1000 Commonly

Misspelled Words
I have said earlier that markers dont usually take marks off for poor spelling. However, it
does leave a bad impression. Since most word-processing programs have a spellchecker,
poor spelling suggests that you havent used it, and so have not given your document the
thorough checking it deserves.
Markers are not usually concerned about words that are spelt differently by Americans
and Australians (behavior and behaviour, respectively, or analyze and analyse). They are
more concerned about whether you are being careless, because it suggests that you may
have been careless in other areas too. Where a marker may have given you the benefit of
the doubt about your understanding of the material if your expression is a little confusing here and there, they are less likely to do so if your spelling is poor or if the document
has obviously not been proofread.
In his very useful book on student skills, Burdess (1991) has a list of 1000 commonly
misspelled words. He has kindly given me permission to reproduce the list here, so that
you have no excuse for spelling any of them incorrectly, even if you dont have access
to a word processor. Occasionally there are two versions of a word. Burdess suggests
that these are words where no matter which variant is attempted they are still often
misspelled.
You may like to print the list and pin it in some prominent place where you can
consult it while you write.

a lot
abbreviate
abbreviation
abolition
absence
abundance
abundant
academic
academically

academy
accede
access
accessibility
accessible
accident
accidentally
acclaim
acclamation

accommodate
accommodation
achievable
achieve
achievement
achiever
achieving
acquaintance
acquiesce

acquire
acquit
acquitted
adamant
adapt
adaptation
address
adequate
adherence

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How to Write Psychology Research Reports and Essays

adherent
adjective
administer
administration
administrative
advertisement
aerial
aggravate
aggravation
aggression
aggressive
aggressor
alcohol
alcoholic
alienate
alienation
align
alignment
allegation
allege
allegedly
allegiance
alleviate
allocate
allocation
allot
allotted
already
altogether
amend
amendment
among
amongst
amount
analogy
analyse, or
analyze (US)
analysis
analytical
analytically
ancillary
anecdotal

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anecdote
annihilate
annoy
anonymity
anonymous
Antarctic
anxious
appal
appalled
appalling
apparatus
apparent
apparently
appeal
appealed
appealing
appear
appearance
appropriate
appropriately
archaeologist, or
archeologist
archaeology, or
archeology
Arctic
arguable
arguably
argue
argument
article
as well
ascertain
assistance
associate
association
assume
assuming
assumption
assurance
assured
assuring
asymmetrical

asymmetry
atrocious
atrociously
attach
attachment
attendance
attendant
authoritarian
authoritatively
authority
auxiliary
availability
available
avoid
awkward
awkwardly
bankruptcy
basically
beautiful
become
beggar
beginning
believable
believe
beneficial
benefit
benefited
benefiting
blatant
blatantly
boisterous
boundary
bourgeois
bourgeoisie
Britain
buoyant
bureau
bureaucracy
bureaucratic
business

calculable
calendar
campaign
cancel
cancellation
canister
capital
capitalism
capitalist
career
caricature
catalogue
catastrophe
catastrophic
categorise, or
categorize
category
ceiling
cemetery
censor
census
central
centralise, or
centralize
centrality
century
ceremonial
ceremony
challenge
changeable
character
chargeable
charisma
charismatic
chauvinism
chauvinist
chauvinistic
chief
choice
Christian
circuit
cognition

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1000 Commonly Misspelled Words

cognitive
coincide
coincidence
collaborate
collaborator
colleague
college
collegiate
collision
colonel
commemorate
commemoration
commend
commendable
commission
commit
commitment
committed
committee
commodity
comparative
comparatively
comparison
compatibility
compatible
compel
compelled
compensate
compensation
competent
competently
competitive
competitively
comprehend
comprehensible
comprehensive
computer
conceit
concept
conceivable
conceive
concentrate

