Words You Need to Know

Words You Need to Know

Frequently misspelled words:

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1. across
2. address
3. again
4. agreeable
5. allot
6. already
7. answer
8. apparent
9. appearance
10. athlete
11. balloon
12. believable
13. bureau
14. business
15. college
16. commitment
17. concede
18. conscientious
19. cousin
20. debt
21. definite
22. different
23. does (v.)
24. eligible
25. embarrass
26. exceed
27. exhilarate
28. familiar
29. February
30. foreign
31. forty
32. grammar
33. half
34. independence
35. interesting
36. its
37. knowledge
38. laboratory
39. laugh
40. league
41. maintenance
42. minute
43. misspell
44. noticeable
45. occurrence
46. often
47. parallel
48. pastime
49. possess
50. privilege
51. probably
52. ready
53. receipt
54. recommend
55. said
56. satellite
57. schedule
58. secretary
59. separate
60. sheriff
61. sincerely
62. succeed
63. sure
64. trouble
65. truly
66. usually
67. vacuum
68. vegetable
69. villain
70. visible
71. Wednesday
72. weird
73. whose

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Homonyms often misused:

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1. accept - except
2. aisle - isle
3. bare - bear
4. born - borne
5. capital - capitol
6. cash - cache
7. ceiling - sealing
8. cellar - seller
9. censor - censer - senser - sensor
10. cereal - serial
11. coarse - course
12. colonel - kernel
13. complement - compliment
14. council - counsel
15. elicit - illicit
16. forth - fourth
17. herd - heard
18. hole - whole
19. horse - hoarse
20. lean - lien
21. led - lead (n.)
22. naval - navel
23. ought - aught
24. principal - principle
25. recede - reseed
26. right - rite
27. sight - site - cite
28. stationary - stationery
29. straight - strait
30. their - there
31. ware - wear - where
32. weather - whether
33. wright - write - rote - wrote
34. yore - your

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Commonly confused words:

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1. advice - advise
2. allusion - illusion
3. amoral - immoral
4. affect (v.) - effect (n.)
5. averse - adverse
6. biannual - biennial
7. breath - breathe
8. choose - chose
9. climactic - climatic
10. collaborate - corroborate
11. conscience - conscious
12. convince - persuade
13. desert - dessert
14. device - devise
15. emigrate - immigrate
16. flaunt - flout
17. founder - flounder
18. gambit - gamut
19. imply - infer
20. irritate - aggravate
21. later - latter
22. liable - libel
23. loose - lose
24. marital - martial
25. moot - mute
26. nauseated - nauseous
27. perspective - prospective
28. proceed - precede
29. proscribe - prescribe
30. quiet - quite
31. recall - recount
32. tenant - tenet
33. than - then

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Words from Arabic

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Study Words

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1. azure
2. Islamic
3. sultan
4. artichoke
5. mummy [1]
6. tarragon
7. adobe
8. mohair
9. borax
10. talc
11. arsenal
12. lemon
13. tuna
14. admiral
15. hazard
16. apricot
17. carmine
18. monsoon
19. average
20. gazelle [2]
21. crimson
22. orange
23. sequin
24. macrame
25. algebra
26. guitar
27. nabob
28. giraffe
29. mattress
30. elixir
31. saffron
32. cotton
33. albatross [3]
34. zero
35. safari [4]
36. magazine
37. zenith
38. alfalfa
39. imam
40. mosque
41. alcohol
42. tariff
43. lilac
44. alcove
45. massage
46. henna [5]
47. alchemy
48. sugar
49. taj
50. mahal
51. khan
52. ghoul

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Challenge Words

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1. muslin
2. camphor
3. algorithm
4. minaret
5. tamarind
6. carafe
7. julep
8. marzipan
9. nenuphar
10. alcazar
11. tahini
12. Qatari
13. alkali
14. serendipity
15. nadir
16. douane
17. fennec
18. hafiz
19. azimuth
20. bezoar
21. halal
22. alim
23. Swahili
24. serdab
25. mihrab
26. salaam
27. mukhtar
28. khor
29. foggara
30. diffa
31. coffle

