Spelling Right and Wrong

The correct words are in alphabetical order. If a correct word is in a blue box, you can click on the word for a relevant spelling rule.

CORRECT
I need advice. Advice is a noun.     Advice rhymes with vice. Will you advise me? Advise is a verb.     Advise me rhymes with surprise me.
agonize	can be agonise, but this is unusual
I agonize over z and s. I am going to start a z s checklist, but, I usually use s instead of z in all cases where it is permitted, as you may have noticed on the website. The United States has made z standard: organize - randomize etc. In the United Kingdom we can use either. Using s makes life simpler, because there are some ise words that should not be ize. These are when endings like prise - cise - vise are used, as in comprise - incise (make an incision) - televise. (Ask the Oxford dictionary)
always	not allways
a lot of effort	not alot
apparent	not apparant
argue arguing argument	not arguement or arguemment
because	not becuse or becuase
being	not bein
benefit	not benifit
borderline	not boarderline
brief	not breif
comprehendible	not comprehendable
conclusion	not conclussion
I chose this yesterday. My chosen topic is choice. I choose this now. I will choose tomorrow. I will be choosing tomorrow.	not choosen not chosed not chosing
decision decisions	not dicision not desisons
definitely	not definately or definatly
development	not developement
difficulty	not dificulty
Mrs D, Mrs I Mrs F.F.I Mrs C, Mrs U, Mrs L.T.Y, spell DIFFICULTY
Engels	not Engles
Engel means "angel" in German. By coincidence the "e" and "l" are in the same position in angel as in the name of Marx's friend.
Engels' materialist beliefs	not Engel's materialist beliefs
His name is Engels, so the apostrophe goes after the s. With Marx, it would be Marx's materialist beliefs. You have to know if the name ends in s.
experiences	not expereinces
focused	not focussed
She is filling the hole and filing the rough edge. It takes two ls to fill, but only one to file
Freud's ideas	not Freuds ideas
fulfil	not fulfill
furthermore	not futhermore
grammar	not grammer
I am frequently told that someone's "spelling and grammer" are good. My spelling is poor, so I do not notice until the spellchecker picks grammer out. There is a trick that might help me remember. Look at the endings of the words. The correct ending is AR - my initials. (Andrew Roberts)
knowledge	not knowelage
loose trousers (not tight) lose your trousers (they are lost) loosen your trousers (make them less tight) looser trousers (less tight) a loser (someone who loses)	not lose trousers not loose your trousers not losen your trousers not loser trousers not a looser
All the words related to lost have one o All the words related to loose (slack or set free) have two os You will not lose your mind if you let it loose on the problem But if your trousers are too loose, you could lose them If loose loses an o, it is lost (well, actually, it is lose)
necessary necessaries necessarily necessitate necessitating necessity necessities	not necesary not nessities
The double "ss" makes a hissing sound. If you can remember that there is one c and a double ss, somewhere, the hiss may remind you which is which.
organize organized organization organizable	can be organise organised organisation organisable this is unusual, but is the spelling I use
perceive	not percieve
pieces	not peices
plan, pronounced plan, gives planning and planned plane, pronounced plAne, gives planing (plAning) and planed (plAned) I plan to plAne a piece of wood To block the wind beneath the door But I have planned plAning before
possess possesses	not posesses
public	not puplic
quote	not qote
referenced	not referrenced
relevance relevant	not relevence or relevent
Rousseau	not Rosseau or Rosseays
sharply	not sharpley
strength	not strenght
submit submitting submission	not submiting
sufficient	not sufficent
There is no point moaning. Their moan is loud.	not Their is no point moaning. not There moan is loud.
There is here with a T - It is often used about places Their is heir with a T - It is about people
tightly	not tightley
It is too late to go.	not It is to late too go
views	not veiws
Were you there? Where were you? A place where people are abused A place where people were abused	not A place were people where abused
woman women a woman's hair women's hair
write writer writing written wrote	not writter not writting

Spelling Rules

---

I before e, except after c

When the sound is like the ee in meet, but it is spelt with an i and an e, the i goes before the e, except after c.

Two examples are belief and perceive.

As with most things in English, there are exceptions: seize, weird, counterfeit.

---

Drop your silent e before a vowel

The e at the end of words like argue, use and come is silent.
Sometimes the e is dropped when you make a longer word by adding a suffix:

argue becomes argument and arguing

The final e is dropped before adding a suffix beginning with a vowel:

come becomes coming
inquire becomes inquiry
subtle becomes subtly
use becomes using

Although argue becomes argument,
the final e usually stays when the suffix begins with a consonant:

use becomes useful
arrange becomes arrangement
complete becomes completely
hope becomes hopeful
sincere becomes sincerely

---

Divorce double lls when you compound

Compounding words means making one word out of two. We stick full together with fill to make fulfil. Notice that as we marry the words, we divorce the ls. Double ll becomes single l in compound words.

Other examples are skilful, already, altogether, always, although, welcome and welfare.

---

qu

Look at the q words in an English dictionary and you will see that they all have u as the second letter. I have only just found that out! Apparently q is always followed by u.

---

z s checklist

There is a suffix (fix on the end) word ize. But it can also be spelt ise. Convention spells a word ending with that sound as ize.

Study links outside this site Andrew Roberts' web Study Guide Picture introduction to this site Top of Page Take a Break - Read a Poem Click coloured words to go where you want Andrew Roberts likes to hear from users: To contact him, please use the Communication Form

Spelling