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concentric
concept
condemn
condemnation
condemned
connotation
conquer
conquered
conscience
conscientious
conscious
consciousness
consensus
considered
consistent
consolidate
constant
construe
construed
contemporary
contempt
contemptible
contradict
contradictory
contributor
control
controllable
controlled
controller
controversial
controversy
conurbation
convenience
convenient
corporal
correspondence
corroborate
corroboration
counterfeit
courteous
create
creation

criticise, or
criticize
criticism
cue
curriculum
cynic
cynicism
debatable
deceit
deceivable
deceive
decision
decrepit
deductible
defendant
defensible
defensive
definite
definitely
definition
degradation
delegate
delegation
deliberate
deliberately
demonstrate
demonstration
denigrate
denigration
deplete
depletion
description
desirable
despair
desperate
desperately
despite
deter
deteriorate
determine
deterred

deterrent
detriment
detrimental
devastate
develop
development
develops
deviance
deviancy
deviant
diaphragm
dichotomy
dietary
difference
different
dilapidate
dilapidation
dilemma
disappear
disappeared
disaster
disastrous
discernible
disciple
disciplinary
discipline
discretion
discriminate
discrimination
disintegrate
disintegration
dispensable
disprove
dissident
dissimilar
dissipate
distinct
division
doctor
dominance
dominant
dormant

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How to Write Psychology Research Reports and Essays

dramatically
drunkenness
duly
earned
economically
ecstasy
eight
eighth
eliminate
elimination
embarrass
embarrassing
embarrassment
embryo
embryos
emigrate
emigration
eminent
eminently
emperor
emphasis
emphasise
encompass
encroach
encroaches
enforceable
enormous
environment
equilibrium
equip
equipment
equipped
equipping
erupt
eruption
essential
euthanasia
eventually
evolutionary
exaggerate
exaggeration

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excel
excellence
excellent
excelling
excitable
excite
excitement
exemplify
exhilarate
exhilarating
exist
existence
existent
exorbitant
explain
explainable
explanation
explanatory
extraordinary
facilitate
facility
facsimile
familiar
fascinate
feasibility
feasible
February
feminine
femininity
feud
field
finally
finite
flamboyant
flexibility
flexible
fluorescent
forcible
forecast
foreign
foreigner

foresee
foreshadow
forest
forewarn
foreword
forfeit
fortunate
fortunately
fourteen
fourth (4th)
friend
further
gadgetry
galloped
gauge
ghettos
goddess
government
governor
graffiti
grammar
grief
grieve
guarantee
guaranteed
guard
guardian
guerilla
guidance
haphazard
harass
harassment
harmful
hazard
hazardous
helpful
helpfulness
hereditary
heterogeneous
hierarchical

hierarchy
hindrance
homogeneous
honorary
humorous
hygiene
identical
ideology
idiosyncrasy
immediate
immediately
immigrant
immigration
imminent
impenetrable
imperative
in fact
in turn
inadvertent
incidentally
incompatible
incurred
indefinite
indefinitely
independence
independent
indispensable
indistinct
indubitably
inevitable
infallible
infinite
infinitely
information
innate
innocuous
innuendoes
inoculate
insistence
insistent
insoluble

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1000 Commonly Misspelled Words

integrate
intensely
interest
interfere
interpret
interpreter
interpreting
interrupt
interruption
intervene
intricacy
investigator
involvement
irreconcilable
irreparable
irresistible
irreverent
irreversible
irrigation
irritation
Israel
jealous
jeopardise, or
jeopardize
jeopardy
journal
jubilant
jurisdiction
keenness
kilogram
knowledge
knowledgeable
known
laboratory
laid (not layed)
lawsuit
legitimacy
legitimate
leisure