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Spelling Tips

1. Double consonants are often seen in words from Arabic. More often than not, they occur in the middle of a word as in mummy, cotton, henna, foggara, coffle, tarragon, and several other words on the list. Their appearance at the end of a word (as in albatross and tariff) is usually because of the spelling conventions of English or some other language that the word passed through to get here.
2. A typical word from Arabic has three consonant sounds, with or without vowels between them. Gazelle, safari, talc, carafe, mahal, tahini, alkali, hafiz, and salaam are typical examples.
3. Note how many words on this list begin with al: This spelling can be traced to the definite article al ("the") in Arabic, which sometimes gets borrowed along with a word. Most of the time the spelling is al in English, but note el in elixir.
4. A long e sound (\ē\) at the end of a word from Arabic is often spelled with i as in safari and several other words on the list but may also be spelled with y as in mummy and alchemy.
5. The schwa sound (\ə\) at the end of a word from Arabic is usually spelled with a as in henna, tuna, algebra, alfalfa, foggara, and diffa.

Words from Latin

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Study Words

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1. inane
2. relevant
3. impetuous
4. ambivalent
5. dejected
6. postmortem
7. incriminate
8. access
9. plausible
10. interrupt [1]
11. alliteration
12. refugee
13. amicable
14. lucid [2]
15. percolate
16. meticulous
17. fastidious
18. trajectory
19. animosity
20. implement
21. ambiguity
22. curriculum
23. omnivorous
24. bellicose
25. electoral
26. crescent [3]
27. obsequious
28. transect
29. precipice
30. susceptible
31. condolences [4]
32. benefactor
33. candidate
34. bugle
35. formidable
36. canary
37. subterfuge
38. abdicate
39. lunatic
40. carnivore [5]
41. gregarious
42. ostentatious
43. prosaic [6]
44. herbivore
45. prodigal
46. magnanimous
47. benevolent
48. mercurial
49. simile
50. jovial
51. ridiculous
52. innate
53. obstinate
54. discern
55. mediocre
56. insidious
57. rupture
58. precipitate
59. erudite
60. colloquial
61. intractable
62. exuberant [7]
63. ingenious
64. retrospective
65. ominous
66. vulnerable
67. omnipotent
68. consensus
69. discipline
70. alleviate
71. spectrum
72. prescription
73. capitulation
74. incredulous
75. affinity
76. necessary
77. adjacent
78. dissect
79. conjecture
80. imperative
81. predicate
82. corporal
83. patina
84. Capricorn
85. participant
86. library
87. cognition
88. primal
89. filament
90. unity
91. ventilate
92. aquatic
93. igneous
94. reptile
95. providence
96. message
97. foliate
98. nasal
99. opera
100. renovate
101. credentials
102. temporal
103. canine
104. measure
105. credible
106. femininity
107. confidence
108. triumvirate
109. popularity
110. diary
111. humble
112. vivisection
113. strict
114. prosecute
115. contiguous
116. ductile
117. gradient
118. current
119. perfidy
120. fidelity
121. incorruptible

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Challenge Words

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1. soliloquy
2. accommodate
3. pernicious [8]
4. efficacy
5. visceral
6. exacerbate
7. indigenous
8. belligerent
9. vernacular
10. infinitesimal
11. recalcitrant
12. innocuous
13. precocious
14. ameliorate
15. commensurate
16. facetious
17. prerogative
18. ubiquitous
19. egregious
20. aggregate
21. tertiary
22. corpuscle
23. perennial

