Table of Contents
How to avoid spelling mistakes in English while writing
1. Incorrect spelling
accept / except
Wrong: Please except this gift.
Correct: Please accept this gift.
Except, as a verb, means to exclude or leave out. As a preposition it means “with the exception of.” Accept means “to receive willingly.” For example: We visited every landmark except the Eiffel Tower. The school is accepting only those students who have had their shots; all others are excepted.
advice / advise
Wrong: He refused to take my advise.
Correct: He refused to take my advice.
Advise is a verb. The s has the sound of “z.” Advice is a noun. The c has the sound of “s.”
all right / alright
Wrong: He’s alright after his fall.
Correct: He’s all right after his fall.
Although arguments are advanced for the acceptance of the spelling, alright is still widely regarded as nonstandard. Careful writers avoid it.
awhile / a while
Wrong: I’ll be staying in Paris for awhile.
Correct: I’ll be staying in Paris for a while.
Awhile is an adverb that means “for a while.” While is a noun that means “a period of time.” A while is a phrase that means “for a period of time.” Because awhile means “for a while,” to say for awhile is like saying “for for a while.”
alot / a lot
Wrong: I like you alot.
Correct: I like you a lot.
Despite being used widely, “alot” is not a word. A lot is the correct spelling.
allude / elude / illude
Wrong: The writer eluded to the Odyssey.
Correct: The writer alluded to the Odyssey.
Elude means “to escape,” usually by means of swift or clever action. Allude means “to refer to indirectly.” Illude
is an obsolete spelling for delude and elude.
cannot / can not
Wrong: I can not go with you today.
Correct: I cannot go with you today.
In speech and informal writing, cannot is frequently contracted as can’t. In writing the uncontracted form,
cannot is preferred.
complement / compliment
Wrong: I want to complement you on your writing style.
Correct: I want to compliment you on your writing style.
Complement, most frequently used as a verb, means “to complete.” Compliment, used as a verb, means “to make a courteous remark.” As a noun, it means “a courteous remark.” For example: The illustrations complement the text. She complimented his singing. Sallie has difficulty accepting compliments.
effect / affect
Wrong: His death really effected me.
Correct: His death really affected me.
The most common use of effect is as a noun meaning “something produced by a cause.” The most common use of affect is as a transitive verb meaning “to act upon.” For example: The disease had a lasting effect on the child. The family’s lack of money affected his plans
every day / everyday
Wrong: Dan walks the dog everyday at six p.m.
Correct: Dan walks the dog every day at six p.m.
Everyday is an adjective that means “daily.” Every day is a phrase that combines the adjective every with the noun day. For example: Walking the dog is an everyday occurrence. I practice the flute every day.
forty / fourty
Wrong: She made the check out for fourty dollars.
Correct: She made the check out for forty dollars.
The number 4 is spelled four. The number 40 is spelled forty.
its / it’s
Wrong: Put the saw back in it’s place.
Correct: Put the saw back in its place.
It’s is a contraction that represents two words: it is. Its is a one-word third-person singular possessive adjective, like his. For example: The man lost his hat. The dog wagged its tail.
irregardless / regardless
Wrong: I want you here at six a.m., irregardless of how late you go to bed tonight.
Correct: I want you here at six a.m., regardless of how late you go to bed tonight.
Although listed in dictionaries and widely used colloquially, the word “irregardless” is to be avoided as nonstandard usage.
inquire / enquire
These are two spellings of the same word. Enquire tends to be more common in British usage, while inquire is more common in American usage. The British newspaper The Guardian prefers inquire, and the Oxford English Dictionary considers enquire to be “an alternate form of inquire.” The forms inquire and inquiry are the safe choices when no official writing guidelines are being followed.
license / licence
license: verb, “to grant permission
licence: noun, “permission, liberty”
In British usage, licence is the spelling of the noun; license is the spelling of the verb. In American usage, both the noun and the verb are spelled license
lightning / lightening
Wrong: The hen house was struck by lightening last night.
Correct: The hen house was struck by lightning last night.
Lightning means the flashing caused by an electrical discharge in the atmosphere. Lightening means “state of becoming brighter,” or “lessening the weight of something.” Mixing in some white is one way of lightening the dark blue paint. The camel driver is lightening the load by removing the trunk.
loose / lose
Wrong: I’m afraid you’ll loose your way in the dark.
Correct: I’m afraid you’ll lose your way in the dark.
As an adjective, loose means “not tight.” Lose is a verb with such meanings as “go astray from,” “fail to keep up with,” “suffer deprivation.” For example: Athletes prefer loose clothing for exercise. He frequently loses his car keys. Note: The s in loose has a soft sound. The s in lose has the sound of z.
passed / past
Wrong: The car past the train.
