Spelling is always a concern for those who read and write in English. English has been shaped by many different languages, starting with Latin and Greek. Words are composed of sounds, and transcribing those sounds into written language has proved very complicated for English speakers. Some words are spelled with pronunciations that were prevalent at the times these words were invented, pronunciations that are different from today. Other words keep the spelling of the original language, even though English speakers pronounce those words differently. Homophones are words that sound the same but mean different things and are spelled differently. Usually, the etymology of two homophones proves that even though they are pronounced in the same way now, their origins are very different.
All the sounds used in speaking English words may be represented multiple ways. For instance, the letter c may make the same sound as the letter k, as well as the same sound as the letter s. In addition, certain words are spelled differently in British English and American English. Examples of this are the words labour and labor, and the words metre and meter.
Approximately seventy-five percent of words in the English language follow some basic spelling rules, the rest are exceptions to the rules and must be memorized. Grammarist is here to help you choose the right word with the right spelling for every situation.
'
- 'L', L, el (Chicago trains)
-
- -emia or -aemia
A
- A cappella
- A lot vs. alot
- Abetter vs. abettor
- Abridgment and abridgement
- Absorption vs. adsorption
- Abstracter vs. abstractor
- Accessorize vs accessorise
- Accessory vs accessary
- Accost
- Accoutrement
- Acknowledgement vs. acknowledgment
- Actualise vs actualize
- Ad vs. add
- Adapter vs. adaptor
- Addenda vs addendums
- Adduce vs educe
- Adventurous vs adventuresome
- Advertise vs advertize
- Adviser vs. advisor
- Aeon vs. eon
- Aether vs. ether
- Ageing vs. aging
- Aggrandize
- Agog or agape
- Agreement vs agreeance
- Aid vs. aide
- Aisle vs. isle
- Ajar
- All American or all-American
- All together vs. altogether
- Alma mater
- Already vs. all ready
- Also-ran
- Altar vs. alter
- Aluminium vs. aluminum
- Amative or amatory
- Ambiance vs. ambience
- Amok vs. amuck
- Amphitheater vs amphitheatre
- Anachronism
- Analog vs. analogue
- Analyse vs. analyze
- Analyses vs analyzes
- Anemic or anaemic
- Anesthesia vs anaesthesia
- Annex vs. annexe
- Anodyne vs analgesic
- Antediluvian
- Anyday vs any day
- Anymore or any more
- Anyone or any one
- Anytime vs. any time
- Apart vs a part
- Apologise vs. apologize
- Appal vs. appall
- Appellation vs appellative
- Appetizer or hors d'oeuvre
- Appetizer vs appetiser
- April Fool's or April Fools'
- Arbor or arbour
- Archaeology vs. archeology
- Arctic, Antarctic
- Ardor or ardour
- Armor vs. armour
- Artefact vs. artifact
- At wits' end
- Au fait
- Auger vs. augur
- Aural vs. oral
- Authorise vs. authorize
- Aw or awe
- Awhile vs. a while
- Ax vs. axe
- Axel vs. axle
B
- Bachelor’s or bachelors degree and master’s or masters degree
- Back seat vs. backseat
- Backwater or backwaters
- Backyard, back yard, back-yard
- Bad vs badly
- Bail vs. bale
- Bailout, bail out, and bail-out
- Bait vs. bate
- Bane
- Baptise vs. baptize
- Barbecue vs. barbeque
- Barbed wire
- Bare vs. bear
- Bath or bathe
- Battle royal
- Beat or beaten
- Began vs begun
- Behavior vs. behaviour
- Behold and beholden
- Belle vs beau
- Benefiting vs benefitting
- Bent or bended
- Beside oneself and beside the point
- Bespeak vs bespoke
- Bespeckled or bespectacled
- Bight vs. bite
- Bingeing or binging
- Bite-size or bite-sized
- Blessed vs. blest
- Blew, blown, or blowed
- Bloc vs. block
- Blowout vs. blow out
- Blowup vs. blow up
- Board vs bored
- Bogeyman
- Bore, boor, boar
- Borne vs. born
- Borough, burro, burrow
- Bough or bow
- Braggadocio
- Braggart vs bragger
- Break up vs. breakup
- Breastfeeding, breastfed, breastfeed, etc.
