What are the Commonly Misspelled Words in English?

Spelling appears to be a small issue. However, it is considered to be one of the most difficult problems that we face in academics and business.

Poor spelling can affect your reputation in the business and if you are a student, your grades. 

But do not fret! On this page, we will enumerate the most commonly misspelled words in English along with what causes them so you will not commit such mistakes. Keep reading. 

British vs. American English Spelling

While both the United Kingdom and the United States speak the same language (English), no one can argue that the way some words are spelled differs significantly. 

People frequently misinterpret the spelling of several terms and are unable to determine which is proper, resulting in mistakes that could have been avoided.

The primary distinction is that British English retains the spelling of terms borrowed from other languages, primarily French and German.

While American English spellings are primarily determined by how a word sounds when spoken.

Here are the differences between British English and American English spelling and a few examples for your reference. 

1. Words that end in -re or -er

One of the most common English spelling mistakes is shown in this category of common English spelling mistakes. 

For this reason, nouns ending in -re are more prevalent in British English than in American English, where the identical terms are usually spelled with -er.

2. Words that end in -ise or -ize and -yse or -yze

The sole distinction between American English and British English in this category, according to the Oxford dictionary, is that in American English, verbs are always spelled with -ize and -yze at the end, whereas in British English -ise and -yse is preferred.

3. Words that end in -our or -or

Another notable distinction is the British choose to add -our at the end of a word, while the Americans prefer to use a plain -or instead.

4. An extra -l

The occurrence of a second ‘l’ in some terms is another typical English spelling error.

This is more common in British English than in American English since Americans tend to skip it entirely.

5. Words with double vowels 

In most circumstances, American English is simplified, and it appears that Americans feel that there is no need to add an extra letter where it does not appear to be required. 

British English adds an extra vowel to several words in this circumstance as well.

6. Words that end in -ogue or -og

This is true for some nouns with this specific ending. In British English, they should be spelled with –ogue, but in American English, they should be spelled with –og.

7. Words that end in -ense or -ence

Some nouns in British English have a ‘c’ ending, but they have an ‘s’ ending in American English. 

This is a typical writing error, but it is easy to avoid because these words do not have anything else to search for.

What are the Common Causes of Misspellings?

According to one survey, 43% of hiring managers dismiss a candidate’s CV if it contains spelling problems. 

Another study found that spelling and grammatical errors were the main ‘deal breakers’ in job hunting for 79 percent of recruiters and human resource managers. This just goes to show how important spelling words correctly is. 

Here are the most common causes of misspellings that you need to avoid so that your academic and professional life will not suffer. 

1. Mispronunciation

One of the most common reasons for misspelling is mispronunciation. 

As a result, when a word is mispronounced, the phonetic misspelling is widespread.

The word ‘realize’, for example, could be misspelled as ‘relise’.

2. Typing Errors

3. Homophones

If two (or more) differently spelled words with distinct meanings are pronounced the same, they are homophones. This seems to be one of the major causes of misspellings as well.

4. Personal Names

Personal names and surnames are spelled differently than standard English words: ‘balance’ and ‘John Balance’, ‘war’ and ‘Evelyn Waugh’ (if spoken without a rhotic accent); ‘marshal’ and ‘George Marshall’.

Of course, most personal names begin with a capital letter. 

Furthermore, personal names have several spellings, such as ‘Catherine’, ‘Katharine’, and ‘Kathryn’, or ‘Stewart’ and ‘Stuart’, and a writer may not be aware of the right spelling of a specific individual’s name.

5. Foreign Writers

Someone who is used to a different spelling in another language may make a mistake in English; for example, ‘address’ is translated ‘adresse’ in German and French. 

Many words from Spain are identical or similar to English ones, but with a ‘n’ is appended or a ‘m’ replaced, resulting in errors such as ‘inmigrant’ instead of ‘inmigrante’, ‘cementery’ instead of ‘cementerio’, and ‘confortable’ instead of ‘comfortable’. 

To Germans, the English word ‘loss’ appears to be pronounced as ‘lose’, because a lone ‘s’ in German often sounds like an English ‘z’, while a lone ‘o‘ in English rarely sounds like ‘oo’.

6. Apostrophe

A plural possessive form can cause some difficulty. When the singular is ‘book’s title’ and the plural is ‘books’ titles’, the plural can be ‘book’s or ‘books’s’. ‘Apple’s and pear’s’ can be written with an incorrect apostrophe (‘grocer’s apostrophe’ in Britain). 

The apostrophe denotes the elided ‘o’, therefore ‘doesn’t’ could be misspelled ‘does’nt’.

7. Silent Consonants 

Although this is a surprisingly common occurrence in English, spelling errors appear to be uncommon. 

In fact, pronunciation issues, such as mispronouncing both ‘b’s in ‘bombing’, appear to be more common.

8. The spelling of Another Word

The noun ‘improvement’ is an example of a word spelled as the spelling of a closely related word would suggest; it simply adds to the verb ‘improve’s basic spelling without changing it. 

The word formed from ‘maintain’, on the other hand, is ‘maintenance’ rather than ‘maintainance’, and as a result, it is often misspelled. This base spelling change is completely unpredictable; you only need to be aware of it.

9. Endings of the Same Word with Different Spellings

-Sion/-tion, -able/-ible, and -ent/-ant are three word ends that have different spellings. 

With the first of these, choosing the correct spelling is not necessarily an issue because there are certain fairly clear rules, such as that verbs ending in -d, such as suspend, become nouns ending in -sion, such as ‘suspension’.

10. Words That are Difficult to Pronounce

There are times when struggling to speak a word correctly does not result in a spelling error, but this does not happen all the time. 

Many East African language speakers, for example, have difficulty pronouncing the /ɪ/ sound in the middle of longish words like ‘discipline’, ‘hesitate’, ‘municipal’, ‘president’, and ‘studying’, as a result of which the corresponding letter is sometimes lost from the spelling.

What are the 100 Commonly Misspelled Words?

At one point or another, we have committed a spelling mistake.

Mistakes might be caused by a lack of proofreading time or a lack of understanding of proper spelling.

Sometimes it is because of a misunderstanding of how to use the word. 

The examples provided here will assist you in staying on track.

Why Do Proper Spelling Matter in Writing?

While some spelling errors are harmless and funny, the majority are not. Not only may a simple error make us appear less smart than we really are. 

Poor spelling can lead to misunderstandings, a lack of clarity, and, in extreme circumstances, millions of dollars in lost sales and job prospects. 

It has the potential to sabotage our business and as a student, your chances of getting good grades could be jeopardized. 

Needless to say, it is important that we be extremely careful when it comes to spelling, as this could seriously affect our personal and professional life. 

Additional FAQs — Commonly Misspelled Words