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Spelling Tips

1. One of the hardest things to remember about words from Latin is whether an internal consonant (like rr in interrupt) is doubled. To reinforce your memory of the correct spelling, try to remember related words all together (like interrupt along with interruption or necessary along with necessity).
2. The \ü\ sound (as in ooze) is nearly always spelled with u in words from Latin. It typically follows a \d\, \j\, \l\, \r\, or \s\ sound. After other consonants, this sound normally becomes \yü\ (as in bugle, subterfuge, ambiguity, and prosecute and in one pronunciation of refugee).
3. Beware of words like crescent in which the \s\ sound is spelled with sc in words from Latin. Other examples include visceral, discern, discipline, susceptible, and corpuscle.
4. When you hear within a word from Latin the \s\ sound followed by any of the sounds of e (long, short, or schwa), there's a possibility that the \s\ sound is spelled with c as in exacerbate, access, adjacent, condolences, facetious, and necessary.
5. The letter i is a vowel often used to connect two Latin word elements. If the connecting vowel sound is a schwa (\ə\) and you must guess at the spelling of this sound, the letter i might be a good guess: See carnivore and herbivore. Other examples include non–study-list words that end in iform such as oviform and pediform.
6. The letter k rarely appears in words from Latin, and its sound is nearly always represented by c as in canary, prosaic, canine, mediocre, Capricorn, cognition, ductile, incorruptible, vernacular, innocuous, and many other words on the list.
7. The letter x often gets the pronunciation \gz\ in words from Latin (as in exacerbate and exuberant).
8. The combination ious ends many adjectives of Latin origin. When the consonant that precedes ious is c or t, the sound of the final syllable is \shəs\ as in facetious, ostentatious, pernicious, and precocious. It is important to keep in mind that several adjectives from Latin ending with this sound end in eous rather than ious. In such instances, the definitions of the words usually contain phrases such as "consisting of," "resembling," or "having the characteristic of." Examples include non–study–list words herbaceous, cetaceous, and lilaceous.

Words from Asian Languages

Study Words

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1. dugong
2. guru
3. cushy
4. seersucker
5. jungle
6. oolong
7. nirvana
8. bangle
9. cummerbund
10. juggernaut
11. pangolin
12. mahatma
13. rupee
14. mongoose
15. shampoo
16. typhoon
17. bamboo
18. jackal
19. dungaree
20. bungalow
21. gunnysack
22. chutney
23. karma
24. jute
25. yamen
26. raj
27. kama
28. pundit
29. loot
30. kavya
31. jiva
32. pandit
33. chintz
34. patel

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Challenge Words

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1. gymkhana
2. basmati
3. gingham
4. mandir
5. bhalu
6. gourami
7. masala
8. raita
9. asana
10. batik
11. charpoy
12. durwan
13. mahout
14. prabhu
15. Buddha
16. topeng
17. tanha
18. lahar
19. jnana
20. Holi

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Words from French

Study Words

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1. peloton
2. barrage
3. chagrin [1]
4. pacifism
5. manicure
6. altruism
7. bureaucracy
8. mascot
9. parfait
10. mystique
11. layette [2]
12. boutique
13. dressage
14. croquet
15. gorgeous
16. denture
17. mirage
18. denim
19. cachet [3]
20. neologism
21. beige
22. diplomat
23. motif
24. suave
25. foyer [4]
26. clementine
27. ambulance
28. rehearse
29. leotard
30. prairie [5]
31. diorama
32. entourage
33. fuselage
34. boudoir
35. collage [6]
36. amenable
37. expertise
38. matinee
39. plateau
40. sortie
41. croquette
42. physique [7]
43. elite
44. deluxe
45. nougat
46. rouge [8]
47. escargot
48. crochet
49. regime
50. doctrinaire
51. tutu
52. bevel
53. menu
54. egalitarian
55. quiche [9]
56. fatigue
57. garage
58. morgue
59. stethoscope
60. vogue
61. musicale
62. palette
63. flamboyant
64. baton
65. souvenir
66. impasse
67. finesse
68. maladroit

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Challenge Words

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1. gauche
2. rapport
3. camouflage
4. genre
5. virgule
6. debacle
7. fusillade [10]
8. saboteur
9. renaissance
10. chauvinism
11. recidivist
12. chassis
13. détente
14. raconteur
15. mayonnaise [11]
16. surveillance
17. repertoire
18. dossier
19. taupe
20. poignant
21. garçon
22. croissant
23. ecru
24. lieutenant
25. protégé
26. mélange
27. blasé
28. fête
29. ingenue
30. rendezvous

