In everyday spelling, we all make some common mistakes. Here are 5 quick things you can do now to improve your writing.
Here's a peek at our favorite quick tips. Download the free printable version here, or read below to find the same great information!
a
lot, because, definite, doesn’t, friend,
necessary, occasion, separate, sincerely, and tomorrow. (For
a longer list,
please see our list of 102
Frequently Misspelled Words.)
Quick Tip:
You may have a lot of work to do, or a lot of bills to pay. You may be planning to have a lot of fun over the weekend.
But you will not (correctly) be doing alot of any of these things. A lot is spelled with TWO words.
This is not alot of money...
...but it is a lot of money!
Please note that there is a word allot. It is a verb that means to assign or reserve something.
For example, a company might allot one locker to each employee. Or, you might allot two shelves in your garage to food storage.
Study these commonly confused word pairs, and any others that are confusing to you.
accept/except
accept – to receive, agree to or believe. He
couldn’t accept the fact that he was
fired.
except – not including. Everyone
went to the store except Sally.
are/our
are – helping verb. We
are happy that it’s snowing.
our – belonging to us. This
is our new car.
desert/dessert
desert – dry region. Few
plants grow in the desert.
dessert – sweet course at the end of the meal. Mary
likes to serve pie for dessert.
The poor apostrophe is greatly abused in many everyday spelling situations!
An apostrophe is used correctly in contractions, such as don’t, I’ll, and they’re. The apostrophe in it’s says the word means it is. In which sentence is the apostrophe used correctly?
It’s
time to
eat lunch.
(It is time to eat
lunch.)
The cat
finished it’s food. (The
cat finished it
is food.)
Clearly, the apostrophe belongs only in the first sentence.
The apostrophe is also used in many possessive words. It is not used in plurals.
How many times have you seen signs like this?
Our list
of 50 sets of
frequently-confused homonyms covers the ever popular their/there/they’re, to/too/two, and 48
more sets.
You will catch many of your own everyday spelling errors when you take just a couple of minutes to read your work over. Better yet, read it aloud. Best tip of all? Let someone else read it. The more important the document, the more crucial it is to proofread it.
101 Word Play Puzzlers Discover the FUN of letters & words as you solve each unique puzzle. Great vocabulary & spelling practice!
300 Spelling Bee Words by Grade Level, with definitions, sentences and languages
Spelling Bee Toolboxes for Grades 3/5 and 6/8 All the resources you need for a successful bee!
Mammoth Spelling Bee Word Lists with sentences, definitions, and languages
Monumental Spelling Bee Word Lists with definitions, sentences and languages
Young Spellers Spelling Bee Word List for Grades 1 & 2
100 Difficult Spelling Bee Words, Definitions & Sentences My toughest lists, for upper grades and adults!
600 Spelling Bee Words & Sentences for Gr 3/5 & 6/8 Extra words & sentences at two levels
AnyWord Spelling Practice Series Fun Worksheets, games & prompts that work with almost ANY spelling words!