This document provides guidance on commonly misspelled words and spelling rules in English. It covers topics such as: 1. Rules for "ie" vs "ei" and adding suffixes like "-ed" and "-ing" depending on vowel sounds and syllable structure. 2. Forming plurals of nouns and adding suffixes to verbs and adjectives while following conventions like dropping silent letters. 3. Exceptions to typical spelling patterns involving suffixes, consonant doubling, and retaining or dropping final letters.

1. 300 Most
mispelled
misspelled
words

2. 1. ‘ie’ or ‘ei’
Write i before e, except
after c
• Write ie after c for words with a shen sound.
• Write ei when the vowels sounds like an a as in
'weigh‘.

3. INCORRECT CORRECT
PERCIEVE PERCEIVE
RECIEVE RECEIVE
VIEN VEIN
EXAMPLES

4. S or ES?
• Add es if a word ends in ch, sh, ss, x
or z
• Add es for most words ending in o

5. INCORRECT CORRECT
TOMATOS TOMATOES
ECHOS ECHOES
BUFFALOS BUFFALOES
HEROS HEROES
POTATOS POTATOES
MOSTLY SPELLED CORRECTLY
ARCHES
CLASSES

6. The common nouns ending in -o
that can be spelled with either -s or
-es in the plural:
BANJO BANJOS BANJOES
CARGO CARGOS CARGOES
FLAMINGO FLAMINGOS FLAMINGOES
MANGO MANGOS MANGOES
HALO HALOS HALOES
GHETTO GHETTOS GHETTOES
FRESCO FRESCOS FRESCOES

7. ‘t ’ or ‘tt’ when adding -ing, -
ed and some suffixes to verbs
• DOUBLE the t for verbs of one syllable
with a single vowel, or a short vowel
sound.
WORD INCORRECT CORRECT
COMMIT COMMITING COMMITTING
ABET ABETING ABETTING

8. ‘Y’ to ‘I’ or
not
• For words ending in y, retain the y
when adding ing.
WORD INCORRECT CORRECT
JUSTIFY JUSTIFING JUSTIFYING
CERTIFY CERTIFING CERTIFYING
IMPLY IMPLING IMPLYING

9. DROP THE FINAL
‘E’
• DROP the final e when adding –ing.
WORD INCORRECT CORECT
MANAGE MANAGEING MANAGING
SAVE SAVEING SAVING
MENACE MENACEING MENACING

10. In the spelling of English words, the letter q is always
followed by the vowel u, for example:
QUEUE QUIZ ACQUAINTANCE
SQUASH FREQUENT TRANQUIL
This rule does not apply to Arabic
words such as niqab.

11. Forming Adverbs
The basic rule is that - ly is added
to the end of the adjective.
QUICK QUICKLY
SUDDEN SUDDENLY

12. If the adjective has two
syllables and ends in -y, then
you need to replace the final -y
with –ily:
WORD INCORRECT CORRECT
HAPPY HAPPYLY HAPPILY
LAZY LAZYLY LAZILY
HUNGRY HUNGRYLY HUNGRILY

13. If the adjective ends with a
consonant followed by -le, replace
the final -e with -y on its own:
TERRIBLE INCREDIBLE HORRIBLE
TERRIBLY INCREDIBLY HORRIBLY
Adjectives that end in -ly, such as friendly or lively, can't
be made into adverbs by adding -ly. You have to use a
different form of words, e.g. ‘in a friendly way’ or ‘in a
lively way’ instead.

14. Adding -ful or -fully
Suffix ful is added with just one l.
FUL INCORRECT FULLY
DREADFUL DREADFULL DREADFULLY
FAITHFUL FAITHFULL FAITHFULLY
POWERFUL POWERFULL POWERFULLY
CHEERFUL CHEERFULL CHEERFULLY

15. -ize, -ise, or -yse?
Many verbs that end in -ize can
also end in -ise:
FINALISE FINALIZE
REALISE REALIZE
ORGANISE ORGANIZE

16. But there is a small set of verbs that
must always be spelled with -ise at the
end and never with -ize. The main
reason for this is that, in these words, -
ise is part of a longer word
INCORRECT CORRECT
ADVERTIZE ADVERTISE
COMPROMIZE COMPROMISE
DESPIZE DESPISE

17. There are also a few verbs
which always end in –yse.
ANALYSE ELECTROLYSE
CATALYSE PARALYSE
HYDROLYSE BREATHALYSE

18. YOU NEED TO DROP THE FINAL L FROM
WORDS THAT END WITH A DOUBLE L BEFORE
ADDING ENDINGS THAT BEGIN WITH A
CONSONANT
Adding endings to
words that end in a
double ‘l’
WORD INCORRECT CORRECT
SKILL SKILLFULLY SKILFULY
INSTALL INSTALLMENT INSTALMENT

19. The ending -ness is an exception
to this rule.
WORD INCORRECT CORRECT
SMALL SMALNESS SMALLNESS
ILL ILNESS ILLNESS

20. In Verbs Ending With A Silent E, Drop
The Last E Before Adding Ed Or Ing
Adding -ed and -ing
BAKE BAKED BAKING
SMILE SMILED SMILING

21. Verbs ending in -ee, -ye, and -
oe do not drop the final -e
when adding –ing.
WORD ED ING
FREE FREED FREEING
DYE DYED DYEING
TIPTOE TIPTOED TIPTOEING

22. If the verb ends with a vowel plus-l, thenyou
need to double the l before adding -ed and -ing
WORD ED ING
TRAVEL TRAVELLE
D
TRAVELLI
NG
DISTIL DISTILLED DISTILLIN
G
EQUAL EQUALLE
D
EQUALLIN
G

23. If the verb has only one syllable and
ends with a single vowel plus a
consonant, then you need to double
the final consonant before adding -
ed and -ing:
STOP STOPPED STOPPING
TAP TAPPED TAPPING
SOB SOBBED SOBBING

24. If the verb ends with two vowels plus a
consonant, you should generally not double the
final consonant:
TREAT TREATED TREATING
WHEEL WHEELED WHEELING
POUR POURED POURING

25. If the verb ends in-c (e.g. panic), you need
to add a -k before adding -ed and -ing, and
also -er.
PICNIC PICNICKED PICNICKING
MIMIC MIMICKED MIMICKING
TRAFFIC TRAFFICKED TRAFFICKING

26. Plurals of nouns
If the noun ends with -ch, -s, -sh, -x, or -z,
add –es. Example->church=churches,
bus=buses
EXCEPTION, If the -ch ending is pronounced
with a ‘k’ sound, you add –s rather than –es.
WORD INCORRECT CORRECT
STOMACH STOMACHES STOMACHS
EPOCH EPOCHES EPOCHS

27. With nouns that end in a consonant or a single
vowel plus -f or -fe, change the -f or -fe to –ves.
WORD INCORRE
CT
CORRECT
KHIFE KNIFES KNIVES
HALF HALFS HALVES
SCARF SCARFS SCARVES

28. Nouns which end in two vowels plus -f usually form
plurals in the normal way, with just an –s.
CHIEF CHIEFS
SPOOF SPOOFS

29. CRAMMING WON’T
DO THE JOB

30. THANK
YOU