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Spelling Tips

1. French nearly always spells the \sh\ sound with ch, and this spelling of the sound is very common in words from French. Chagrin, chauvinism, and crochet are examples.
2. A word from French ending with a stressed \et\ is usually spelled with ette as in layette and croquette.
3. A long a sound (\ā\) at the end of a word from French can be spelled a number of ways. One of the more common ways is with et as in cachet, croquet, and crochet.
4. One way to spell long a at the end of a word from French is with er as in dossier and in foyer. (Most Americans, however, do not pronounce the ending of foyer with a long a.)
5. A long e sound (\ē\) at the end of a word from French can be spelled with ie as in prairie and sortie. (But see exercise 4 under Now You Try for another spelling of the long e ending.)
6. Words ending with an \äzh\ sound are common in French. This sound is spelled age as in collage, mirage, dressage, garage, barrage, camouflage, entourage, and fuselage.
7. A \k\ sound at the end of a word from French is often spelled que as in physique, mystique, and boutique.
8. The \ü\ sound (as in rouge and many other words on the list) in words from French is usually spelled with ou. Sometimes, however, it is spelled with u as in tutu and ecru.
9. When the \sh\ sound occurs at the end of a word from French, there is nearly always a silent e that follows it, as in quiche and gauche.
10. Words ending with an \äd\ sound are common in French. This sound is spelled ade as in fusillade.
11. French speakers have a number of vowels that English speakers modify in pronunciation. Our way of pronouncing the French aise (pronounced \ez\ in French) is usually \āz\.

Eponyms

Study Words

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1. praline
2. magnolia
3. boysenberry
4. hosta
5. poinsettia
6. macadamia
7. salmonella
8. newton
9. saxophone
10. tortoni
11. greengage
12. angstrom
13. gardenia
14. melba
15. tantalize
16. zinnia
17. quisling
18. begonia
19. samaritan
20. Panglossian
21. quixote
22. jeremiad
23. hector
24. Geronimo
25. shrapnel
26. vulcanize
27. Frankenstein
28. Boswell
29. ampere
30. cupid
31. Fletcherism
32. yahoo
33. diesel
34. bandersnatch
35. Crusoe
36. mentor
37. Dracula

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Challenge Words

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1. forsythia
2. madeleine
3. bromeliad
4. mercerize
5. Fahrenheit
6. narcissistic
7. dahlia
8. Baedeker
9. philippic
10. guillotine
11. Bobadil
12. mesmerize
13. gnathonic
14. pasteurize
15. Croesus
16. braggadocio

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Words from German

Study Words

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1. angst [1]
2. pretzel
3. waltz
4. haversack
5. nosh
6. sauerbraten
7. hinterland
8. verboten
9. liverwurst
10. streusel
11. umlaut
12. wanderlust
13. eiderdown
14. schnauzer
15. lederhosen
16. kohlrabi
17. sitzmark
18. langlauf
19. autobahn
20. Backstein
21. inselberg
22. gestalt
23. einkorn
24. kitsch [2]
25. gestapo
26. schloss
27. rucksack
28. echt
29. bratwurst
30. knapsack
31. feldspar
32. poltergeist
33. noodle
34. spareribs
35. Meistersinger [3]
36. pumpernickel
37. Bildungsroman
38. strudel
39. bagel
40. hamster
41. cobalt
42. nachtmusik
43. vorlage [4]
44. graupel
45. Wagnerian
46. cringle
47. fife
48. glitz
49. homburg
50. kuchen
51. pitchblende
52. spritz [5]
53. prattle
54. zwinger
55. spitz
56. realschule
57. panzer
58. stollen
59. dachshund
60. seltzer

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Challenge Words

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1. schadenfreude [6]
2. dreidel
3. weimaraner
4. ersatz
5. fräulein
6. blitzkrieg [7]
7. gesundheit
8. pfeffernuss
9. edelweiss [8]
10. glockenspiel
11. rottweiler
12. schottische
13. anschluss
14. wedel
15. springerle
16. zeitgeber
17. pickelhaube
18. schnecke
19. Weissnichtwo

