Spelling list · curated by SpellingIQ.com · read on 2026-10-07

Commonly misspelled words

These are the words that catch careful writers: a doubled letter that should be single, a vowel nobody pronounces, an ending that could go either way. Most of them are everyday words, which is exactly why a wrong spelling gets noticed.

The sixty here are chosen from the words SpellingIQ tags as common errors and ordered by its own difficulty rating, so the first list is the gentlest and the sixth the hardest.

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Common misspellings 1

until: I will wait for you until six o'clock.
weird: A weird noise came from the attic.
foreign: She spoke three foreign languages fluently.
occasion: Her birthday was a special occasion.
recommend: I would strongly recommend this restaurant.
gauge: The pressure gauge was reading zero.
cemetery: We walked past the old cemetery at dusk.
seize: The officer would seize the evidence.
noticeable: There was a noticeable improvement in her work.
threshold: He paused on the threshold before entering.

Common misspellings 2

fluorescent: The office was lit by harsh fluorescent tubes.
neighbor: Our neighbor waved from the porch.
irresistible: The aroma of fresh bread was irresistible.
grievous: He suffered a grievous injury in the crash.
precede: A brief speech will precede the awards.
inoculate: They would inoculate the entire herd by spring.
lightning: lightning lit up the field.
beginning: We stood at the beginning of the trail.
genealogy: She traced her genealogy back six generations.
minuscule: A minuscule crack ran along the vase.

Common misspellings 3

playwright: The playwright took a bow after the final act.
pronunciation: Her pronunciation of the French names was flawless.
exceed: Speeds exceed the limit here.
knowledge: She has deep knowledge of history.
license: He renewed his driver's license.
supersede: This memo will supersede all previous instructions.
government: The government passed a new law.
independent: She started an independent business.
familiar: The tune sounded familiar.
consensus: The committee reached a consensus.

Common misspellings 4

immediately: Reply immediately upon arrival.
sacrilegious: To some, mixing the two styles seemed sacrilegious.
apparent: His anger was apparent to everyone.
disappear: The magician made the coin disappear.
existence: Scientists debated the existence of the particle.
interfere: Do not interfere in our affairs.
leisure: We enjoy hiking at our leisure.
nuisance: The barking dog was a nuisance.
desperate: He was in a desperate situation.
humorous: Her essay was warm and humorous.

Common misspellings 5

apparently: She is apparently leaving tomorrow.
committee: The committee voted unanimously.
restaurateur: The famed restaurateur opened her fifth venue.
colleague: She thanked her colleague for the help.
disappoint: I hate to disappoint you.
miscellaneous: He stored miscellaneous items in the drawer.
ecstasy: She danced with ecstasy.
guarantee: The watch has a two-year guarantee.
incidentally: incidentally, I saw her yesterday.
mediocre: The film received mediocre reviews.

Common misspellings 6

mortgage: They took out a mortgage on the house.
acquaintance: He is a business acquaintance.
condescend: Do not condescend to your audience.
acknowledgment: She sent an acknowledgment of the gift.
hindrance: The rain was a hindrance to progress.
misspell: Students often misspell 'weird'.
embarrassment: He blushed with embarrassment after the mistake.
maneuver: The pilot executed a bold maneuver.
indispensable: Salt is indispensable in most recipes.
hypocrisy: She accused him of hypocrisy.