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leisurely
liaison
library
lieutenant
likeable
likelihood
literature
livable
livelihood
loneliness
lonely
machinery
maintain
maintenance
manageable
manoeuvre, or
maneuver (US)
marihuana, or
marijuana
mathematics
meant
Mediterranean
merely
message
messenger
meteorological
meteorology
microfiche
milieu
mimic
mimicked
mimicry
miniature
ministry
miracle
miscellaneous
mischievous
misconstrue
monitor
monotonous
monotony

motivate
motivation
murmuring
mystifying
naive
natural
naturally
necessarily
necessary
negative
negotiable
negotiate
nonsense
nostalgia
notable
notably
noticeable
nuclear
nuisance
nurture
obedience
obedient
objector
obsolescence
obsolescent
obsolete
obstacle
occasion
occasionally
occur
occurred
occurrence
occurring
offered
offering
official
officially
officious
omission
omit

omitted
opening
openness
opponent
opportunity
optimistic
ordinarily
ordinary
origin
original
outspokenness
override
overriding
overrule
overruling
paid (not payed)
palliative
paradigm
paraffin
parallel
paranoid
parliament
parliamentary
particular
particularly
patriarchal
patriarchy
peculiar
people
perceive
perceptible
performance
perhaps
permanent
permanently
permissible
perseverance
persistence
persistent
personnel
persuade

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How to Write Psychology Research Reports and Essays

persuasive
pesticide
phenomena
phenomenon
Philippines
physical
physically
physician
piece
pinnacle
playwright
poison
poisonous
polar
policy
political
politician
pollution
positive
possess
possessive
practitioner
precede
precedence
precedent
precious
prefer
preference
preferred
preferring
prejudice
prejudicial
preparation
prepare
presence
prestigious
prevail
prevalence
prevalent
primary
privilege
privileged

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procedure
proceed
process
procession
processor
profession
professional
proffer
proffered
proficiency
proficient
programmed
programming
proletariat
prominent
pronunciation
propeller
proponent
proprietor
proprietorial
prosperous
prove
psychiatric
psychiatrist
psychiatry
psychological
psychologist
psychology
publicly
punctuation
pursue
queried
query
querying
questionnaire
queue
queuing
quotient
racism
racist

really
recede
receive
recession
receipt
reciprocal
recommend
recommendation
reconcilable
refer
referee
reference
referral
referred
referring
refrigerator
regard
regarding
register
registered
registering
regrettable
regrettably
regular
regularly
reign
relative
relatively
relegate
relevance
relevant
religious
religiously
rely
reminiscence
reminiscent
repentant
repetition
repetitive
repetitively
research
researcher

resemblance
reservoir
resistant
resource
respectability
respondent
response
responsibility
restaurant
resuscitate
reticent
reveal
reversible
rhetorical
rhyme
rhythm
rigid
rigorous
sacrilege
sacrilegious
saleable
satellite
scenery
seaboard
secondary
secrecy
secretary
segregate
seize
sense
sensible
sensitive
separate
separately
sergeant
sheriff
sieve
signature
significance
significant
similar

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1000 Commonly Misspelled Words

similarly
sincere
sincerely
sizeable
sociable
solely
solicitor
souvenir
sovereignty
spacious
spaciousness
spatial
spatially
special
specially
spectacular
strategy
submit
subservience
subservient
substantial
substantially
subtle
subtly
success
successful
successfully
succinct
succinctly
suddenness
suffice
sufficient
suggest
summarise
summary
superb
superintendent

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supersede
superseding
supplement
support
suppress
suppression
supremacy
survey
survive
survivor
susceptibility
susceptible
suspicious
suspiciously
sustain
sustenance
symmetrical
symmetrically
symmetry
taboo
taboos
taxied
taxiing, or
taxying
technical
technique
temperature
temporarily
temporary
tenant
tendency
tertiary
thorough
thought
threatened
through

throughout
tight
tobacco
tongue
totalitarian
transfer
transferable
transferred
transferring
transience
transient
triple
truly
twelfth
tyranny
unbelievable
underlie
undoubtedly
unfortunate
unfortunately
unmistakably
unnecessary
unparalleled
unrepentant
unsociable
until
up to
usage
useful
useless
utilise, or
utilize
vacuum
valuable
variable

variance
vegetable
vehicle
vengeance
versatile
vertical
vertically
vicious
viciously
view
vigorous
violence
violent
virtual
virtually
volcano
volcanoes
voluntarily
voluntary
vulnerable
warrant
Wednesday
whether
which
wholly
withdrawal
woollen
worshipper
worshipping
writing
written
yacht
yield
zeros

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