Let’s face it—often misspelled words can be tricky, especially for young learners just getting confident with vocabulary. Whether it’s “definitely” or “separate,” these words sneak into homework with spelling traps! As educators, it’s imperative to identify these common pitfalls and equip students with the tools to overcome them.

In this guide, we’ll explore a curated list of commonly misspelled words, show you how kids often get them wrong, and share classroom-friendly spelling tips. Plus, get fun printable worksheets from Worksheetzone.org to help kids learn through practice.

Often Misspelled Words List

Even the brightest students can get tripped up by sneaky spellings. Below is a list of most often misspelled words and fun tricks to help students remember it the right way.

Often misspelled words

Often misspelled words

Download this helpful list of often misspelled words and support your students today!

1. Accommodate

❌ Acomodate, Acommodate

✅ Accommodate​

Tip: Remember, it has two ‘c’s and two ‘m’s. Think of it as offering room to both ‘c’ and ‘m’

2. Definite / Definitely

❌ Definate / Definately / Defanitely

✅ Definite / Definitely

Tip: There’s no ‘a’ in definite. Associate it with ‘finite’ to recall the correct spelling.

3. Separate

❌ Seperate​

✅ Separate

Tip: Keep ‘a rat’ in separate to remember the ‘a’ in the middle.​

4. Embarrass

❌ Embarass

✅ Embarrass

Tip: It has double ‘r’ and double ‘s’. Think of it as being doubly red-faced.​

5. Occurrence

❌ Occurence​, Occurance

✅ Occurrence

Tip: Double ‘c’ and double ‘r’ are needed. Recall that events can recur, emphasizing the double ‘r’.​

6. Recommend

❌ Reccomend, Recomend

✅ Recommend

Tip: Only one ‘c’ and double ‘m’. Think of giving a commendation.​

7. Necessary

❌ Necesary, Neccessary​

✅ Necessary

Tip: One ‘c’ and double ‘s’. Remember: ‘One collar and two sleeves’.​

8. Privilege

❌ Priviledge, Privelege

✅ Privilege

Tip: Ends with ‘-lege’, not ‘-ledge’. Associate it with ‘legislation’.​

9. Mischievous

❌ Mischievious​

✅ Mischievous

Tip: Only three syllables: mis-chie-vous.​

10. Conscience

❌ Conscious, Conscence

✅ Conscience

Tip: Think of ‘science’ with a ‘con’ in front.

11. Acknowledge

❌ Aknowledge

✅ Acknowledge

Tip: Start with ‘ac-‘, not ‘a-‘.

12. Harass

❌ Harrass, Haras

✅ Harass

Tip: Single ‘r’, double ‘s’.

13. Maintenance

❌ Maintainance, Maintanence

✅ Maintenance

Tip: Despite ‘maintain’, it switches to ‘-tenance’.

14. Perseverance

❌ Perseverence

✅ Perseverance

Tip: Ends with ‘-ance’, not ‘-ence’.

15. Questionnaire

❌ Questionaire, Questionerre

✅ Questionnaire

Tip: Double ‘n’ in the middle.

16. Rhythm

❌ Rythm, Rhythm

✅ Rhythm

Tip: No vowels after ‘r’.

17. Schedule

❌ Schedual

✅ Schedule

Tip: Ends with ‘-dule’, not ‘-dual’.

18. Surprise

❌ Suprise

✅ Suprise

Tip: Don’t forget the first ‘r’ – it’s a sur-prise!

19. Vacuum

❌ Vaccum, Vacume

✅ Vacuum

Tip: It has double ‘u’ — think of a powerful suction needing extra strength (uu).

20. Believe

❌ Beleive

✅ Believe

Tip: Use the “i before e except after c” rule.

21. Weird

❌ Wierd

✅ Weird

Tip: One of the exceptions to the “i before e” rule — remember “weird is weird”.

22. Foreign

❌ Foriegn

✅ Foreign

Tip: Just remember, “foreign” things bring an “eign” twist.

23. License

❌ Licence

✅ License

Tip: Use “license” (verb) vs “licence” (noun – British usage).

24. Achieve

❌ Acheive

✅ Achieve

Tip: Another “i before e” word – follow the rule.

25. Receipt

❌ Reciept

✅ Receipt

Tip: Don’t forget, it’s “i before e” except after c, like here.

26. February

❌ Febuary, Feburary

✅ February

Tip: Emphasize the first “r” when pronouncing: Feb-ru-ary.

27. Government

❌ Goverment

✅ Government

Tip: The “n” in the middle is often silent — but don’t skip it in writing.

28. Friend

❌ Freind

✅ Friend

Tip: “i before e” rule again! Plus, “a friend is someone you believe in”.

29. Environment

❌ Enviroment

✅ Environment

Tip: Don’t drop the ‘n’ – it’s key to spelling it right.

30. Awkward

❌ Akward

✅ Awkward

Tip: Remember it starts with “awk” – think “awkward owl”.

31. Misspell

❌ Mispell

✅ Misspell

Tip: Ironically misspelled often — double ‘s’ in miss and double ‘l’ in well-written spelling!

32. Committed

❌ Comited, Committed

✅ Committed

Tip: Double ‘m’ and double ‘t’ — it’s a strong word that needs strong letters.