- Breath vs. breathe
- Bright vs. brite
- Brussels sprout
- Bugbear or bugaboo
- Bulk, balk, baulk
- Bus stop vs. busstop
- Buses vs. busses
C
- Caddie vs. caddy
- Caesarean section, Caesarian, cesarean, etc.
- Caliber vs. calibre
- Calumny
- Camaraderie vs comradery
- Canceled vs. cancelled
- Candor or candour
- Canon vs. cannon
- Capiche, capeesh, capische, etc
- Carburetor vs carburettor
- Carrot-and-stick
- Catalog vs. catalogue
- Catalyse or catalyze
- Categorize vs categorise
- Cauterize vs cauterise
- Censer vs censor vs censure vs sensor
- Center vs. centre
- Cession vs. session
- Chalk up vs. chock
- Check in vs. check-in (vs. checkin)
- Check up vs. checkup
- Check vs. cheque
- Checkout vs. check out
- Chic vs. sheik
- Childcare, child care, child-care
- Chili vs. chilly
- Chute vs. shoot
- Civilise vs. civilize
- Cleave
- Close-minded vs. closed-minded
- Cloth vs clothes
- Co-ordinate vs coordinate
- Coarse vs. course
- Coliseum vs. colosseum
- Collectible vs collectable
- Collocate
- Collocate vs colocate
- Colonize vs colonise
- Color vs. colour
- Comeuppance
- Computerize or computerise
- Conceded or conceited
- Connexion
- Constant vs consistent
- Consultative
- Cooperate vs. co-operate
- Copacetic or copasetic
- Coral vs. corral
- Cord vs. chord
- Cosy vs. cozy
- Council vs. counsel
- Counselor vs. counsellor
- Crack down vs. crackdown
- Crier vs. cryer
- Crisis of conscience vs crisis of confidence
- Criticize or criticise
- Crueler or crueller, cruelest or cruellest
- Crumby vs. crummy
- Curb vs. kerb
- Customise vs. customize
D
- Dais
- Dam vs. damn
- Dead set, dead-set, deadset
- Decent vs. descent
- Defence vs. defense
- Deleterious vs detrimental
- Demagogue vs demigod
- Demeanor or demeanour
- Dependant vs. dependent
- Deplane or disembark
- Derring-do
- Deviled vs devilled
- Diagram
- Dialogue vs dialog
- Dietician or dietitian
- Dike vs. dyke
- Diktat
- Dis vs. diss
- Disc vs. disk
- Disdain or distain
- Dispatch vs. despatch
- Dissatisfied or unsatisfied
- Dole out vs. doll out
- Don't's or don'ts
- Donner or Donder
- Dos or do's
- Doughnut vs. donut
- Douse vs. dowse
- Draft vs. draught
- Dreidel or dreidl
- Dual vs. duel
- Dumpster vs dumpster
- Dyeing vs. dying
E
- E. coli
- Ecumenical
- Eek vs. eke
- Effete
- Elicit vs. illicit
- Embed vs imbed
- Emphasise vs emphasize
- En masse
- Enamor vs. enamour
- Enclose vs. inclose
- Energize vs energise
- Engrain vs. ingrain
- Enmity vs animosity
- Enquire vs. inquire
- Enrol vs. enroll
- Entree vs entrée
- Envelop vs. envelope
- Envision vs. invision
- Envoi vs. envoy
- Ere vs. err
- Esoteric vs archaic
- Estimation or approximation
- Evidence vs evince
- Exploitative vs. exploitive
- Extol vs extoll
F
- Factious vs facetious
- Faeces vs feces
- Faun vs. fawn
- Faux-naïf
- Favor vs. favour
- Favorite vs. favourite
- Ferment or foment
- Fiber vs. fibre
- First things first
- Flack vs. flak
- Flavor vs. flavour
- Fleur-de-lis
