30 Commonly Misspelled Words in 11+ Exams (with Memory Tricks)

Why These Words Trip Students Up

Some words are misspelt so often in 11+ exams that experienced examiners could practically recite the list. These are not obscure or difficult words — they are everyday vocabulary that students use regularly but spell incorrectly because the spelling does not match how the word sounds.

The good news is that a simple memory trick (sometimes called a mnemonic) can fix each one permanently. Once you learn the trick, the correct spelling sticks. Below are 30 of the most commonly misspelt words, each with a tested memory aid.

Words 1-10

• separate (not "seperate") — There is a rat in sepa rate.
• necessary (not "neccessary" or "necessery") — A shirt has one collar (one C) and two sleeves (two S's): necessary.
• definitely (not "definately") — There is something finite inside definitely.
• accommodation (not "accomodation") — Accommodation has room for a double c and a double m — just like a hotel with double beds.
• because (not "becuase" or "becouse") — Big Elephants Can Always Understand Small Elephants.
• beautiful (not "beatiful" or "beautifull") — Big Ears Are Ugly — B-E-A-U-tiful. And remember: -ful has only one L.
• disappear (not "dissapear") — One dis + appear. The prefix "dis-" has one S.
• disappoint (not "dissapoint") — Same pattern: one dis + appoint. One S in "dis-", two P's in "appoint".
• embarrass (not "embarass") — I went Really Red And felt So Silly — embarrass has two R's and two S's.
• environment (not "enviroment") — There is iron in the environment.

Words 11-20

• government (not "goverment") — The government should govern — keep the N.
• immediately (not "immediatly") — Immediate + ly — keep the E before adding -ly.
• knowledge (not "knowlege") — Acknowledge has the word know and the word ledge inside it.
• occurred (not "occured") — It has two C's and two R's. The double R follows the doubling rule (stress is on the final syllable: oc-CURRED).
• opportunity (not "oportunity") — You need two P's to seize an opportunity — do not miss one.
• parliament (not "parliment") — You need to lie in parliament — the middle letters are L-I-A.
• privilege (not "privelege" or "priviledge") — It ends in -lege (not -ledge). Think: privilege.
• rhythm (not "rythm") — Rhythm Helps Your Two Hips Move.
• sincerely (not "sincerly") — Sincere + ly — keep the final E of "sincere".
• tomorrow (not "tommorow" or "tomorow") — Tomorrow — one M, two R's. Think: "one M, but it rrains tomorrow."

Words 21-30

• which (not "wich") — W-H at the start: which, when, where, what — they all start with WH.
• receive (not "recieve") — I before E, except after C: receive.
• believe (not "beleive") — Do not lie — believe has LIE inside it (and no C before it, so I before E).
• weird (not "wierd") — Weird is weird because it breaks the "i before e" rule. Just memorise this one.
• friend (not "freind") — I will be your friend until the end.
• February (not "Febuary") — February — do not forget the first R. Say it aloud: "Feb-ROO-ary."
• Wednesday (not "Wendsday") — Say it as it is spelt: "Wed-nes-day."
• surprise (not "suprise") — There is an R after the first syllable: surprise. Think: "It's a surprise — there's an extra R!"
• queue (not "que" or "queu") — Q followed by four vowels: Q-U-E-U-E. Think of it as people standing in a line — the U, E, U, E are all waiting behind Q.
• conscience (not "concience" or "consience") — Conscience has the word science inside it.

How to Use Memory Tricks Effectively

Memory tricks work best when you make them personal. Here is a study method:

• Step 1: Read the word and the trick. Say both aloud.
• Step 2: Cover the word and write it from memory.
• Step 3: Check. If correct, move on. If wrong, read the trick again and repeat.
• Step 4: The next day, test yourself on yesterday's words without looking at the tricks first. This tests whether the trick has stuck.
• Step 5: Each week, go back and test all the words you have learned so far. Words you get right three times in a row can move to a monthly review.

This method is based on spaced repetition, which research shows is the most effective way to commit information to long-term memory.

Bonus: Confusable Pairs

Some of the most common "misspellings" are actually the wrong word entirely. Watch out for these:

• their / there / they're — Their = belonging to them; there = a place; they're = they are.
• your / you're — Your = belonging to you; you're = you are.
• its / it's — Its = belonging to it; it's = it is or it has.
• practise / practice — In British English, practise is the verb ("I practise the piano") and practice is the noun ("football practice").
• affect / effect — Affect is usually the verb ("The rain affected the match"); effect is usually the noun ("The effect was dramatic").