What are the most common spelling errors

[LovelyYellowLabrador]

I’ve only learnt Some as an adult like there or their

You’re yours

I was going on to say advice and advise. Thank you for the noun, verb explanation. I always struggle to spell broccoli on my shopping list.

@MrsTerryPratchett

Restaurant is supposedly the most frequently misspelled word on Google. But I assume that's because it's something a lot of people are looking for.

That is the ONE word that I know I will never learn to spell properly! I have a complete blank about it.

@WeAreTheHeroes

Not a spelling error, but the mixing up of less and fewer has me shouting at the radio or telly.

Although that's one that a lot of people over-simplify. When there was the hoohah over Tesco "getting it wrong" by saying "5 items or less" they weren't actually wrong. (There's a long thread about it from years ago on Pedants' somewhere)

Liaise

Necessary (one collar two sleeves)
Separate (a rat)
Discreet/ discrete (Crete is an island separate from the mainland)
Loose/ lose does loose goose work for that? (I really have trouble with this)

Effect/affect... Not a bloody clue. Going to read back to see if someone will finally give a memorable, to me, solution for getting it right.

@KirstenBlest

On here, councillor when they meant counselor, and councilling for counselling

Yes to this

Plus loose instead of lose

A lot of people seem to really struggle with apostrophes when something is possessive. I see it on social media when people are selling customised items around Christmas time. For example, I see a lot of "Christmas with the Smith's" stitched onto stockings, etc.

The Smith Family
The Smiths
The Smiths' House
Mr Smith's House

The Jones Family
The Joneses
The Jones'(s) House
Mr Jones' House

@BlackeyedSusan

Something affects you (verb), but has an effect (noun).

I was badly affected by depression. I took antidepressants, which had the desired effect.

To/too - how hard can it be when the pronunciation makes it so obvious!

Thanks @amusedbush I think I am just going to have to learn an example sentence to get it right. (At least more often. )

The ones I see most for adults are bare/ bear and loose/ lose. I don't know if bear with me has become a more commonly used phrase online, or I can't bear it, for that matter but I see it all the time.

Renumeration instead of remuneration

definite

stationery/stationary

metre/meter

principal/principle

I understand all of these errors except advice and advise. Surely in every accent they are said differently? I used to teach practice/ practise using the example of advice and advise!

Dissappointed - annoys me every time I see it.

Occassion, tommorrow and wierd.

Bit more unusual but desiccated is often misspelled as “dessicated”.

Colleague uses “brought” instead of “bought”, which sounds awful when they’re giving a public talk.

@BlackeyedSusan

What amusedbush wrote is absolutely correct, most of the time.

However, there are times when affect is a noun and effect is a verb.

A person's affect (noun) is the external expression of their emotion.

We can effect (verb) change, which is to make something happen.

Ect instead of etc.

Everyday instead of every day to mean daily.

Defiantly seems to have replaced definitely, which definitely changes the meaning of the sentence.

Viscous seems to be appearing as a frequent substitute for vicious, and makes me imagine that nasty people have been dipped in treacle.

@sorrynotathome

To/too - how hard can it be when the pronunciation makes it so obvious!

What with the pronunciation being identical unless the "to" is the weak form used in connected speech? Which is, in itself, a choice (use of weak forms) not a "rule". How does that work then?

@PAFMO precisely.

"I went to work"
"I went there too"

The best way to remember stationery is that it has an E for envelope. My typing teacher taught me this years ago.

Just read on another thread “life’s to short to sort laundry”. How can anyone think those are pronounced the same?

@sorrynotathome

Just read on another thread “life’s to short to sort laundry”. How can anyone think those are pronounced the same?

Because "to", "too" and "two" can all be pronounced with the full vowel sound /u:/ To= /tu:/ Too= /tu:/ Two= /tu:/

"To" and "too" can (and often are) given a weak vowel (schwa) when used in connected speech. So the /u:/ becomes a neutral sound.

Ultimately though, it's not a "rule" that you have to pronounce to/and/that/have (as auxiliary verb) with a schwa instead of the full vowel.

Not many native speakers would give these form words (grammar words) their full vowel pronunciation in connected speech, whereas it's a feature of the language used by non native speakers.

@LovelyYellowLabrador

I’ve only learnt Some as an adult like there or their

You’re yours

Those are homonyms

Thanks @amusedbush I think I am just going to have to learn an example sentence to get it right. (At least more often. )

One I used with students is that if I bashed them in the head the affect is a pain in their head and the effect is me losing my job.

A comes before e in the alphabet so the affect comes before the effect.

@IstayedForTheFeminism

License/licence. I have no idea which is which. Or how to remember. I was told to think of then like advice/advise but that didn't help became they don't sound the same so I know which is which.

You need a driving licence to drive a car