- Flier vs. flyer
- Flower vs flour
- Flu vs. flue
- Folderol
- For God's sake
- Foreword vs. forward
- Forty vs. fourty
- Foul vs. fowl
- Fracking
- Free rein vs. free reign
- Freshwater vs. fresh water
- Frogmarch or frog-march
- Fuddle
- Fueled/fueling vs. fuelled/fuelling
- Fulfil vs. fulfill
- Fur vs fir
- Futz vs putz
G
- Gage, gauge, and gouge
- Gait vs gate
- Gaol vs. jail
- Garrote, garrotte, or garotte
- Gaudy vs. gawdy
- Gaveled vs. gavelled
- Gemology vs gemmology
- Generalize vs generalise
- Gild vs. guild
- Gist vs. jist
- Git-go
- Glamour vs. glamor
- Go down a treat
- Gofer vs. gopher
- Google vs google
- Gorilla vs. guerrilla
- Gray vs. grey
- Grisly vs. grizzly
- Gunwale and gunnel
H
- Hairbrained vs. harebrained
- Hairy vs. harry
- Halcyon
- Hallow vs. hollow
- Halloween or Hallowe'en
- Hand-wash
- Hands on or hands-on
- Hanukkah or Chanukah
- Hara-kiri
- Harbor vs. harbour
- Hark, harken, and hearken
- Headwind
- Heal vs. heel (and bring to heel)
- Healthcare vs. health care
- Hear, hear vs. here, here
- Heighth
- Helter skelter or helter-skelter
- Highfalutin
- Hijinks or high jinks
- Hoard vs. horde
- Hoi polloi
- Holey vs. holy
- Home school vs. homeschool (vs. home-school)
- Honor vs. honour
- Hope or hopes
- Horsey, horsy, horsie
- Humor vs. humour
- Humus vs. hummus
- Hurdle vs. hurtle
I
- Ibid vs idem
- Ice tea vs. iced tea
- Idiom vs colloquialism
- Idle, idol, idyll
- If need be or if needs be
- Ignoramus
- Imbroglio
- Imposter vs. impostor
- Improvise vs. improvize
- Incase or encase
- Incidence vs. incidents
- Inclement vs. inclimate
- Incomprehensive or incomprehensible
- Inculcate
- Indemnity and contribution
- Indict vs indite
- Indolence vs insolence
- Installment vs. instalment
- Intact
- Its vs. it's
J
- Jewelry vs. jewellery
- Jones
- Judgment vs. judgement
- Junkie vs. junky
- Just deserts vs. just desserts
K
- Ketchup, catsup, catchup
- Kick off vs. kickoff (vs. kick-off)
- Knave vs nave
L
- Labeled vs. labelled
- Labor vs. labour
- Lambast vs. lambaste
- Lasagna vs. lasagne
- Lay out vs. layout
- Leaned or leant
- Leaped vs. leapt
- Learned vs. learnt
- Led vs. lead
- Leftover vs. left over
- Legal vs legit
- Legitimate vs legitimitize
- Lei
- Lesser or lessor
- Letter names
- Levee vs. levy
- Liar vs. lier
- Licence vs. license
- Licorice vs. liquorice
- Lie or lye
- Lieutenant
- Lifetime or life time
- Lightening vs. lightning
- Likable vs. likeable
- Lilliputian
- Linchpin vs. lynchpin
- Lionize and lionise
- Liquor vs liqueur
- Listserv
- Liter vs. litre
- Liveable or livable
- Loath vs. loathe (vs. loth)
- Log in vs. login
- Look out vs. lookout (vs. look-out)
- Loonie or loony
- Loquacious
- Lots of vs a lot of
- Lovable vs. loveable
M
- Machine gun vs. machine-gun
- Macintosh, mackintosh, McIntosh
- Maneuver vs. manoeuvre
- Manner vs. manor
- Mantel vs. mantle
- Marry vs. merry
- Marshal vs. martial
- Math vs. maths
- Matter of fact or matter-of-fact
- Maximise or maximize
