A Spelling Test

I compiled a list from many sources and edited it to 50 commonly misspelled words, making my choices based on my 11 years of experience as a copy editor. You can take the test (below) and see how you did right away. There are some spelling tips on another page. (Hey! It's cheating if you look now!)

Please note:

Click the CORRECT spelling.
The spellings considered correct are American spellings (because I'm an American). The preferred spelling will differ in the British Commonwealth in some cases (at least one that I'm sure of).
"Variants" listed in your dictionary are not correct -- they are variants. That means people use them -- they are not preferred by educated editors. Ain't is also in your dictionary -- that does NOT mean it's correct.

Other pages about spelling:

More spelling test sites on the Web.
Spelling tips that may help you.
Books to improve your spelling.

1.	annoint	anoint
2.	coolly	cooly
3.	supersede	supercede
4.	irresistible	irresistable
5.	developement	development
6.	alright	all right
7.	seperate	separate
8.	tyranny	tyrrany
9.	harrass	harass
10.	desiccate	dessicate
11.	indispensable	indispensible
12.	recieve	receive
13.	pursue	persue
14.	reccomend	recommend
15.	desperate	desparate
16.	liquify	liquefy
17.	seize	sieze
18.	cemetary	cemetery
19.	subpoena	subpena
20.	definately	definitely
21.	ocassion	occasion
22.	consensus	concensus
23.	inadvertant	inadvertent
24.	minuscule	miniscule
25.	judgment	judgement
26.	inoculate	innoculate
27.	drunkenness	drunkeness
28.	occurence	occurrence
29.	dissipate	disippate
30.	weird	wierd
31.	alot	a lot
32.	accomodate	accommodate
33.	embarrassment	embarassment
34.	ecstacy	ecstasy
35.	repetition	repitition
36.	battalion	batallion
37.	despair	dispair
38.	irritable	irritible
39.	accidently	accidentally
40.	liaison	liason
41.	memento	momento
42.	brocolli	broccoli
43.	millennium	millenium
44.	yeild	yield
45.	existence	existance
46.	independent	independant
47.	sacreligious	sacrilegious
48.	insistent	insistant
49.	excede	exceed
50.	privilege	priviledge

To start over:

A Spelling Test, by Mindy McAdams
Copyright © 1992, 1995 by Mindy McAdams. All Rights Reserved.

If you want to link to this page,
go ahead. If you want to reproduce
the spelling test in printed form, please
provide the URL of this page.
Questions and comments
are welcome; send e-mail.

mmcadams@well.com

Revised on November 21, 1995


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