20 Most Common Misspelled Words From 2022

Do you ever struggle to spell words correctly? You’re not alone! English is full of words that are often misspelled, and the challenge can be even greater when it comes to more complex words.

To help you out, this blog post will explain 20 of the most commonly misspelled words in English, how to spell them correctly, and why they’re so often confused.

Keep reading to find out more and brush up on your spelling skills!

1) Necessary

Necessary is one of the most commonly misspelled words in English. People often confuse it with its homophone, “necessary,” but there are some easy ways to remember how to spell it correctly. First of all, the “c” comes before the “s,” so the word should be spelled with two “c”s and only one “s.” The word itself comes from the Latin root “necesse,” which means “necessary.” Additionally, if you break the word into two syllables, it can help remind you how to spell it — “nes-ses-ary.”

2) Separate

This is one of the most commonly misspelled words in English, and it can be difficult to remember how to spell it. The correct spelling is “separate” with an “a”. This word is often mistakenly spelled as “seperate” with an “e”, but this is incorrect. The “a” in separate indicates that it is an adjective, which means it describes something. The “e” in seperate does not have the same meaning, so it is important to remember the correct spelling of this word. Additionally, when saying the word, you should use a long “a” sound, instead of a short “e” sound.

3) Definitely

Definitely is one of the most commonly misspelled words in the English language. People often spell it as ‘definately’ which is incorrect. The correct spelling of definitely is with two ‘t’s and two ‘e’s. This is because the word comes from the Latin definite, meaning “without doubt or ambiguity,” which contains two ‘t’s and two ‘e’s. Remember to double check the spelling of definitely if you use it in any written work, to ensure that you are using the correct spelling!

4) Embarrass

The correct way to spell embarrass is e-m-b-a-r-r-a-s-s. Embarrass is one of the most commonly misspelled words in English. This is because there are so many ‘a’s and ‘r’s in the word. To remember how to spell it, think of the phrase “I feel embarrassed.” The word embarrass means to cause someone to feel uncomfortable or embarrassed. It can also mean to cause someone to experience humiliation or disgrace. For example, “His remarks embarrassed the entire audience.”

5) Misspell

Misspell is one of the most commonly misspelled words in the English language. It’s often spelled incorrectly as ‘mispell’ or ‘misspel’. To correctly spell this word, you must include two ‘s’s. The reason for this is that misspell is a combination of the words “miss” and “spell”. The correct spelling reflects the two individual words combined to create one term. Thus, it should be written as two separate words with two ‘s’s. Therefore, when spelling misspell, it should be written as two separate words with two ‘s’s: misspell.

6) A lot

This one is often confused with “alot,” which isn’t even a real word! Remember to write it as two words: A lot. The phrase is commonly used when referring to a large number or quantity of something. It can also mean “very much” or “a great deal.” For example, “She had a lot of work to do.”

7) Conscience

Conscience is one of the most commonly misspelled words in English. The correct spelling is “conscience” with an S, not a C. It’s derived from the Latin word conscientia, meaning knowledge within oneself. Conscience is a noun that refers to a person’s sense of right and wrong, moral judgment, or ethical standards. For example, you might say, “I can’t do that because it goes against my conscience.”

8) Occurred

This word is often misspelled as “occured” or “occurence”. The correct spelling of this word is “occurred”. This verb means to take place, happen, or arise. It comes from the Middle English verb “occurren” which means “to happen”. The past tense and past participle form of “occur” is “occurred”. To remember how to spell this word, remember that the double C and double R are necessary for the correct spelling.

9) Achievable

Achievable is a word that is commonly misspelled due to its unusual spelling. It is not spelled “acheivable” or “acheiveable” as some may think. The correct spelling is “achievable”, with the “e” coming before the “i”. This word means “capable of being achieved or accomplished” and is used in many contexts. For example, you may hear someone say “I think this project is achievable” or “This goal is achievable if we put in the effort.” It is important to remember the correct spelling of this word, as it is often seen in the workplace, in academic settings, and elsewhere.

10) Subtle

This is a tricky one since the “b” and “t” are next to each other on the keyboard. The correct spelling of this word has two “t”s in it. The word means having delicate differences or slight changes. For example, you could say that the subtle changes in the design of a car make it look more modern. Remember that this word has two “t”s and no “b” when you need to spell it correctly.

11) Bureaucracy

Bureaucracy is a system of organization and administration in which decision-making is based on a set of rules. Bureaucracy is often confused with words like “burrow” or “bureau” and even misspelled as “bureacracy”. The correct spelling for this word is “bureaucracy” with the emphasis on the third syllable.