- Mayhap or mishap or snafu
- Mayonnaise vs. mayonaise
- Meager vs. meagre
- Medal, meddle, metal, mettle
- Merry Christmas vs Happy Christmas
- Metaphoric vs. metaphorical
- Meter vs. metre
- Mic vs. mike
- Midrift (midriff)
- Militate or mitigate
- Minimize vs minimise
- Minks vs. minx
- Minuscule vs. miniscule
- Mischievous vs. mischievious
- Misspell
- Mobilize vs mobilise
- Modeling vs. modelling
- Mold vs. mould
- Mollusc vs. mollusk
- Molt vs. moult
- Mom vs mom
- Monetize vs demonetize
- Monied vs. Moneyed
- Moose vs. mooses
- Mother lode
- Moustache vs. mustache (vs. mustachio)
- Mouthfuls
- Movable vs. moveable
- Mucous vs. mucus
- Muumuu
N
- Neandertal vs. neanderthal
- Need vs knead
- Neighbor vs. neighbour
- Neutralise vs neutralize
- Never mind vs nevermind
- News
- Nib vs nub
- No one vs. noone (vs. no-one)
- Noel or nowel
- None are or none is
- Nowadays, anymore, or any more
- Nutriment or nutrition
O
- Oases
- Ocher vs. ochre
- Odor vs. odour
- Offence vs. offense
- OK vs. okay
- Old chestnut
- Old-fashioned or old fashion
- Omelet vs. omelette
- One-time vs. onetime
- Oneself vs. one's self
- Online vs. on-line
- Operationalise or operationalize
- Opossum vs. possum
- Organise vs. organize
- Origin or origins
- Orthopedic vs. orthopaedic
- Over- and under- (prefixes)
- Overdo vs. overdue
P
- Paid vs. payed
- Pair vs. pare vs. pear
- Pajamas vs. pyjamas
- Palate, palette, pallet
- Pale in comparison
- Paralyse vs. paralyze
- Parlor or parlour
- Passable or passible
- Passerbys or passersby
- Passing strange
- Pasteurize vs pasteurise
- Peak vs. peek vs. pique
- Peal vs. peel
- Peckish
- Pediatric or paediatric
- Percent vs. per cent
- Peter out
- Pharaoh or Pharoah
- Philippic
- Phosphorous vs. phosphorus
- Photo shoot vs. photoshoot
- Pickup vs. pick up (vs. pick-up)
- Pixelated vs. pixilated
- Plaque vs plack
- Plateaus vs. plateaux
- Playwright vs. playwrite
- Plough vs. plow
- Plum vs. plumb
- Pompom vs. pompon (vs. pom-pom etc.)
- Pooh-bah or poobah
- Populace vs. populous
- Pore over vs. pour over
- Pore, pour or poor
- Potluck
- Powwow
- Practice vs. practise
- Pray vs. prey
- Pretence vs. pretense
- Preventative vs. preventive
- Principal vs. principle
- Prioritize vs prioritise
- Program vs. programme
- Promulgate vs propagate
- Proverbial vs figurative
- Proviso
- Proximal vs proximate
- Pugnacious
- Pusillanimous
- Putrefaction
Q
- Qua
- Quay
- Quiver vs quaver
R
- Racket vs. racquet
- Rancor vs. rancour
- Randomize vs randomise
- Rappel vs. repel
- Razzmatazz or razzamatazz
- Re-create vs. recreate
- Real-time vs. real time
- Realise vs. realize
- Recent vs. resent
- Recognize vs recognise
- Remunerate vs. renumerate
- Repertoire or repertory
- Restaurateur vs. restauranteur
- Retch vs. wretch
- Review vs. revue
- Riffle vs rifle
- Right-side up
- Rigmarole
- Ring vs. wring
- Rivaled/rivaling vs. rivalled/rivalling
- Rock 'n' roll, rock and roll, rock'n'roll, etc.
