * use / used vacuum vague
valuable variety vengeance * villain
vicinity weird weather / whether * whose / who's
won't wouldn't writing yield
* your / you're

Copyright: Joan Samuelson
Last Revised: 08/09/04