This word is derived from the French word “bureau”, meaning office, and from the Greek “kratos”, meaning power or authority. It is used to describe a situation in which the decision-making process is complex and relies heavily on rules and regulations. It can be used to refer to any organization, large or small, that operates using such a system.

Bureaucracy is often seen as an inefficient system of administration, due to its complexity and the excessive paperwork involved. It has been criticized for being too slow, expensive, and inflexible. Despite this criticism, bureaucracy is still an essential part of modern society, as it ensures that decisions are made fairly and efficiently.

12) Questionnaire

Questionnaires are often used to collect data from large numbers of people in surveys or polls. The word ‘questionnaire’ is frequently misspelled, even though it is a very common word. When writing it, remember to double the ’n’ in the middle and add an ‘e’ at the end. The correct spelling is ‘questionnaire’.

It is easy to become confused with the word ‘questionary’, which is the adjectival form of ‘questionnaire’. The correct spelling is ‘questionnaire’, not ‘questionary’.

Sometimes, people make the mistake of adding an extra ‘r’ to the word, making it ‘questionnairre’. This is incorrect; there should only be two ‘r’s in this word.

Finally, don’t forget that the second ’n’ should be doubled. If you write ‘questonnaire’, this is incorrect — the correct spelling is ‘questionnaire’.

13) Indict

Indict is a verb that means to formally accuse someone of a crime. It’s commonly misspelled as “indite,” but the correct spelling is “indict.” The reason for this mistake is because both words have similar sounds, so it can be hard to remember which one is which. When you’re trying to remember how to spell it, think of the phrase “I indict you!” to help you remember the correct spelling.

14) Rhythm

Rhythm is the repetition of sound in a regular pattern. It is used in poetry and music, but it can also be found in everyday speech. When writing, it’s important to pay attention to the rhythm of your words and sentences. The rhythm of a sentence should help guide readers through the passage. To create a rhythm in writing, try varying sentence length and emphasizing certain words or phrases. It can also help to read your passage aloud to ensure that the rhythm is consistent throughout. Remember, when it comes to rhythm, practice makes perfect!

15) Available

The word available is an adjective that means obtainable, accessible or at one’s disposal. It is pronounced “uh-vey-luh-buhl”. The most common misspelling of this word is “availble”, leaving out the second “a” in the middle of the word. It’s important to remember that the correct spelling contains two a’s.

16) Aggravate

Aggravate is often misspelled as ‘aggrivate’ or ‘agrivate’, however the correct spelling is ‘aggravate’. This verb means to make a situation worse, often with the intention of annoying or irritating someone. It is important to note that aggravate is not interchangeable with the word ‘irritate’, as this word means to cause displeasure or annoyance. An example of how to use this word in a sentence would be “He aggravated her by constantly asking her to do things for him.”

17) Mischievous

The word mischievous is often misspelled as “mischevious” due to its complex spelling. The correct spelling is with two “e”s, and the word means to be playfully or annoyingly troublesome. For example, a mischievous child might sneak cookies from the jar before dinner. This word has French origins, and its root “chef” means chief or head. So when you spell this word, remember to give it two “e”s at the beginning and one “f” at the end to make sure your spelling is correct.

18) Harass

Harass is a verb that means to subject someone to unwanted and repeated attempts to annoy or upset. The correct spelling of harass is two r’s and two s’s (harass). This word is often misspelled as “harrass” or “harras”.

Harass can be used in a number of contexts, for example when talking about sexual harassment in the workplace or when discussing bullying behavior. It can also be used to describe physical or verbal harassment or intimidation, such as someone following someone around and making rude comments.

The correct spelling of harass is important in order to avoid any confusion and to ensure that the intended meaning is conveyed accurately. Remember, it is two r’s and two s’s (harass).

19) Neutral

Neutral is one of the most misspelled words in English. It is often confused with other words that sound similar, such as “kneel” and “knell”. To spell neutral correctly, start by sounding out the word: neu-trul. The “eu” can be tricky because it makes a long u sound, but is spelled with an eu combination. The last syllable of the word also has a tricky spelling, as the letter “l” at the end is doubled. The correct spelling of neutral is n-e-u-t-r-a-l. Neutral means being impartial or unbiased and not taking sides.

20) Elicit

Elicit is one of the most commonly misspelled words in English. It is often mistaken as “illicit,” which has an entirely different meaning. The correct spelling of elicit is “e-l-i-c-i-t”. Elicit means to evoke or draw out a reaction, feeling, or response. An example sentence would be: “The teacher tried to elicit a response from the class by asking a difficult question.” Elicit is derived from the Latin verb elicio, meaning “to draw out.”