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Spelling Tips

1. Don't shy away from consonant clusters! German words often have combinations of three or more consonants that don't occur in thoroughly English words. Examples include ngst in angst, sch in schadenfreude, schn in schnauzer, and nschl in anschluss.
2. A \k\ sound in a word from German is usually spelled with k at the beginning of a word or syllable (as in kitsch and einkorn) and often with ck at the end of a word or syllable (as in knapsack and glockenspiel).
3. A long i sound (\ī\) usually has the spelling ei in words from German, as in fräulein, Meistersinger, zeitgeber, and several other words on the list.
4. The \f\ sound, especially at the beginning of a word, is sometimes spelled with v in German words as in vorlage. Other examples include the non–study-list words volkslied and herrenvolk.
5. The letter z is far more common in German than in English. Note that its pronunciation is not usually the same as English \z\. When it follows a t, which is common, the pronunciation is \s\ as in spritz, pretzel, blitzkrieg, and several other words on the list.
6. The \sh\ sound in words of German origin is usually spelled sch as in schadenfreude, whether at the beginning or end of a word or syllable. In schottische, you get it in both places!
7. A long e sound (\ē\) usually has the spelling ie in words from German, as in blitzkrieg and glockenspiel.
8. The letter w is properly pronounced as \v\ in German, as you hear in one pronunciation of edelweiss and in wedel and Weissnichtwo. Many German words, however, have become so anglicized that this pronunciation has vanished. Most Americans, for example, say "bratwurst," not "bratvurst."

Words from Slavic Languages

Study Words

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1. gulag
2. parka
3. Slav
4. robot
5. samovar
6. kremlin
7. troika
8. slave
9. mammoth
10. Siberian
11. tundra
12. Permian
13. kishke
14. glasnost
15. paprika
16. sable
17. kasha
18. nebbish
19. polka
20. Bolshevik
21. vampire
22. sputnik
23. knish
24. cravat
25. babushka
26. Soviet
27. Borzoi
28. gopak
29. cheka
30. sevruga
31. trepak
32. babka
33. purga
34. baba
35. cossack
36. nelma
37. kovsh
38. lokshen
39. feldsher
40. barabara
41. aul

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Challenge Words

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1. balalaika
2. kielbasa
3. tchotchke
4. barukhzy
5. perestroika
6. apparatchik
7. commissar
8. tokamak
9. pogrom
10. taiga
11. Beetewk

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Words from Dutch

Study Words

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1. cockatoo
2. keelhaul
3. harpoon
4. furlough
5. bowery
6. easel
7. holster
8. freebooter
9. waffle
10. trawl
11. uproar
12. beleaguer
13. cruller
14. yacht
15. wiseacre
16. brackish
17. decoy
18. caboose
19. buckwheat
20. walrus
21. howitzer
22. crimp
23. bluff
24. stipple
25. floss
26. cruiser
27. hustle
28. klompen
29. polder
30. bundle
31. catkin
32. splice
33. Flemish
34. grabble
35. huckster
36. frolic
37. ravel
38. tattle
39. scum
40. trek
41. scrabble
42. clapboard
43. gruff
44. isinglass
45. excise
46. blister
47. rabbit
48. package
49. muddle
50. handsome
51. foist
52. staple
53. gulden
54. mart
55. screen
56. guilder
57. etch
58. Netherlander
59. dune
60. croon
61. ticket
62. buckwagon
63. hock
64. boodle
65. guy
66. daffodil
67. loiter
68. potash
69. scow
70. wintergreen
71. trigger
72. stripe
73. bruin
74. skipper
75. waywiser
76. spoor
77. mizzle
78. school
79. pickle
80. snuff

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Challenge Words

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1. mynheer
2. waterzooi
3. flense
4. muishond
5. witloof
6. springbok
7. maelstrom
8. bobbejaan
9. keeshond
10. voortrekker
11. uitlander
12. hollandaise
13. galjoen
14. schipperke
15. apartheid
16. hartebeest
17. keest
18. wainscot
19. roodebok

