What are the top frequently misspelt words in UK business writing?
Call me old fashioned, but I hold tip-top spelling in high esteem. A misspelt word has the same effect as nails screeching down the blackboard.
If you’ve ever seen the Putnam County Spelling Bee, you’ll be amazed, dazed and possibly fazed by xerophthalmia, hausehole, omphaloskepsis and weltanschauung. Thankfully, they don’t pop up in the boardroom that often.
However, here are 30 business words that often do. How many would you get right?
How well can you spell these frequently misspelt business words?
Achieve – correct Acheive – incorrect
Top tip: good old ‘ i before e’
Apparently – correct Apparantly – incorrect
Top tip: no ants in your apparents
Argument – correct Arguement – incorrect
Top tip: A Rude Girl Undresses; My Eyes Need Taping
Beginning – correct Begining – incorrect
Top tip: this may be the beginning but there are 2 Ns in the middle
Business – correct Buisness – incorrect
Top tip: keep busy in business
Committee – correct Commitee – incorrect
Top tip: double m, double t, double e
Conscious – correct Concious – incorrect
Top tip: c x 2, s x 2
Definitely – correct Definately – incorrect
Top tip: think of the word ‘define’
Discipline – correct Disiplin – incorrect
Top tip: think silent c and silent e
Environment – correct Enviroment – incorrect
Top tip: remember the word ‘environs’
Finally – correct Finaly – incorrect
Top tip: end on double L
Government – correct Goverment – incorrect
Top tip: think of the verb ‘to govern’
Immediately – correct Immediatly – incorrect
Top tip: add ‘ly’ onto immediate
Knowledge – correct Knowlege – incorrect
Top tip: keep what you know in your brain and not on the shelf (aka ledge)
Independent – correct Independant – incorrect
Top tip: another ‘ent’ ender
Indispensable – correct Indispensible – incorrect
Top tip: ‘she was so able, she was indispensable’
Judgement – correct Jugement – incorrect
Top tip: remember the verb ‘to judge’
Liaise – correct Liase – incorrect
Top tip: A liaises between two Is
Necessary – correct Neccesary – incorrect
Top tip: Never Eat Cheese Salad Sandwiches And Remain Young
No one – correct Noone – incorrect
Top tip: let no one tell you this isn’t one word
Occurring – correct Occuring – incorrect
Top tip: c x 2, r x 2
Piece – correct Peice – incorrect
Top tip: our friend again – ‘ i before e’
Possession – correct Posession – incorrect
Top tip: the word possesses four Ss
Proceed – correct Procede – incorrect
Top tip: it’s spelt like exceed and succeed
Receive – correct Recieve – incorrect
Top tip: once again – ‘ i before e’
Referred – correct Refered – incorrect
Top tip: r x 2
Separate – correct Seperate – incorrect
Top tip: Keep ‘a rat’ in the middle
Seize – correct Sieze – incorrect
Top tip: i before e here
Supersede – correct Superseed – incorrect
Top tip: the good news is that this is the only English word spelled with ‘sede’
Tendency – correct Tendancy – incorrect
Top tip: e x 2
Any freelance copywriter worth their salt knows you can’t rely on the computer spell checker, especially with a Mac. Fellow Mac users will share the frustration of having those Apple-loving Zs suggested at every opportunity. Sometimes it’s worth using a dictionary as a book and not as a book-end!
Misspelt v misspelled
Oh and just in case you’re wondering about what I always think is an odd-looking word, ‘misspelt’ is the UK version.
Written by Caroline Gibson, freelance copywriter and spelling lover. Get in touch if you come across any other weird and frequently misspelt words in business.
E: caroline@carolinegibson.co.uk T: +44 (0) 7957 567766