- Rogue vs. rouge
- Role vs. roll
- Roommate, room mate or room-mate
- Rumor vs. rumour
S
- Saccharin vs. saccharine
- Sacrilege, sacrilegious
- Salient vs salience
- Saltwater vs. salt water
- Sangfroid
- Sanitise vs sanitize
- Sarcophagus
- Savanna vs. savannah
- Savior vs. saviour
- Say one's peace vs piece
- Sceptic vs. skeptic
- Schema or schematic
- Schmuck versus putz
- Sear vs. seer vs. sere
- Second that emotion or notion or motion
- Self vs self
- Sensational vs sensationalistic
- Separate vs seperate
- Set up vs. setup
- Sew vs. sow
- Sharable vs. shareable
- Share and share alike vs per stirpes
- Shear vs. sheer
- Shellac, shellack
- Sherbert vs. sherbet
- Shoo-in
- Shriveled/shriveling vs. shrivelled/shrivelling
- Sight vs. site
- Silicon vs. silicone
- Site vs cite
- Sizable or sizeable
- Skilful vs. skillful
- Skulduggery
- Smelled vs. smelt
- Smokey vs. smoky
- Snobbery or snobbishness
- Somber vs. sombre
- Somersault
- Sorbet
- Soup up
- Spat or spitted
- Specter vs. spectre
- Spelled vs. spelt
- Spic and span vs spick and span
- Spry
- Stained glass
- Steal vs steel
- Stick to, stick by, or stick with
- Storey vs. story
- Strait-laced
- Straitjacket
- Stupefaction
- Sub rosa vs sub-rosa
- Subtle vs. subtil
- Sulfur vs. sulphur
- Summa cum laude or magna cum laude
- Summary vs. summery
- Supersede or supercede
- Supposed to
- Sweeped or swept
- Synchronise or synchronize
T
- T-shirt, t-shirt, tee-shirt, tee shirt
- Tad bit vs tidbit
- Tail vs. tale
- Take over vs. takeover
- Teeth vs. teethe
- Tenant vs. tenet
- Terra firma
- Thanksgiving or Thanksgiving Day
- Theater vs. theatre
- Their, there, they're
- Them's the breaks or brakes
- Thesauri or thesaurusus
- Thong or flip-flop
- Threshold or threshhold
- Threw vs. through
- Through and through or thru and thru
- Through vs. thru
- Tidbit vs. titbit
- Timber or timbre
- Timeout vs. time out
- Timpanum, timpani, tympanum, tympani
- Tire vs. tyre
- Ton vs. tonne
- Totaled/totaling vs. totalled/totalling
- Touche or touché
- Toward vs. towards
- Toweled or towelled
- Trainer or trainor
- Traveled/traveling vs. travelled/travelling
- Treacle
- Treasurys
- Trick or treat vs trick-or-treat
- Trooper or trouper
- Tumor vs. tumour
- Tunneled, tunneling vs. tunnelled, tunnelling
- Turnkey vs turn key
U
- Underwater vs. under water
- Underway vs. under way
- Unexceptionable vs unexceptional
V
- Vain, vein, and vane
- Vale, vail, or veil
- Valentine's Day
- Variety vs varietal
- Verklempt
- Vice vs. vise
- Vicious vs. viscous
- Vigor, vigour and vigorous
- Voicemail
- Voilà
- Voluptuous vs voluminous
W
- Wack vs. whack
- Wagon vs. waggon
- Waist vs. waste
- Warrantee vs. warranty
- Web site vs. website
- Well-being vs. wellbeing
- Whiz, whizz, wiz
- Wholistic and holistic
- Wilful vs. willful
- Wintery vs wintry
- Woolen vs. woollen
- Work in progress vs work in process
- Would just as soon or assume
- Wreath vs. wreathe
- Write-off vs. write off
X
- Xmas
Y
- Yoghurt vs. yogurt
- Your vs. you're
- Youth or youths