90 Most Commonly Misspelled Words (and Tricks for Remembering Them)

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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