Spelling Lists-- Commonly Misspelled Words

List A

 1. its           shows possession    The dog wagged its tail.

2. it’s           contraction for the word “it is” It’s time to go to school.

3. there          a direction or a place  Let’s go over there. Put it down there. There is my pencil. Who lives there?

4. they’re          contraction for the words “they are”   They’re going to Europe

  5. their          shows possession   Henry is their child.   That is their house.

  Example:            They’re going to put their new table over there.

List B

 6. loose          adjective – opposite of tight. His pants are too loose.

7. lose          to lose: a verb Opposite of win or involving loss She hates to lose any game.     It is hard to lose a friend.

8. to            1- preposition that denotes direction I am going to the store .  Give that candy bar to me. 2-used in the infinitive tense of verbs   I like to run. She hates to eat salad.

9. too          1- adjective – means “more than enough”   You put too much sauce on my pasta .  This game is too hard.   2-adverb that means “also”   I want to go to the store too.

10. two          the number between one and three.   Example:    Two of my friends want to run to the store too.  

List C

 11. whose          show possession   Whose jeans are these?     She is a person whose smile is pretty.

  12. who’s          contraction for the words “who is” Who’s coming to the party?

  13. weird          adjective – strange breaks the “i” before “e” rule

  14. choose     a verb: to choose    present tense   You must choose between the two.   I will choose the ranch dressing.

  15. chose          past tense of the verb “to choose”   Yesterday, I chose a novel to read Reminder:           There is no such word as “choosed”

List D

 16. through           1-Preposition that shows direction Go through the tunnel.

                             2-Done    I am through with my dinner.

17. threw            Past tense of the verb “to throw”   I threw the ball as hard as I could.   Last night I threw up.

  18. use            Verb: to use    I use computers to do my homework   What kind of computer do you use?

 19. used           Past tense of the verb “to use”    I use to live in Los Angeles.    I used to be ten, now I’m eleven.  Hint: never put “use” and “to” together –WRONG

 20. restaurant           noun- a place to eat    Note the silent “u” and the “rant”   It isn't spelled like it sounds.

List E

 21. were          verb of being- plural of “was”    The two of us were asleep.   We were running.   Who were they?

22. we’re           contraction for the words “we are”    We're in the other room. We're very excited about the circus.

23. whole           adjective – means “entire”    I can’t believe I ate the whole thing.

24. your          shows possession Is that your purse?   My your house is lovely. 

25. you’re          contraction two words  you are     You're standing on my foot.

List F

26.  passed        past tense of the verb "to pass"    I passed by your house last night.  The ball was passed to me.

27.  past        1-noun-opposite of the future. In the past, dinosaurs lived here. 2. adverb-beyond. I ran past him.

28.   than        used in a comparison. I am taller than Bob. Four is less than five.

29.  then        1- at that time. I was much younger then. 2- next in time or order. I will do this, then I will leave. First you jump, then you fall.

30.  grammar        the science of words

Hint:  note the "are" at the end

List G

31. peace        1- noun- the opposite of war. The countries made peace. 2- noun- calm, soothed. When I looked at the ocean, I felt peace.

32. piece        noun - a part of a whole. Give me a piece of pie.

33. recommend        to suggest. I recommend that we go to the new restaurant

Hint:  one "c', two "m"s not a command

34. separate        different, not together, keep apart. We went in a separate cars. The two ideas are very separate. You will never separate us.

35. embarrass        to humiliate or cause to feel ill at ease. I didn't mean to embarrass you.

List H

36. occasion         noun- an event. My birthday is a special occasion.

37. disappoint       verb/ not live up to expectations. Losing the game will disappoint our fans.

38. height            noun- how tall something is.  My height is six feet tall. Also, a pinnacle or peak.  The Roman Empire reached its height during the first century.  Hi hint:  because of the "g" it breaks the "i" before "e" rule.

39.  success        noun- the opposite of failure.  I had success in math last year.

40.  disappear        verb- to vanish.  The magician made the rabbit disappear.

List I

41.  definitely    adverb- certainly   I will definitely come to the party.

42.  receive     verb - to acquire, accept.  If I win the race, I will receive a medal.  Hint:  remember the "i" before "e" rule.

43.  foreign    1- adjective - from another place or country.  He is a foreign man since he is from Rome.  2- adjective strange or different  To many student, algebra is a foreign concept.  Hint:  because of the "g" this word breaks the "i" before "e" rule.

44. surprise    noun- something unexpected  The party was a surprise.

45.  until    preposition- used to specify when something will happen   I won't be able to help you until I finish this homework.

List J

46.  because     for the reason that, on account of   I'm crying because I'm sad.

47. bought        purchased- past tense of buy  I bought a present for Bob.

48. tomorrow    day after today    I'll wash the car tomorrow.

