Spell it if you can

10 words you are probably spelling wrong—and why

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English is far from easy—even native speakers stumble over it! With roots in multiple languages, countless borrowed words, and a wealth of silent letters, English spelling is rarely straightforward. So, don’t feel bad if you often slip up on one of these 10 common spelling mistakes—it’s not entirely your fault. Check to see if you’ve been misspelling any of these words, or just brush up on what you already know!

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Common misspellings: Beauracracy, burocracy

With double vowels, a silent "e," and an unconventional ending, "bureaucracy" has tripped up spellers for centuries. It originates from the French word bureau, which means "desk," and was later adopted into English with the suffix -cracy, from the Greek kratos, meaning power or authority.

The main issue with this word is that, unlike similar terms like democracy, it retains the French "eau" instead of the more common linking of an "o." With such complicated spelling, we can confidently say that it fits its meaning.

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Common misspelling: Mispell

Ah, the irony! Not even "misspell" is safe from its own definition. The origin of this word lies in combining the prefix "mis-," meaning "wrong," with "spell," thus resulting in a letter repetition in the middle. Many miss the double "s" simply because they’re unfamiliar with the rule or feel that one "s" is enough (let’s be frank, maybe it should!).

This common error highlights a key spelling challenge in English: we often use prefixes like "mis-" or "dis-" that create doubled letters when combined with words starting with "s-," but the rules can sometimes be confusing, leading to embarrassing typos—especially for a word about spelling!

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Common misspelling: Pharoah

With silent letters and an unusual "ph" sound, "Pharaoh" is a notorious spelling challenge that many struggle to get right. Originating from the Egyptian word pr-’o, meaning "great house," it underwent several transformations through Greek and Latin before being incorporated into English.

However, unless you're familiar with Ancient Egypt’s monarchy, you can probably be excused for getting this one wrong.

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Common misspelling: Acomodate

Double letters are one of the usual suspects in English spelling—if you're not paying attention, you can easily miss a letter or add one where it isn’t necessary. In this case, the double "c" and "m" in "accommodate" trip up spellers constantly.

The word comes from the Latin accommodare, meaning "to make fit," and it retained its doubling when it entered English. To help remember the correct spelling, think of it as if the extra Cs and Ms need "accommodating" inside the word.

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Common misspelling: Questionair

The term "questionnaire" comes from the French questionnaire and means any type of survey or form that collects responses—just like in English.

Again, the tricky double "n" in "questionnaire" is what throws many off, and to make matters worse, the "e" ending is also quite unusual. Borrowed unchanged from French, this word retained its original structure, which explains its peculiar spelling.

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Common misspellings: Miscellanious, micellaneous

This word’s many vowels and the hard-to-place "s" make it inherently difficult to spell. Derived from Latin miscere, meaning "to mix," "miscellaneous" actually follows Latin word-building conventions, resulting in a challenging combination of letters.

Due to its unconventional vowel usage, length, and Latin phonetics, "miscellaneous" often catches people off guard.

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Common misspelling: Consciencious

"Conscientious" describes someone who’s meticulous or morally aware—a fittingly difficult word for a complex concept. This word blends the Latin roots conscire (to know) and scientia (knowledge), leading to an uncommon combination of "sci" and "tious" in the same word, which often makes it tough to spell.

As with many words that follow non-English spelling norms, it’s surprisingly easy to misspell!

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Common misspelling: Aceptable

"Acceptable" is often misspelled with only one "c," becoming "aceptable" (unacceptable, isn’t it?). Meaning "agreeable" or "satisfactory," "acceptable" follows a Latin-inspired spelling convention that doubles consonants.

The correct spelling comes from the Latin acceptabilis, meaning "worthy of acceptance." It’s the tricky double "c" that most frequently trips people up.

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Common misspelling: Rendevous

A French import, "rendezvous" retains its original spelling, which—naturally—doesn’t follow English phonetics. That would be too easy, wouldn’t it?

Originally a military term for a designated meeting point, this challenging word has a sneaky "z" right in the middle, and a silent "s" at the end, challenging spellers with its unexpected letter arrangement.

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Common misspelling: Cemetary

"Cemetery" is deceptively simple, yet often misspelled with an "a" as "cemetary." The confusion stems from other English words like "elementary" and "commentary" that follow a similar sound pattern but use the "-ary" suffix instead of "-ery."

This term comes from the Greek koimeterion, meaning "sleeping place," via Latin. Despite its somber meaning, it’s one of the most commonly misspelled words.

KNOW YOUR BRANDS

Discover the Backstories of These 10 Iconic Brand Names

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In the vast consumer goods marketplace, brands often become more than just names on labels; they become symbols of quality, trust, and innovation.

However, behind every successful brand lies a unique backstory, often filled with ingenuity, perseverance, and sometimes even a tad of serendipity. Read on to find out the intriguing stories behind 10 household names that have left an indelible mark on the world.

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Amazon has been around for 25 years now, but before becoming the giant that it is, it shapeshifted several times. Jeff Bezos, its creator, first built an online bookstore intending to offer an unparalleled selection of titles and exceptional customer service. This brand was named "Cadabra", a clear reference to "abracadabra," a magic word.

However, Bezos’ lawyer at the time considered it an obscure name, and in 1994, Bezos and his wife started exploring other names and registered several domains, like "relentless.com" just in case one of those was going to be the one. Eventually, he decided he wanted a brand starting with the letter A, the first in the alphabet, and, after perusing the dictionary, he landed on the word Amazon, the largest river on the planet. The superlative had the winning factor and the rest is history.

