- The English language is as unpredictable as it is colorful.
- From “grateful” to “disappear,” these common words are deceptively hard to spell.
- “Occasion” gets two “c’s” and one “s.”
- Visit Insider’s homepage for more stories.
Let’s face it – spelling is hard. Without spell check and autocorrect, our texts and emails would likely include a handful of typos.
From homophones such as “soar” and “sore” to words with doubled letters like “parallel” and “committee,” the English language is as unpredictable as it is colorful.
To find common words that are deceptively hard to spell, Insider searched for 5th-grade spelling lists. Keep reading to learn about 32 words that a 10-year-old student can spell, but you probably get wrong a lot.
Achieve
The “i before e” rule may have exceptions, but in this case it will help you “achieve” spelling success.
Receive
When you "receive" a "c," you put "e" before "i."
Disappear
At first glance, "disappear" appears to have a tricky spelling. If you keep in mind that "dis-" is a Latin prefix, you'll remember not to double the "s."
Grateful
It's great to have gratitude, but there's nothing great about "grateful." In Latin, "grat" is a root word that means "pleasing, thankful, or favorable."
Noticeable
If you pay attention, you'll notice there's an "e" in the middle of "noticeable."
Cemetery
Think Terry rather than tarry when spelling "cemetery." The "-ery" suffix derives from the Old French "-erie."
Embarrass
You might feel humiliated if you misspell "embarrass," a word whose double "r's" come from the French "embarrasser."
Occasion
A special event like a royal wedding is a good "occasion" to remember how to spell this word, which gets two "c's" and one "s."
Separate
The spelling of "separate" is on par with its Latin etymology, a combination of "se-" ("apart") and "parare" ("prepare").
Fiery
You might feel the heat if someone asks you how to spell "fiery" - the "e" doesn't go where you think it would.
Soar
Unless you're talking about a bird with an injury, our feathered friends "soar" when they take to the sky.
Interrupt
Formed from the Latin prefix "inter-" ("between") and the verb "rumpere" ("to break"), the double "r's" in "interrupt" can lead spellers astray.
Committee
Don't commit to spelling "committee" if you forget about the word's three doubled letters.
Calendar
Dare to spell "calendar," which doesn't end with the vowel you think it will thanks to its roots in the Latin "calendarium" ("account book").
Nickel
The humble nickel may only be worth five cents, but the word itself has a rich etymological history. That's why its spelling is not the most phonetically straightforward.
"Nickel" comes from the Swedish "kopparnickel" ("copper-colored ore") - a half-translation of the German "Kupfernickel" ("copper demon").
Caribbean
You can't list a popular pirate movie franchise or famous cruise line without knowing how to spell "Caribbean." A common misspelling doubles the "r" instead of the "b."
The word comes from "Carib," the name of an indigenous people from Central America and northern South America.
Humorous
Some might be tempted to add a "u" to the middle of "humorous," but there's nothing funny about spelling mistakes.
Argument
A bickering couple might emphasize the "you" in "argument," but there's only one "e."
Prejudice
If you're biased toward spelling words phonetically, "prejudice" - which only has one "d" -could trip you up.
Absence
It requires more than common sense to spell "absence," which was taken from Old French via Latin.
Apparent
While some people might find the spelling of "apparent" to be obvious, the word's "-ent" suffix isn't evident to everyone. Many spell it with an "-ant."
Parallel
If the double "l's" in "parallel" confuse you, think of how they illustrate the word's meaning: "extending in the same direction, equidistant at all points, and never converging or diverging."
Rhythm
The silent "h" and scarcity of vowels make "rhythm" a perplexing word to spell. Pertaining to poetic metre and patterns of sound and movement, this word entered English via the Latin "rhythmus" ("movement in time"), which came from the Greek "rhythmos."
Tragedy
It would be a tragic mistake to add a "d" before the "g" in "tragedy." This gloomy word comes from the Old French "tragedie," which in turn has Latin and Greek origins.
Forty
When spelling "forty," think of forts rather than the fourth digit in the Hindu-Arabic numeral system.
Capitol
Homophones can confuse even the most astute speller. While "capital" refers to a country or region's most important city - in addition to being a financial term that describes the amount of money owned by a person or institution - a "capitol" is the physical building that houses the legislative branch of a government.
To distinguish between the two words, you can think of the "o" in "capitol" as a symbol of the domed roofs that characterize these governmental structures.
Privilege
You can check your privilege, but you might not be spelling it correctly. As with "tragedy," some people are tempted to add an unnecessary "d."
Decimal
Although it rhymes with and shares a prefix with "decibel," the word "decimal" comes from the Medieval Latin "decimalis" ("of tithes or tenths").
The "bel" in "decibel" is taken from the surname of telephone inventor Alexander Graham Bell.
Sleight
There's only a small difference between "slight" and "sleight," but the "e" is necessary if you're referring to "deceitful craftiness."
Recommend
You might be tempted to double the "c," but keep in mind that the prefix in "recommend" is "re-" rather than "rec."
Approximate
Don't be imprecise in spelling "approximate." With two "p's," this word from the Late Latin "approximatus" (the past participle of "approximare," "to come near to").
Conscious
If you're mindful of the order of the letters in "conscious," you'll remember that you need the "sc" to make a "sh" sound.