Do you frequently embarrass yourself trying to spell “embarrass”? Can’t remember whether “vacuum” has one C or two? This list of commonly misspelled words is for you! Not only that, but we’ve found clever spelling tricks to help you conquer these words once and for all. While mnemonic devices aren’t a substitute for learning to decode, they’re a fun way to reinforce the correct spellings of challenging words. Plus get a free printable with tricks for remembering commonly misspelled words to share with your students, or keep it for your own reference.
1. Accommodate
This word can accommodate a double C and a double M.
2. Acquire
I “C” that you want to acquire it.
3. Address
ADD the proper address to the envelope.
4. Apparent
This APP can help all PARENTs.
5. Argument
This word lost an E in the argument.
6. Ascertain
When you asCERTAIN, be AS CERTAIN as you can.
7. Because
Big Elephants Can Always Understand Small Elephants.
8. Believe
Never beLIEve a LIE.
9. Bicycle
Never ride your bICYcle when it’s ICY.
10. Brilliant
The BRILLo pad is gIANT.
11. Business
The BUS is IN a mESS.
12. Calendar
The calenDAr has many DAys.
13. Cemetery
Many people find a cEmEtEry very EEriE.
14. Conscientious
The conSCIENTIous SCIENTIst never made a mistake.
15. Definitely
It’s deFINItely FINIshed, or wrITe IT definITely.
16. Deodorant
There’s an ANT in my deodorANT.
17. Dependent
I DEPENDed on you, but you DENTed the car.
18. Desperate
The desPERATE PERson ATE all the food.
19. Dessert
My favorite deSSert is strawberry shortcake. (Or you can remember that STRESSED is DESSERTS spelled backward!)
20. Dilemma
EMMA found herself in a dilEMMA.
21. Disappear
ThIS APP keeps disappearing from my screen.
22. Either
Ed Is THERe.
23. Embarrass
She turned Really Red and Smiled Shyly when she was embaRRaSSed.
24. Environment
I think a new envIRONMEnt will IRON ME out.
25. Exaggerate
Goofy Greg loved to exaGGerate.
26. Exercise
I EXERt myself and am preCISE when I exercise.
27. Familiar
That LIAR looks famiLIAR.
28. Fascinating
The SCIence is faSCInating.
29. Foreign
Expect the forEIGn visitors at EIGht.
30. Forty
They built FORTy FORTs.
31. Friend
I will be your friEND till the END.
32. Government
The GOVERNor was deMENTed.
33. Governor
Will she GOVERN OR will she not?
34. Guarantee
The GUARd ANd his friend guaranteed their safety.
35. Guidance
The GUIDe was in a trANCE.
36. Hear
You hEAR with your EARs.
37. Imagine
Don’t imagine there’s a second M in imagine.
38. Imitate
Don’t imitate the M in this word with another one.
39. Immediately
I ATE my food immedIATEly.
40. Interest
The INTERn was bEST at showing her interest.
41. Interrupt
It’s Really Rude when someone inteRRupts.
42. Irrelevant
The second R is relevant in irrelevant.
43. Irritate
It would irritate me if you forget the second R in irritate.
44. Island
An island IS LAND surrounded by water.
45. July
It’s trULY hot in JULY.
46. Knowledge
I KNOW you can reach the LEDGE.
47. Laboratory
Scientists LABOR in the LABORatory.
48. Lesson
Listen to the lesson, you’ll spend LESS time ON studying.
49. Lightning
Watch the LIGHT go zING across the sky.
50. Lose/Loose
Lose lost an O, but loose didn’t.
51. Maintenance
Do the MAIN job TEN times ANd your MAINTENANce is right.
52. Mention
MEN, put your TIe On.
53. Misspell
Miss Pell never misspells.
54. Necessary
I order my neCeSSary Coffee with two Sugars.
55. Neither
NEll Is THERe.
56. Occasion
They traveled over two Cs (seas) for the occasion.
57. Occurred
Two sets of double letters occurred in this word.
58. Often
Often, there were TEN OF them.
59. Paid
PAy Is Done with work.
60. Parallel
Two Ls aRe parallel.
61. People
People Eat Omelettes, People Like Eggs.
62. Piece
Have a PIEce of the PIE.
63. Pleasant
The ANT was PLEASed by the pleasant weather.
64. Possess
Possess possesses a lot of S’s.
65. Possible
I think anything is possIble.
66. Prejudice
Don’t PREJUDge. Think twICE.
67. Principal
The princiPAL is your PAL.
68. Probably
He handled the PROBlem ABLY.
69. Promise
Her PROM date was a surprISE.
70. Receipt
Be Patient while the receiPt prints.
71. Receive
It’s better to gIVE than to receIVE.
72. Recommend
I REally COMMEND you for spelling recommend correctly.
73. Relevant
Even the tiny ANT is relevANT.
74. Repetition
REPEaT IT In unisON.
75. Restaurant
Take your AUnt to the restaurant before she begins to RANT.
76. Rhythm
Rhythm Helps Your Two Hips Move.
77. Scissors
Don’t cut the C out of scissors.
78. Secretary
The SECRETary was good at keeping SECRETs.
79. Separate
There’s A RAT in SepARATe. (You can also remember that the letter R separates two letter As.)
80. Soldier
A solDIEr may DIE for their country.
81. Special
The CIA has speCIAl agents.
82. Succeed
Clever Children know they nEED two C’s in succeed.
83. There
If you mix this one up with “their,” think about going HERE or tHERE.
84. Together
We all went TO GET HER together.
85. Tomorrow
Tomorrow, I will go with TOM OR ROW a boat.
86. Toward
TOW the car TOWard the garage.
87. Two
TWo TWins went TWice.
88. Vacuum
VAl Cleans Up Ugly messes with the vacuum.
89. Wednesday
WE Do Not Eat Sandwiches on Wednesday.
90. Weird
“I” before “E” except after “C,” but the spelling of weird is weird!
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