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Larry Page and Sergey Brin, two graduate students at Stanford University began collaborating on a search engine project in 1996. Their initial goal was to create a more efficient way to navigate the World Wide Web. Originally named "Backrub" due to its focus on analyzing backlinks, the project eventually evolved into what we now know as Google, but the name was actually the product of a misspelling.

Sean Anderson, a Stanford graduate, pitched the term "googolplex" in a brainstorming session for the name change. However, Page countered a simple version of it "Googol", which denotes a colossal number in mathematics: the digit 1 followed by a hundred zeros.

When checking the availability of the domain, Anderson accidentally typed Google and Page liked this version of the name best. They secured it on September 15, 1997, marking the birth of a digital giant.

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Originally founded as "Blue Ribbon Sports" in 1964 by Phil Knight and Bill Bowerman, the company’s beginnings were quite humble. Knight, a former middle-distance runner at the University of Oregon, and Bowerman, his coach, shared a passion for improving athletic performance. They joined forces to import Japanese sports shoes from the Onitsuka factory to the United States.

The pivotal moment of the company came in 1971 when they rebranded it as Nike, a name inspired by the Greek goddess of victory. In Greek mythology, Nike is often depicted as a divine figure symbolizing victory, strength, and speed. This name, together with the presentation of the Swoosh logo marked the beginning of a new era.

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Steve Jobs may be the one you think of when you think of Apple, but the brand was co-created with Steve Wozniak and Ronald Wayne in 1976. The name, however, was in fact Jobs’ invention and it has more than one backstory. In Jobs’ biography by Walter Isaacson, the creator himself admits that he came up with the name while he was on a fruitarian diet. He mentions having visited an apple farm and considering the name because it was "fun, spirited and not intimidating." This story was confirmed by Wozniak who drove him back from the airport after that trip.

However, there is another reason why the brand was named "Apple," and that is because, just like with Jeff Bezos’ Amazon, Jobs intended to have consumers find his brand before his competitor Atari in the phone book.

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You drink their coffee every couple of days, and you probably use their space as an office and a place of recreation, but have you ever wondered why Starbucks is called Starbucks? The coffee company is a titan of the industry with good reason, and the story behind its name is just as interesting.

Bowker, Baldwin, and Siegl - Starbucks’ founders - set off with a simple goal: finding a powerful name. According to marketing specialists st****- words have that strength. The three men started scouting around for a name and came across a small town called Starbo, on a mining map. That was enough for Gordon Bowker to think of Moby Dick’s character, Starbuck.

As the company itself states, this name evokes "the romance of the high seas and the seafaring tradition of the early coffee traders."

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We bet that if you take your eyes off this article and look around, you’ll find at least one thing from IKEA, isn’t that right? That is because IKEA is part of our everyday life, and leaving their stores empty-handed is almost impossible.

We have Ingvar Kamprad to thank for this amazing creation, and if you pay close attention, you already know where the name comes from. That is right, IKEA is an acronym and the two first letters belong to the founder’s initials.

As for the E and the A in it, the first stands for Elmtaryd, which is the name of the farm Kamprad grew up on, and the second stands for Agunnaryd, the name of his village. Put it all together and you get IKEA, and probably a piece of furniture too.

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Pepsi has carved out a sparkling legacy spanning more than a century. Its journey has been one of continuous evolution making it an iconic global drink. This beverage originated as a remedy for stomach discomfort, thanks to Caleb Bradhma, a pharmacist in North Carolina. Seeking a name that better encapsulated its essence, Bradham eventually settled on "Pepsi-Cola" in 1902, having purchased the moniker "Pep Kola" from a local competitor.

Interestingly, the name "Pepsi" finds its roots in "dyspepsia," a medical term that means indigestion. By the 19th century, this was a very common affection, and products to cure it contained animal pepsin, a digestive enzyme. Although Pepsi never included this ingredient in its list, Bradham used this to his favor to sell Pepsi around!

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Nintendo, a household name in the gaming industry traces back to 1889, when it embarked on its journey with the humble venture into the playing card business. The moniker "Nintendo" was chosen for this initial foray, which comes from the Japanese language, as its creator.

Nintendo, which means "leave luck to heaven" is not just a label, it is the founder Fusajiro Yamuchi’s philosophical approach towards the nature of card games. Fast forward to the 1970s, and Nintendo made a pivotal shift into the burgeoning realm of video games. Despite the drastic change in industry and product, the company opted to maintain the original name. This decision was about both brand continuity and a testament to Ninendo’s enduring commitment to innovation.

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McDonald's is the number one titan of the fast-food industry and it dates back to 1940. It all began with a modest barbecue restaurant established by Richard and Maurice McDonald. Little did they know that their journey would evolve into a global phenomenon.

Even if the company takes its name from the owners, the pivotal moment came when Ray Kroc, a tenacious milkshake machine salesman entered the picture. He acknowledged the potential of the kitchen setup and saw an opportunity for expansion. Under Kroc’s leadership, McDonald’s underwent a transformative journey and became an empire of golden arches spanning across the continent keeping the name of the family that first created the brand and honoring it with the many variations of it we can find in the name of the dishes.

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What began in 1969 as a modest enterprise has blossomed into a global powerhouse, leaving an indelible mark on industries ranging from electronics to finance and beyond. At the heart of Samsung’s identity lies its name, a beacon of aspiration and promise.

In Korean, Samsung translates to "three stars," a poignant reflection of founder Lee Byung-chull’s lofty ambitions for the company. To him, the name was more than a mere designation, it embodied a vision of brilliance, strength, and enduring radiance. Each star symbolized a face of his vision: largeness, abundance, and resilience. And they have certainly honored this story as it has rapidly become an icon of innovation and enterprise with unwavering determination.