There are tons of hard words to spell. You have Wednesday, restaurant, embarrass, and minuscule, to name a few. Keep reading to see what word you may have been spelling incorrectly for years or what others struggle with!
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Playwright
What do Shakespeare, Arthur Miller, and Oscar Wilde have in common? They’re all “playwrights.” However, a lot of people confuse “wright” with “write,” which has different meanings.
Minuscule
Another word that people struggle to spell is “minuscule,” an adjective that means extremely spell or tiny. Many misspell this word because of how it is pronounced. Another possible reason? Since the word refers to something small, it should begin with “mini.” If you want to master this word’s spelling, think of “minus” and “cule.”
Surveillance
The word “surveillance” means to observe or keep an eye on something. However, like other words on this list, it is often misspelled. Some use “surveilance” while others use “surveylance.”
Chiaroscurist
First time to hear the word “chiaroscurist?” Well, it is the term for artists who play with shadows and darkness to create art. The word itself has two parts: “chiaro,” which means bright or light, and “oscruo,” which means dark — it literally means the use of light and darkness. Famous examples of chiaroscurists include Leonardo da Vinci and Rembrandt.
Another hard word to spell related to a chiaroscrurist is chiaroscuro.
Rhythm
Rythm or rhythm? Compared to the previous word, you might have come across the word “rhythm” more often. But despite its frequency (in conversations and speech), many people still struggle to spell this noun.
Liaison
A liaison is the middleman between groups of people. Most people struggle to figure out the spelling because of the three vowels (i-a-i) in a row.
An easy way to remember the spelling of this word is to break it up into its three parts and write “li-ai-son.”
Bologna
Bologna is confusing to spell because of its pronunciation (“buh-lo-nee”). Fun fact: the word “bologna” is named after a city in Italy that has the same name!
Embarrass
“Embarass,” “embarres,” “embarras,” “emberras,” there are tons of different misspellings for this word. But the correct spelling is “embarrass.” If you are struggling to spell this word, remember that it has two A’s, two R’s, and two S’s
Entrepreneur
Do you know someone who owns a business? Well, you can call him or her an entrepreneur! Many people struggle with the spelling of this word, especially the last three letters.
Pneumonia
New-moan-yuh. Where does the letter “p” come from? Well, it’s silent. One trick to remembering the correct spelling is to keep in mind that “pneumonia” is from the Greek word “pneumon,” which means lung.
Broccoli
Whether you are perplexed with the taste of broccoli or can’t get enough of this superfood, one thing is certain: many people also misspell this vegetable! “Broccolli” and “broccolli” are common misspellings.
When in doubt, just remember that only the letter “c” is doubled.
Questionnaire
You might have already answered a questionnaire before, but it’s not uncommon to see it written as “questionaire” or “questionare.” If you want to nail this word’s spelling, remember “question” and then add “naire” at the end.
Paraphernalia
If you spell this word based on its pronunciation, you probably write “parafanelia” or “paraphanealia.” Sad to say, both are wrong.
Occurrence
Another hard word to spell is “occurrence” because of its double letters (letter “c” and “r”). To avoid misspelling it, write the word “occur” first and then add “rence” at the end.
Colonel
Colonel or kernel? Both are real words, but they have different, unrelated meanings. If you are referring to a high-ranking military, you should use “colonel.”
Epitome
Ipetime, epitime, and epitomy are all misspellings of the word “epitome.” This noun has two meanings: summary of a work or something that is ideal. For instance, The Notebook is the epitome of a perfect romance novel.
Worcestershire Sauce
What would be a list of hard words to spell without this sauce that can make dinner ten times better? Most people spell this word worsteshyer, worstershire, or worcershier.
Anemone
The gorgeous buttercup flower anemone is fun to say, beautiful to look at, but hard to spell. The back-and-forth vowels and consonants are confusing, so we don’t blame people who struggle to spell it.
Personnel
You might be surprised that the word “personnel” is considered a hard word to spell. But many people forget to double the letter “n.” Others double the letter “l.” If you always misspell this word, you can split it into two: “person” and “nel.”
Weird
The word “weird” is often thrown around in conversations (real life or online). But, like many other hard words to spell, many are struggling to spell it right, often leaving the letter “e” or having the letters “e” and “i” in the wrong position
Receipt
The I before E rule (“ie”) is a great spelling guide to follow. However, it isn’t applicable to all words. Take for instance, the word “receipt.” If you follow the rule, you get “reciept” which is a common misspelling. What you should follow instead is E before I after C.
Full List of the Most Commonly Misspelled Words (Hard Words to Spell)
- Playwright
- Minuscule
- Worcestershire Sauce
- Broccoli
- Pneumonia
- Paraphernalia
- Mississippi
- Occurrence
- Entrepreneur
- Epitome
- Colonel
- Bologna
- Personnel
- Anemone
- Liaison
- Weird
- Receipt
- Surveillance
- Rhythm
- Chiaroscurist
- Sandwiches
- Threshold
- Silhouette
- Buffet
- Behavior
- Sherbet
- Maneuver
- Vengeance
- Sergeant
- Orangutan
- Possession
- Chaos
- Memento
- Vomit
- Miniature
- Genius
- Hierarchy
- Accommodate
- Acknowledgment
- Bourgeois
- Camouflage
- Caricature
- Cacophony
- Connoisseur
- Deceive
- Dilapidated
- Discotheque
- Ecstasy
- Eczema
- Exacerbate
- Fluorescent
- Garrulous
- Gobbledygook
- Grotesque
- Handkerchief
- Idiosyncrasy
- Impresario
- Inoculate
- Insouciant
- Labyrinth
- Licorice
- Logorrhea
- Macabre
- Magnanimous
- Mnemonic
- Onomatopoeia
- Panacea
- Phenomenon
- Quizzical
- Repertoire
- Sacrilegious
- Sesquipedalian
- Sycophant
- Tchotchke
- Unconscious
- Whimsical
- Abscess
- Aesthetic
- Affidavit
- Albeit
- Amalgam
- Amphibious
- Anachronism
- Apocryphal
- Axiomatic
- Bacchanalian
- Blasphemous
- Bouillabaisse
- Calligraphy
- Candelabrum
- Capricious
- Clandestine
- Coalesce
- Coercion
- Cognizant
- Conscientious
- Conundrum
- Corporeal
- Cryptography
- Debauchery
- Demagogue
- Desiccate
- Dichotomy
- Discernible
- Ephemeral
- Euphemism
- Exhilarate
- Facetious
- Felicitous
- Fuchsia
- Gubernatorial
- Hemorrhage
- Hyperbole
- Hypocrisy
- Idiosyncratic
- Ineffable
- Insurrection
- Kaleidoscope
- Lacquer
- Malfeasance
- Misanthrope
- Naïveté
- Nomenclature
- Obfuscate
- Obsequious
- Paradigm
- Parsimonious
- Phlegm
- Pseudonym
- Quintessential
- Resuscitate
- Scintillate
- Soliloquy
- Superfluous
- Susceptible
- Synecdoche
- Truculent
- Ubiquitous
- Vicarious
- Vicissitude
- Vivacious
- Whippersnapper