49.  absence    noun- form of absent. a time of being away    Please explain your absence.

50.  achieve     verb- to accomplish, do, succeed    I want to achieve straight "A"s.

List K

51.  believe        verb to accept as true. I believe that you are a vampire.

52.  cemetery        graveyard

Hint: no one gets an "a" when they're dead.

53.  conscience        noun-your inner sense of right or wrong. My conscience won't allow me to kill someone.

Hint: Jimmy Cricket's favorite class is science.

54.  conscious        adjective-awake or aware. Are you conscious of the fact that you knocked that man unconscious.

55.  environment        noun-surroundings. Pollution is bad for our environment.

List L

56. experience    noun- personal occurrence something that happens to you. Surfing a tidal wave must have been quite an experience.

57.  guarantee        a positive assurance. I guarantee a victory.

58. interesting        adjective-worthy or curiosity or attention. I find her very interesting.

Hint: No "rest" for the interesting

59. license        an authorizing document. I have a driver's license.

Hint: "c" comes before "s" in the alphabet and in license.

60. significant        noteworthy- has meaning

Hint: Everything "cant" be significant.

List M

61. marriage        wedlock. I wish you both a long and happy marriage.

62. mischief        noun- playful trouble. children left alone tend to cause mischief.

63. mystery        noun- something unexplained or unknown. The detective tried to solve the mystery. 

64. necessary        adjective-needed, essential. Oxygen is necessary to human survival.

65. rhythm        noun- a regular form or pattern( music, speech, exercise, etc.) Drummers in a band must try and keep a steady rhythm.

List N

66.quiet        adj- The opposite of loud.   Would you please be quiet?  

67. quite        very, really, completely.    She is quite pretty. I have been waiting for quite a long time.

68. sincerely        adj - truthfully, honestly, genuinely. I sincerely hate broccoli.

69. subtle        adj - suggestive, not easily seen the opposite of obvious. The hint was subtle.

70. valuable        adj - having worth. The treasure is quite valuable.

List O

71. technique        noun - a way of doing something a method or procedure. When eating spaghetti, do you refer the twirling fork technique?

72. vacuum        a completely empty space. Housework was helped by the invention for the vacuum cleaner.

73. straight        adj - the opposite of crooked. Can you walk in a straight line.

74. perform        verb - to act out. I will perform in the school play. Musicians perform on stage.  (performance) - noun version      Hint: no pre.

75. ancient        adj - extremely old. The pyramids in Egypt are ancient.

List P

76. commercial        television advertisement. That was the stupidest commercial I've ever seen.

77. debt        noun something owed by one person to another. I borrowed the money from the bank and I now have a large debt to pay off.

78. innocence        noun -  the opposite of guilt. A man on trial does not have to prove his innocence. The court must prove his guilt.

79. ceiling        The wall above your head. The top covering of a room. You would have to be very tall to hit your head on the ceiling. 

80. calendar        a chart that shows the sequence of days, weeks, months or years. Put al the family birthdays on the calendar.

List Q

81. society        group of people living as a community. We live in a very modern society.

82.volunteer        to choose to do something freely. Who would like to volunteer to go first?

83. illiterate        unable to read. Many Americans are illiterate.

84. satellite        a moon or man - made object that revolves around a larger planet. there are hundreds of communication satellite orbiting around the Earth.

85. neutral        adj - not taking part either side of an argument - During WWII, Switzerland remained neutral.

List R

86. temperature        degree of heat or cold of anything. Usually measured on a thermometer. The temperature outside is ninety degrees.

87. exhausted        extremely tired or worn-out. After a full day of school, I am usually exhausted.

88. muscle        tissue of the body that controls bodily movement. When I ran the race, I pulled a muscle.

89. limousine        a large, luxurious, chauffereured automobile. My friend took a limousine to the senior prom.

90. brought        past tense of the verb "to bring" I brought my lunch to school yesterday.

List S

91. probably        adv - most likely. I will probably have a steak for dinner.

92. beginning        noun -  the start, the origin. The beginning of the book is slow.

93. accident        something that happens unintentionally. I didn't mean to hit you. It was a accident.

94. benefit        noun - advantage. Exercise has any benefits for your health.

95. committee        a group of people chosen to act or decide on a matter. We picked a committee to look into the possibilities of having year-round school.  

List T

96. government        institution or organization that manages or controls a society. In the U.S.A, our system of government is a democracy.

97. strength        noun - opposite of weakness. Gymnast must have great strength in their arms and legs.

98. square        a four-sided object. My house is built in the shape of a square.

99. poem        a rhythmical composition of written or spoken words. I wrote a poem for my mother on Mother's Day.

100. a lot        Opposite of "a little" Two words.

Hint: no such thing as an alot!