Correct: The car passed the train.
Past is used as an adverb of place, or as a preposition. Passed is the past tense of the verb to pass. For example: The past few days have been hectic. The deadline has passed. He passed her the biscuits. The boys ran past the gate. As we stood in the doorway, the cat ran past.
pore / pour
Wrong: The students were up until midnight, pouring over their books.
Correct: The students were up until midnight, poring over their books.
Pore is a verb meaning “to look at attentively.” Pour is a verb meaning “to cause to flow.”
prescibe / proscribe
Wrong: What did the doctor proscribe for your headache?
Correct: What did the doctor prescribe for your headache?
Prescribe in this context means “to give directions for.” Proscribe means “to condemn or forbid as harmful.”
The use of any kind of drug is proscribed in the workplace.
principle / principal
Wrong: The principle kept us after school.
Correct: The principal kept us after school.
As a noun, principle means “a general truth.” As a noun referring to a person, principal means “the person in authority.” The cloying but useful mnemonic for this one is “The principal is your pal.”
pronunciation / pronounciation
Wrong: I have trouble understanding his pronounciation.
Correct: I have trouble understanding his pronunciation.
Although the verb is pronounce, the noun is pronunciation.
quiet / quite
Wrong: We spent a quite evening reading.
Correct: We spent a quiet evening reading.
Quiet is an adjective meaning “marked by little or no activity.” Quite is an adverb meaning “to a considerable extent.” Example: The children are quite amiable today. Quiet can also be used as a noun. For example: We enjoyed the quiet by the lake.
then / than
Wrong: I have more eggs then you.
Correct: I have more eggs than you.
Then is an adverb that indicates time. It can go anywhere in a sentence. For example: The man paused by the door and then entered. Then the noise started. As conjunction or preposition, than will always be followed by a noun or a pronoun. I like Melville better than Hawthorne.
thought / tough / through / though
The ough spelling in each of these words represents a different vowel sound: thought, ough= [aw]; tough, ough= [uh]; through: ough= [oo], and though: ough= [ō].
thought: “the action or process of thinking”: He was lost in thought. As a verb, it is the past tense of think: I thought you had already gone.
tough: adjective, “not easily broken or taken apart”: The hide of the rhinoceros is extremely tough. Figuratively one can speak of “a tough person” or “a tough job.”
through: preposition expressing the relation of movement within something, from one end to the opposite end or side. The train passed through the tunnel. The needle went through the cloth.
though: conjunction, “although” or “in spite of the fact that.” Though he had a broken leg, he managed to reach the fort. As an adverb, though can mean “nevertheless” She said she would not attend the wedding. She did, though.
there / they’re / their
Wrong: They parked there car on the lawn.
Correct: They parked their car on the lawn.
There is an adverb of place. It can stand anywhere in a sentence. They’re is a contraction of “they are.” Their is a possessive adjective. It must be followed by a noun. For example: I don’t know why they’re always late. Tell them to put their coats on the bed. I don’t want to go there.
to / two / too
Wrong: I’m to tired to go out again.
Correct: I’m too tired to go out again.
To is a preposition that indicates direction. It is also a particle used with a verb infinitive. Too is an adverb used to indicate excess. Two is the spelling of the numeral 2. For example: Let’s all go to the lobby. Remember to brush your teeth. They ate too much pizza. You may have two pieces.
weather / whether / wether
Wrong: He never knows weather to phone or just drop by.
Correct: He never knows whether to phone or just drop by.
Weather is a noun that refers to the state of the atmosphere.
Whether is a function word with various uses. A wether is a castrated sheep or goat. Examples: When will you know whether or not you can come? The weather should be mild this weekend. The passengers weathered the storm without too much sickness. The bell-wether led the flock.
wreck / wreak
Wrong: The wizard plans to wreck vengeance on the outlanders.
Correct: The wizard plans to wreak vengeance on the outlanders.
Wreck, as a verb, means “to reduce to a ruinous state by violence.” It is pronounced with a short e, rhyming with neck. Wreak means “to inflict” or “bring about.” It is pronounced with a long e, rhyming with sneak.
who’s / whose
Wrong: I don’t know who’s dog you’re talking about.
Correct: I don’t know whose dog you’re talking about.
Who’s is the contracted form of “who is.” Whose is the possessive adjective form of who. For example: Who’s your daddy? Whose car are we going in?
your / you’re
Wrong: Give me you’re advice.
Correct: Give me your advice.
You’re is a contraction that represents the words “you are.” Your is the second person plural possessive adjective. For example: You’re my best friend. Is that your key on the ground?
