Misspelling and Misused Words List

-emia or -aemia
A
A cappella
A lot vs. alot
Abetter vs. abettor
Absorption vs. adsorption
Abstracter vs. abstractor
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
Anachronism
Analog vs. analogue
Analyse vs. analyze
Analyses vs analyzes
Annex vs. annexe
Anodyne vs analgesic
Antediluvian
Anytime vs. any time
Apologise vs. apologize
Appal vs. appall
Appellation vs appellative
Appetizer or hors d'oeuvre

April Fool's or April Fools'

Archaeology vs. archeology
Arctic, Antarctic
Armor vs. armour
Artefact vs. artifact
At wits' end
Au fait
Auger vs. augur
Aural vs. oral
Authorise vs. authorize
Awhile vs. a while
Ax vs. axe
Axel vs. axle
B
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
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
Canceled vs. cancelled
Candor or candour
Canon vs. cannon
Capiche, capeesh, capische, etc
Carrot-and-stick
Catalog vs. catalogue
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
Color vs. colour
Comeuppance
Conceded or conceited
Connexion
Constant vs consistent
Consultative
Cooperate vs. co-operate

Coral vs. corral

Cord vs. chord
Cosy vs. cozy
Council vs. counsel
Counselor vs. counsellor
Crack down vs. crackdown
Crier vs. cryer
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
Diagram
Dietician or dietitian
Dike vs. dyke
Diktat
Dis vs. diss
Disc vs. disk
Dispatch vs. despatch
Dissatisfied or unsatisfied
Dole out vs. doll out
Donner or Donder
Doughnut vs. donut
Douse vs. dowse
Draft vs. draught
Dreidel or dreidl
Dual vs. duel
Dyeing vs. dying
E
E. coli
Ecumenical
Eek vs. eke
Effete
Elicit vs. illicit
Embed vs imbed
En masse
Enamor vs. enamour
Enclose vs. inclose
Engrain vs. ingrain
Enmity vs animosity
Enquire vs. inquire

Enrol vs. enroll

Envelop vs. envelope
Envision vs. invision
Envoi vs. envoy
Ere vs. err
Esoteric vs archaic
Estimation or approximation
Evidence vs evince
Exploitative vs. exploitive
F
Factious vs facetious
Faun vs. fawn
Faux-naf
Favor vs. favour
Favorite vs. favourite
Ferment or foment
Fiber vs. fibre
Flack vs. flak
Flavor vs. flavour
Flier vs. flyer
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
Fuddle
Fueled/fueling vs. fuelled/fuelling
Fulfil vs. fulfill
Futz vs putz
G
Gage, gauge, and gouge
Gait vs gate
Gaol vs. jail
Garrote, garrotte, or garotte
Gaudy vs. gawdy
Gaveled vs. gavelled
Gild vs. guild
Gist vs. jist
Git-go
Glamour vs. glamor
Go down a treat
Gofer vs. gopher
Gorilla vs. guerrilla
Gray vs. grey
Grisly vs. grizzly
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
Incidence vs. incidents
Inclement vs. inclimate
Incomprehensive or incomprehensible
Inculcate
Indemnity and contribution
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
Liquor vs liqueur
Liter vs. litre
Loath vs. loathe (vs. loth)
Log in vs. login
Look out vs. lookout (vs. look-out)
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
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
Minks vs. minx
Minuscule vs. miniscule
Mischievous vs. mischievious
Modeling vs. modelling
Mold vs. mould
Mollusc vs. mollusk
Molt vs. moult
Mom vs mom
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
Neighbor vs. neighbour
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
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
Peak vs. peek vs. pique
Peal vs. peel
Peckish
Pediatric or paediatric
Percent vs. per cent
Peter out
Philippic
Phosphorous vs. phosphorus
Photo shoot vs. photoshoot
Pickup vs. pick up (vs. pick-up)
Pixelated vs. pixilated
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
Potluck
Powwow
Practice vs. practise
Pray vs. prey
Pretence vs. pretense
Preventative vs. preventive
Principal vs. principle
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
Rappel vs. repel
Razzmatazz or razzamatazz
Re-create vs. recreate
Real-time vs. real time
Realise vs. realize
Recent vs. resent
Remunerate vs. renumerate
Repertoire or repertory
Restaurateur vs. restauranteur
Retch vs. wretch
Review vs. revue
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
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
Sceptic vs. skeptic
Schema or schematic
Schmuck versus putz
Sear vs. seer vs. sere
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
Stained glass
Steal vs steel
Stick to, stick by, or stick with
Storey vs. story
Strait-laced
Straitjacket
Stupefaction
Subtle vs. subtil
Sulfur vs. sulphur
Summa cum laude or magna cum laude
Summary vs. summery
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
Thesauri or thesaurusus
Threw vs. through
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 touch
Toward vs. towards
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
V
Vain, vein, and vane
Vale, vail, or veil
Valentine's Day
Variety vs varietal
Verklempt
Vice vs. vise
Vicious vs. viscous
Voicemail
Voil
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
Wilful vs. willful
Wintery vs wintry
Woolen vs. woollen
Word 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