If you’ve ever typed a word that looks right and then stared at it for a few seconds wondering if you spelled it correctly you’re not alone. definately or definitely is one of those spelling questions that catches people off guard because the wrong form looks surprisingly natural. The correct spelling is definitely. The spelling … Read more
Making a spelling mistake with a common word can be surprisingly easy. You type quickly. Your brain knows the word. Your fingers simply leave out one letter. That’s exactly what happens with wich or which. The correct spelling is which. Wich is not the standard spelling of the English question word or relative pronoun. If … Read more
Publically or publicly is a common spelling question that can trip up even careful writers. The correct standard spelling is publicly. Publically is generally considered a misspelling rather than an accepted alternative. The confusion happens because many English adverbs are formed by adding ly directly to an adjective. However public follows a different spelling pattern … Read more
If you’ve ever typed vallies or valleys and stopped to wonder which spelling is correct you’re not alone. This is a common spelling problem because the singular word valley changes its ending when it becomes plural. The correct spelling is valleys. Vallies is not the standard plural form of valley. The confusion usually comes from … Read more
Have you ever typed a word that looks right only to discover that one letter is missing? That’s exactly what happens with missle or missile. The two forms look almost identical at a glance. Yet only one is accepted as the standard English spelling. The correct spelling is missile. The spelling missle is a common … Read more
Have you ever written a sentence about someone doing better next time and wondered if the correct phrase is fare better or fair better? These two words sound the same, but they have different meanings and grammatical uses. The correct expression is fare better. It means to perform better, make better progress, or achieve a … Read more
Spelling mistakes can happen even with words you’ve seen hundreds of times. Suprise or surprise is a good example because the incorrect form looks almost right at first glance. One small letter changes the spelling completely. The correct spelling is surprise. Suprise is a common misspelling and isn’t the standard English word. The correct form … Read more
Afterward or afterwards often make writers pause because the two forms look almost identical. The extra s can make you wonder if one spelling is wrong or if the two words have different meanings. Both forms are correct. In American English the preferred form is afterward. In British English afterwards is especially common. The meaning … Read more
If you’re unsure about counselor vs councilor, you’re not alone. The two words sound the same in standard English, and their spellings differ by only a few letters. However, they refer to two completely different roles. Counselor means a person who gives advice, guidance, or support, while councilor means a member of a council or … Read more
English often turns familiar words into shorter forms, especially in casual conversation, texting, and online writing. Favorite is a good example. You’ll often see fave or fav used as an informal shorter form, with faves and favs as their plural forms. Both faves and favs are understandable and accepted in informal modern English. Faves is … Read more