{"id":1097,"date":"2019-12-15T05:08:00","date_gmt":"2019-12-15T10:08:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/linguix.com\/blog\/?p=1097"},"modified":"2020-05-17T15:12:22","modified_gmt":"2020-05-17T19:12:22","slug":"the-top-10-nightmare-words-to-spell-in-english-even-for-native-speakers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/linguix.com\/blog\/the-top-10-nightmare-words-to-spell-in-english-even-for-native-speakers\/","title":{"rendered":"The Top 10 Nightmare Words to Spell in English (Even for Native Speakers!)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
Do you ever have problems spelling English words? Join the club. Nearly every single native English speaker, even academics, would say the same thing: English spelling is tough! That\u2019s because it makes no sense, particularly in relation to the pronunciation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There are spelling rules in English, but they are frequently broken. And irregular versions can be more common than their regular alternatives. It\u2019s a bit of a nightmare for everybody. But that\u2019s just the way it is, unfortunately.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The difficulty of English spelling is one of the main reasons why so much time is spent on spelling when kids are at school. Usually every week there is a spelling test to be had. And of course there are spelling bees \u2013 popular contests where kids compete to become spelling champions \u2013 all over the place, particularly in the United States.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, what are the ten hardest words to spell in English? Well, no list can be definitive, but those included here are certainly among the most frustrating. And you\u2019ll notice that some of these words are not even that complicated, but it doesn\u2019t change the fact that people still regularly misspell them!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Their<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
It\u2019s \u2018e\u2019 and then \u2018I\u2019 \u2013 so many people have problems remembering that combination. Fortunately, spellcheck services, such as the one offered by Linguix, can fix that mistake automatically for you. And it\u2019s definitely not \u2018there\u2019, or \u2018they\u2019re\u2019 \u2013 they are a totally different word.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Think of all the other words that have this combination of letters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2018weird\u2019<\/p>
\u2018foreign\u2019 (with the added pain of a silent \u2018g\u2019)<\/p>
\u2018leisure\u2019 (which is also pronounced completely differently in Britain, compared to the United States)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n
Believe it or not, there is an even a rhyme that is taught at school to help with spelling this combination. It goes like this:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2018\u2019i\u2019 before \u2018e\u2019 except after \u2018c\u2019.\u2019<\/p>
Except in \u2018their\u2019, \u2018weird\u2019, \u2018foreign\u2019, and \u2018leisure\u2019, of course!<\/p><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n
At least the rhyme works in the word \u2018receipt\u2019! But then it\u2019s got that \u2018p\u2019!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
English, huh?!<\/p>\n\n\n\n \n\n\n\n
Embarrassment<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
So how many \u2018r\u2019s and how many \u2018s\u2019s? It\u2019s actually two of both, but you will see so many other combinations it would make you laugh, or cry!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Double letters always cause a problem when spelling in English. Speaking of which\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Misspell<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
How ironic that the word \u2018misspell\u2019 is so easy to misspell. Once again, it\u2019s the double letters that cause the problem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A little trick that helps here is remembering that the prefix is \u2018mis\u2019, and the word is spell. Add them together and of course you will have two \u2018s\u2019s. Hope that helps!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Calendar<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Along with the \u2018I + e\u2019 combination, and double letters, knowing if a word should be spelled with an \u2018a\u2019 or an \u2018e\u2019 is a nightmare in English. Don\u2019t think about the pronunciation, because that won\u2019t help either.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Calendar is a typically example, because most people think that final \u2018a\u2019 should be an \u2018e\u2019. Because it sounds like one when you say the word. But it isn\u2019t!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
English, huh?!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Affect \/ effect<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
So many people get these words confused, mostly because we pronounce them the same way. However, \u2018affect\u2019 is the verb, and \u2018effect\u2019 is the noun. So\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe budget of a movie seriously affects the quality of the special effects.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n
That little sentence should help you remember the difference.<\/p><\/p>\n\n\n\n
And why not use an online tool such as Linguix, which can give you the definition of the word with a simple click of the mouse. In that way, you\u2019ll be sure to use the correct word in context. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
Playwright<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Shakespeare was a playwright, because he was a man who wrote plays. But shouldn\u2019t that then mean that he was a play + write? Nope, because in old English, a \u2018wright\u2019 was a word which meant worker, so a cartwright was someone who built or fixed carts, for example.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hence, playwright!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
English, huh?!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Pronunciation<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Another ironic word, because you may be able to pronounce it (notice the added \u2018o\u2019), but you won\u2019t be able to spell the word pronunciation (wait, what happened to that \u2018o\u2019?)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Rhythm<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
When you get a word that doesn\u2019t have any vowels, you have a real recipe for disaster. But where most people are okay with \u2018gypsy\u2019, the word \u2018rhythm\u2019 causes many more problems. There is no \u2018e\u2019!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Separate<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
We are back to our old friends \u2018a\u2019 and \u2018e\u2019 again. Remember \u2018calendar\u2019, well now meet \u2018separate\u2019! That middle vowel is an \u2018a\u2019, not an \u2018e\u2019. Don\u2019t try saying the word again, it\u2019s not going to help you!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Until \/ till<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
The formal word \u2018until\u2019 has only one \u2018l\u2019, but the shortened form \u2018till\u2019, which is also acceptable to use, has two \u2018l\u2019s.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2018Why?\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That is a question you never, ever ask about English spelling!<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Do you ever have problems spelling English words? Join the club. Nearly every single native English speaker, even academics, would say the same thing: English spelling is tough! That\u2019s because it makes no sense, particularly in relation to the pronunciation. There are spelling rules in English, but they are frequently broken. And irregular versions can […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":1098,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[468,516,515,492],"class_list":["post-1097","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-writing","tag-english-learning","tag-spelling","tag-writing-errors","tag-writing-mistakes"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
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<\/figure>\n\n\n\n