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How to Spell Words Correctly (in English)

While English is a Germanic language, it borrows heavily from Latin, Greek, and other modern languages

Luckily, there are some basic spelling rules and tips to help you spell words correctly in English

Keep in mind there are exceptions to every rule, particularly as foreign words become more common in

Keep reading to learn some commonly misspelled words and improve your spelling skills

Chances are, you’ve heard the rhyme, “I before E except after C

In other words, the letter I comes before the letter E in most cases

The exceptions are usually when they come after the letter C or if the letter combination makes

Of course, it’s easy to find words that break this rule, such as “leisure” and “height

The letter Q must be followed by the letter U in all English words

The rule is also true whether Q makes a /kw/ sound or a /k/ sound

Typically, if a one-syllable word ends in F, L, or S, you should double that letter

With F and L, the only exceptions are for consonant blends, which is when another consonant precedes

If you need to add a suffix to a word that ends in a vowel plus Y,

But if a vowel precedes the Y, keep all the letters the same (e

Some words double the final letter before suffixes, while others don’t

If a word ends with a consonant, you should generally double the consonant if there’s only

The letters C, K, CK, QU, and even CH can all make the /k/ sound

Rarely does CK follow another consonant or a double vowel in the same syllable

The pronunciation of C and G changes depending on which vowel follows them

C and G make hard sounds—/k/ and /g/ respectively—before A, O, and U

Usually, this means A, E, I, O, or U, but sometimes Y acts like a vowel even

Keep in mind that when U follows Q, it’s not considered a vowel sound

English words have many silent letters, but E plays this role the most

The silent E gives the vowel a long sound, but only if there’s just one consonant

However, you will usually keep the silent E before the suffix -able

The correct spelling of a word in British English might be incorrect in American English, and vice

Below are some of the most commonly misspelled words in the English language

We tried to only list words that are the same on both sides of the Atlantic, and

Learning spelling rules is a great way to cut down on spelling errors

It’s impossible to learn the correct spelling for every word because there are so many rule

When you’re proofreading your own work, a great trick is reading aloud

When you read aloud, you will find many spelling mistakes because the word just won’t sound

Knowing what phonetic sounds correspond to each letter will help you spell correctly

Homophones are words that sound the same but have different spellings, while homographs are words with the

Homonyms can be either or both, and often refer to words that have the same spelling and

Some people use the word homonym as a way to reference all the types of similar words

Learning how to spell better doesn’t have to feel like school work

Wordle and Letter Boxed are popular online games, or you can opt for classics like crossword puzzles

The best way to find and eliminate errors in your writing is by using a spelling and

It’s quick, efficient, and free to check your spelling with our AI-powered technology

Improving your spelling will make your written communication easier and clearer