English Is Hard
Remember the struggle of learning how to spell and being completely flabbergasted at words that look different from how they sound? Whether you're still finding certain words difficult or just have hilarious memories of trying to memorize them while growing up, we've compiled a list of 20 we know you'll have feelings about. We're almost certain you've struggled with many of these as a child!
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1. Separate
If you once thought 'separate' was spelled with an 'e' like 'seperate,' there's nothing to be ashamed of. You're just spelling it out like how it sounds! The English language can sure be misleading at times.
2. Mississippi
Wait a second, how many 's's and 'i's are in this word? Mississippi was certainly one that gave kids a headache growing up, and if we're being honest, we're certain adults struggle just as much. This is definitely one word you want to double-check carefully every time.
3. Liaison
Understanding the vowel 'i' might just be one of the hardest things when learning to spell. Just looking at a word like 'liaison' where two 'i's wrap around an 'a' already looks weird, and on top of that, if you never heard the word before you'd never know how to pronounce it! There a dozen different ways we could easily see ourselves misspelling this one.
4. Embarrassment
Mississippi was already challenging enough, but with other words like embarrassment in the English language, you have more reason to doubt yourself sometimes. Trying to guess how many 'r's and how many 's's always proves to be more of a challenge than you'd imagine. You're likely thinking there can't be two of each, but in reality, that's the correct answer!
5. A Lot
Show of hands, how many of you grew up always accidentally spelling 'a lot' as one word? For some reason, many kids (and adults) tend to forget that a space exists between these two words. And to be fair, 'alot' doesn't look entirely wrong now does it?
6. Vacuum
No matter how many years have passed, something about seeing two 'u's back to back in vacuum just feels wrong. Many people tend to misspell this word, using two 'c's instead, feeling completely thrown off when they realize what the correct spelling actually is.
7. Misspell
Speaking of misspelling words, did you know 'misspell' is one that belongs on this list? The most common mistake with this one is only using one 's,' with many fooling themselves into believing two would be too much.
8. Accommodate
Again with the double letters! Accommodate is another perfect example of a word that always makes you second guess yourself. After all, who would ever first think that a word would have two 'c's and two 'm's back to back? It's easy to see how some kids would struggle with this one.
9. Conscientious
Forget about spelling, figuring out how to pronounce this word growing up was the true struggle. The real difficulty with this word lies in the middle section. While 'con' and 'tious' are pretty easy to sound out, it's the middle bit that really challenges us to remember the correct spelling.
10. Judgment
We wouldn't blame you if you thought judgment had an 'e' in the middle, simply because the word sounds like 'judge' and 'ment' thrown together. And for many people, we're sure they'd still argue that it looks complete without it.
11. Jewelry
One of the toughest words to spell even if it doesn't feel like it initially, is jewelry. It may seem simple but if you haven't seen the word in a while, getting the correct spelling is really a challenge. From 'jewlery' to jewllery' the opportunities to make mistakes are endless.
12. Queue
If you were to look at this word for the very first time today, do you think you'd be able to figure out that it sounds like 'cue?' The double 'ue' combo is certainly a hard one to grasp, but more importantly, at times it can be even harder to remember hard to spell. There's just something about 'queue' that looks unnatural.
13. Calendar
A simple word like calendar doesn't feel like it should create any problems, but actually, it's one of the most commonly misspelled words around. Most people mistakenly write down 'calender,' once again replacing the 'a' with an 'e' based off of how it sounds.
14. Unnecessary
Words where the 'c' and 's' both sound the same can be incredibly hard to figure out. Just take unnecessary for example. Not only do people struggle with figuring out how many 'n's to use, there's always an internal debate deciding whether 'c' or 's' is supposed to go first; not to mention, how many of each!
15. Privilege
When you compare 'privilege' to many other words that rhyme and sound like it, you likely try to spell the word as 'privilidge.' But as it turns out, sounding out the letters doesn't always lead you to the correct spelling. This is a great example of a deceptive word - it seems easy but can be quite hard, especially if you're just starting to learn how to spell.
16. Fluorescent
This is just one of those words that would be used in spelling bees to trip people up. Four letters in and you're likely to make a mistake already! Every little step of the way when spelling this word is filled with potential mistakes, meaning this is one you have to learn how to memorize.
17. Successful
With a word as positive as this one, you wouldn't think it would bring about so much failure. But sadly, with successful, if it's not miscounting how many 'c's or 's's to add, it's accidentally adding a second 'l' at the end of the word.
18. Believe
Remember that rule your teacher droned on and on about in your early days at school? The letter 'i' always goes before 'e' except after 'c.' And while it's not the most perfect rule, it is a good one that'll help you out as you perfect your spelling skills. And with a word like 'believe' that constantly messes people up, it's helpful rhyme that'll guide you in the right direction.
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19. Occurred
While 'occur' only has one 'r,' when you add 'ed' to the end of this word and make it past tense, it's easy to get thrown for a loop. Always remember to toss in that extra 'r' when spelling this one. We know it was easy to forget growing up!
20. Until
Last but not least, 'until' was another tricky word that led you to believe there should've been two 'l's at the very end. With words like 'full' or 'fill' tricking us into believing it, it was easy to make the same mistake time and time again.
