Top 10 Misspelled Words

Well, this is embarrassing. Apparently many full-grown adults can’t spell this elementary school level word. While the first half of the word is simple enough to spell, people often forget whether “Embarrass” requires one or two “r”s. It’s two, by the way. As if that’s not already complicated enough, the multiple “s”s that cap the word off constantly trip us up. Imagine if somebody misspelled this word at a spelling bee. Can you please give us the definition of “irony?”

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#9: Independence

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How can we fight for our independence when we don’t even know how to spell our independence? For the most part, “independence” is a fairly simple word to sound out. That is until we get to the final four letters. Is it “E-N-C-E” or “A-N-C-E?” You’ll find throughout this list that “E” and “A” frequently get mixed up. Because of this, we like to think of these two vowels as mortal enemies that are at constant war with each other. Only one can come out alive, however, and claim their indepenDANCE! Er... dence.

Is it pronounced “Supposedly” or “Supposably?” The lovable but dim Joey Tribbiani from “Friends” isn’t the only person who gets stumped by this one. Since many people also can’t even properly say this word out loud, it shouldn’t come as a massive surprise that they can’t spell it either. Once again, “E” and “A” cause mass confusion. The double “P” has also been known to throw would-be wordsmiths for a loop. It supposedly seems like a simple word to grasp, but it’s actually one of the trickier ones in the English language.

‘Necessary’ is tricky enough, but if you dare to slap a U-N in front of it, then you’re on an adventure that spell check refuses to take part in. To be fair, figuring out which letters go into making this word can be easy - on a good day. The hard part is remembering how many times we need to use each of these letters. No matter how many times we look it up, we can never seem to recall how many “N”s, “C”s, “S”s, “E”s, “A”s and “R”s are in “Unnecessary.” All we know for sure is that it begins with a solitary “U” and ends with a “Y.” Words like this demonstrate that dictionaries are an undeniable necessity.

We’ve all heard the phrase, “I before E except after C.” Then why the hell does “E” come before “I” in “weird?” Why is this an exception to the rule of thumb? There’s no reason other than to baffle all of us. Our language is totally ridiculous! It’s bizarre! It’s crazy! It’s strange. It’s … well - odd! Actually, given the definition of “weird,” perhaps it makes sense that the way it’s spelled makes no sense…if that makes any sense. Ugh, now we’re just giving ourselves a headache.

Don’t be disappointed if you can’t spell this word. Neither can we. As with numerous other words on this list, it’s the use of double letters in “Disappointed” that leaves us scratching our heads. The first major hurdle occurs once you arrive at “S.” Does it require an additional “S” or does this “S” fly solo? For the record, it’s the latter. While “S” stands alone here, “P” requires a counterpart. We’re not entirely sure why. Filler maybe, we dunno. But alas, so let it be written. So let it be done.

As much as we love Jack Sparrow, we’ll never remember exactly how to spell “Caribbean.” A majority of the pirate population probably couldn’t spell this scurvy word. Then again, some pirates can’t even read. There are so many different ways to screw this word up. For example, you could accidentally use two “R”s instead of one or use one “B” instead of two. Oh, and sometimes we even foolishly substitute the “I” for another “A.” Let’s just be grateful that failing a spelling test doesn’t entail walking the plank.

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#3: Definitely

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Vowels can be incredibly easy to jumble up. If we had to single out one word that encompasses all the frustration of vowel usage, it would definitely be “Definitely.” Around every turn, this word has us muddling our “E”s and “I”s. It’s also not uncommon to mistakenly insert an “A” in there. Perhaps the reason why “Definitely” is so difficult to spell is because it’s so similar to other words, such as “Defiantly” and “Definitively.” You may think spelling such a word is child’s play, but nothing is definite here.

“Congratulations” is a word everybody loves to hear… except when you are asked to spell it. There’s really only one letter in this word that generally raises confusion, but that one, measly letter almost always makes people fumble. Although one half of your brain will tell you that it’s spelt, “C-O-N-G-R-A-T-U-L-A-T-I-O-N-S,” the other half tells you that it’s spelt, “C-O-N-G-R-A-D-U-L-A-T-I-O-N-S.” We have no idea why it’s so tempting to replace that “T” with a “D.” There’s just something about it that feels so right, and yet it’s so wrong.

Before we misspell our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions:
Refrigerator
Lightning
Harass
Tomorrow
Colonel

What a twist, huh? We bet you’re kicking yourself for not seeing this one coming. It’s only appropriate that the easiest word to misspell would be “Misspelled.” Whether you incorrectly use just one “S,” multiple “P”s, or a solitary “L,” you wouldn’t believe how many people slip up while spelling this word. This is especially interesting considering that most people know how to spell “Spelled.” You wouldn’t think that adding “M-I-S” to the beginning would be so difficult for us. Nevertheless, “Misspelled” continues to make grown-ups everywhere feel dumber than a kindergartener.

Do you agree with our list? What word do you always misspell? For more entertaining Top 10s published every day, be sure to subscribe to WatchMojo.com.