Commonly Misspelled Words

Absence Correct: absence
Common Misspellings: absense, abcense, abcence

Absence is one of those words that cleverly disguises itself as simple, yet many stumble upon it. It slyly uses both an “s” and a “c” to achieve the same sound, leading to a mix of baffling variations. If you ever wonder whether to add an “s” or “c,” just remember that absence plays the long game, sneaking in those letters one by one until you’re done.

Accommodate Correct: accommodate
Common Misspellings: accomodate, acommodate, accommadate

Accommodate is a word that thrives on excess. It hoards double letters like it’s stocking up for a long winter. Two c’s and two m’s? Why not? After all, it borrowed this abundance from Latin. Just picture the word holding onto those letters like a squirrel with too many acorns. If you forget them, accommodate won’t hesitate to double back and remind you.

Basically Correct: basically
Common Misspellings: basicly

Basically is an oddball, acting like it belongs to a word family that doesn’t exist. It tacks on an extra -ally to basic, like a magician pulling out a hidden card. But don’t let that deceive you—English rarely lets words end in -icly, and basically is one of the few to pull it off, pretending to be more complex than it really is.

Broccoli and Zucchini Correct: broccoli, zucchini
Common Misspellings: brocolli, broccolli, zuchinni, zuccini, zuccinni

Broccoli and zucchini are culinary tricksters that toss in extra letters just to keep us on our toes. Both flaunt double c’s that seem more stylish than necessary, like an over-accessorized outfit. Broccoli keeps it modest with a single l, while zucchini adds an unexpected h to its Italian charm. Their names may be green, but their spelling is far from straightforward.

Cemetery Correct: cemetery
Common Misspellings: cemetary, cematery, cematary

Cemetery is eerily uniform with its vowels, sticking to e’s all the way through until the final y. This solemn word avoids the chaos of varied letters, choosing simplicity in a place where overcomplicating things would feel inappropriate.

Committee Correct: committee
Common Misspellings: comittee, commitee

Committee, a word that insists on gathering double letters like it’s planning an overbooked meeting. Two m’s, two t’s, and two e’s—this word seems like it’s trying to form a mini-committee all by itself. Just like actual committees, it might feel a bit overstuffed, but don’t be tempted to drop any of those letters.

Consensus Correct: consensus
Common Misspellings: concensus

Consensus seems to have reached an agreement on simplicity: only one c is necessary, and the rest of the s sounds can be handled by, well, s’s. If only reaching consensus in real life were as simple as remembering that.

Definite and Definitely Correct: definite, definitely
Common Misspellings: definate, definately

Definite and definitely are two words that flaunt the word finite. While finite might be your guide, be wary—definite likes to eliminate any a’s trying to sneak in. Defiantly, it insists that you don’t let those vowels get in the way of its clarity.

Misspell Correct: misspell
Common Misspellings: mispell

Misspell is a word with a sense of humor. It’s about spelling something wrong, and yet it demands you spell it correctly—twice! The two s’s team up to make sure you remember to double up, even as the word stands there smirking at you.

Plagiarism and Plagiarize Correct: plagiarism, plagiarize
Common Misspellings: plagarism, plagarize

Plagiarism and plagiarize enjoy slipping in an unexpected ia in their second syllables, which makes you wonder if the spelling rules are being stolen from another language entirely. Their roots in plagiary remind you that there’s a certain rhyme and reason to this, even if it feels like you’re being tricked.

Tomorrow Correct: tomorrow
Common Misspellings: tommorrow

Tomorrow starts off easy with “to,” but don’t let that fool you. The morrow part, rhyming with borrow, is where things get tricky. It’s an old-fashioned word that gives tomorrow an air of timelessness while still managing to trip people up.

Vacuum Correct: vacuum
Common Misspellings: vaccum, vaccuum, vaccuumm

Vacuum is the word that sucks up all your extra letters. It’s content with two u’s, refusing to double up on c’s or m’s. Blame its Latin ancestor vacuus for making this word feel emptier than it should be.