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Words from Old English

Study Words

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1. quell [1]
2. barrow
3. dearth
4. bower
5. paddock
6. blithe
7. keen
8. mongrel
9. reckless
10. alderman
11. whirlpool
12. belay [2]
13. cleanser
14. dreary [3]
15. bequeath
16. sallow [4]
17. dross
18. lithe
19. gristle
20. earwig
21. fickle
22. nestle [5]
23. fennel
24. nostril
25. abide
26. behest
27. slaughter [6]
28. gospel
29. furlong
30. linseed
31. nether
32. fathom
33. nightingale
34. farthing
35. threshold
36. kith
37. wanton
38. loam [7]
39. yield
40. mattock
41. hawthorn
42. tithe
43. behoove
44. forlorn
45. quiver
46. hustings
47. aspen
48. mermaid
49. anvil
50. barley
51. linden
52. hassock
53. orchard
54. hearth [8]
55. watery
56. fiend
57. goatee
58. earthenware
59. windily
60. dealership
61. bookkeeping
62. fiery
63. learned
64. nosiest
65. creepy
66. errand
67. daily
68. gnat
69. broadleaf
70. stringy
71. dairy
72. workmanship
73. newfangled
74. timely
75. dogged
76. mootable
77. womanly
78. manhandle
79. folksiness
80. worrisome
81. roughhewn
82. knavery
83. hurdle
84. kipper
85. hundredth
86. icicle
87. pinafore
88. yieldable
89. hue

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Challenge Words

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1. heifer
2. mistletoe
3. salve
4. kirtle
5. Wiccan
6. shrieval
7. chary

Spelling Tips

1. Old English likes double consonants following short vowels, especially if the vowel is in a stressed syllable. Examples include quell, paddock, mattock, sallow, fennel, hassock, errand, barrow, kipper, and Wiccan.
2. A long a sound (\ā\) at the end of words from Old English is nearly always spelled ay as in belay.
3. Long e (\ē\) at the end of an adjective or adverb from Old English is nearly always spelled with y. Examples include dreary, watery, windily, fiery, creepy, daily, stringy, timely, womanly, and chary.
4. Long o (\ō\) at the end of words from Old English is typically spelled with ow as in sallow and barrow. By contrast, a long o at the end of a word in many languages that English has borrowed from is simply spelled with o.
5. When the syllable \səl\ ends words from Old English, it is nearly always spelled stle, with the t being silent (as in gristle and nestle).
6. Silent gh after a vowel is common in words from Old English, as in slaughter. Silent gh usually appears after i in words like plight (not on the study list) and nightingale, and it signals that the vowel is pronounced \ī\.
7. The vowel combination oa in words from Old English is nearly always pronounced as long o (\ō\) as in loam and goatee. Examples not on the study list include shoal, boastful, and gloaming.
8. Silent e on the end or not? For words from Old English that end in either hard th (\th\) or soft th (\th\), remember this: More often than not, soft th will have a silent e at the end of the word. Consider, for example, bequeath, dearth, kith, hearth, and hundredth versus blithe, lithe, and tithe. Interestingly, the word blithe can be pronounced both ways.

Words from New World Languages

Study Words

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1. condor
2. iguana
3. hurricane [1]
4. kahuna
5. hogan
6. jerky
7. muskrat
8. hominy
9. wigwam
10. pampas
11. caribou [2]
12. toboggan
13. persimmon
14. quinine
15. powwow
16. bayou
17. coyote [3]
18. tamale
19. poi
20. cashew
21. luau
22. totem
23. mahimahi
24. hickory
25. cacao
26. kona
27. malihini
28. wikiwiki
29. Tuckahoe
30. pecan
31. chipotle
32. skunk
33. woodchuck [4]
34. chocolate
35. muumuu
36. puma
37. tomato
38. maraca
39. petunia
40. jaguar
41. buccaneer
42. llama
43. succotash
44. caucus
45. wampum
46. mole
47. toucan

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Challenge Words

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1. opossum
2. terrapin
3. ocelot
4. hoomalimali
5. coati
6. jacamar
7. ipecac
8. menhaden
9. sachem

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