33. Broccoli

❌ Brocoli, Broccolli

✅ Broccoli

Tip: Double ‘c’, single ‘l’. Think of it as “Broc-co-li” — a cool vegetable with double c.

34. Bureaucracy

❌ Bureacracy, Beauracracy

✅ Bureaucracy

Tip: Break it down: bureau (office) + -cracy (rule).

35. Acquaintance

❌ Aquaintance, Acquintance

✅ Acquaintance

Tip: Starts with “acqu-” like in acquire, and ends with “-tance”.

36. Hierarchy

❌ Heirarchy, Hierachy

✅ Hierarchy

Tip: Think of “higher” in a hierarchy.

37. Dilemma

❌ Dilemna

✅ Dilemma

Tip: There’s no “n” — just “mm”.

38. Restaurant

❌ Restuarant, Restorant

✅ Restaurant

Tip: Think “rest” + “au” + “rant”.

Commonly Confused Words

It’s not just spelling—commonly confused words can trip up meaning too. Here are 10 pairs your students should master:

List of commonly confused words

List of commonly confused words

Download this commonly confused words list now to help students avoid common grammar mistakes!

1. Affect / Effect

  • Affect = verb (to influence)
  • Effect = noun (a result)
  • Tip: Affect is an action, effect is an end result.

2. Then / Than

  • Than = comparison
  • Then = time or sequence
  • Tip: Use than when comparing. Use then to show order or time.

3. Your / You’re

  • Your = possession
  • You’re = contraction of you are
  • Tip: If you can replace it with “you are”, use you’re.

4. Its / It’s

  • Its = possessive form of “it”
  • It’s = contraction of it is or it has
  • Tip: If you can replace it with “it is”, it needs the apostrophe.

5. Accept / Except

  • Accept = to receive
  • Except = to exclude
  • Tip: Accept = agreement, Except = exclusion

6. Lose / Loose

  • Lose = to misplace or not win (verb)
  • Loose = not tight (adjective)
  • Tip: Loose has extra “o” — it’s loose like a noose!

7. Compliment / Complement

  • Compliment = a nice comment
  • Complement = something that goes well with something else.
  • Tip: Compliment = praise, Complement = completes.

8. Principal / Principle

  • Principal = a person in charge or something of highest importance
  • Principle = a rule, belief, or law
  • Tip: The principle is your pal (a person), while principle is a rule or value.

9. Stationary / Stationery

  • Stationary = not moving
  • Stationery = paper, pens, and office supplies
  • Tip: Remember “e” for envelopes → stationery relates to writing.

10. Desert / Dessert

  • Desert = a dry, sandy area OR to abandon
  • Dessert = a sweet treat after a meal
  • Tip: Dessert has two ‘s’s — because you always want seconds!

Tips for Avoiding Often Misspelled Words

Spelling doesn’t have to be boring. In fact, the more fun it is, the more likely kids are to remember! Here are a few creative ways to help:

Tips to avoid often misspelled words

Tips to avoid often misspelled words

1. Turn Words into Rhymes or Songs

Music and rhythm improve memory. When students hear or sing a tune, it often sticks much better than plain repetition.

Example:

  • For “Because”: “Big Elephants Can Always Understand Small Elephants” This phrase helps students remember the sequence of letters in “because.”
  • For “Definitely”: “There’s no A in definitely!” Students chant this as a class, reinforcing the correct spelling through repetition.

2. Play Spelling Games

Games encourage friendly competition and reinforce spelling through active recall. Try these classroom spelling games:

  • Word Bingo: Create bingo cards with tricky words. Call out definitions, students cover the matching word.
  • Speed Spelling Bee: Divide class into teams. Set a timer and see who spells the most words correctly under pressure.
  • Scrambled Letters Race: Give jumbled versions of words. Students race to unscramble and spell them correctly.

3. Make Visual Aids

Seeing the words repeatedly helps students become more comfortable with their shapes and patterns.

  • Spelling Posters: Assign students different frequently misspelled words. Each student designs a poster showing the correct spelling and a visual cue (like a pun or sketch).
  • Word Ladder Walls: Build a class wall of misspelled words, organized by themes like “Double Letters” or “Silent Letters”.
  • Color Coding: Use colored pencils or markers to highlight tricky parts (e.g., double letters, silent letters, prefixes/suffixes).

4. Daily “Tricky Word” Challenge

Make spelling a daily habit. Introduce a new tricky word each morning:

  • Add it to the board
  • Practice pronunciation and spelling aloud
  • Use it in a sentence
  • Create a quick doodle or mnemonic

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Why do I misspell words often?

Spelling mistakes happen due to pronunciation, unfamiliar rules, or simply rushing through writing. Practice and exposure help build confidence.

2. Which word is most often spelled wrong?

“Definitely” is one of the top offenders. Its unusual spelling confuses kids and adults alike!

3. What are 10 easy words to spell?

Here’s a quick set: cat, dog, run, jump, red, book, hat, fish, tree, sun. Easy, short, and great for beginners.

4. What is the shortest word?

The letter “I” or “a” is considered the shortest word—both are powerful, single-letter words with big meaning!

Final Thoughts

Spelling can be tricky, but it doesn’t have to be tedious. With the right strategies, even the most often misspelled words can become second nature to your students. Encourage fun, creativity, and consistency in your classroom spelling activities.

Want to take your spelling lessons to the next level? Download printable spelling worksheets at Worksheetzone – where learning is always engaging!