Trresh Posted November 17, 2011 Share Posted November 17, 2011 (edited) My 14 year old and I are natural spellers and 9 times out of 10 if she has a problem spelling a word I have trouble with that same word, too. I wonder if most natural spellers' brains are wired the same way so they misspell a lot of the same words (That makes no sense but hopefully you get what I'm saying). Here are a couple that we stumble on and they're not necessarily even hard words. Occasionally....we want to add an extra 's'. Separate...we try to spell it like 'seperate'. Edited November 17, 2011 by Trresh Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janie Grace Posted November 17, 2011 Share Posted November 17, 2011 Argument. I want to include the "e". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Belacqua Posted November 17, 2011 Share Posted November 17, 2011 Ninety. That "e" just looks so misplaced, even though "nintey" doesn't work at all. And forty. I have to fight not to include the "u." I have always had a contentious relationship with numbers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crimson Wife Posted November 17, 2011 Share Posted November 17, 2011 I really struggle with -ant vs. -ent and -ance vs. -ence. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scrappyhappymama Posted November 17, 2011 Share Posted November 17, 2011 Weird. Just from reading the title of your thread, the very first work that popped into my head is 'occasionally' (which Firefox tells me I just misspelled, only moments after reading it in your comment!!). No matter how many times I remind myself, I always spell it with one c and two s's. I also try to put an extra e in argument too! I'll be following this thread with interest. It would be interesting to find there is a correlation between natural spellers and commonly misspelled words. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LittleIzumi Posted November 17, 2011 Share Posted November 17, 2011 Caffeine (did it wrong the first time again!) Obsess (for some reason I always want to double the first s) Tuesday (I flip the u & e half the time) Judgement (the e looks wrong!!!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mommy22alyns Posted November 17, 2011 Share Posted November 17, 2011 judgment/judgement I had an argument with my jr. year English teacher over which was correct. I said judgement and she counted off on a paper of mine. I looked it up and it said that both were accepted spellings, but she said, "I'm the teacher and I say it's wrong." :glare: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janie Grace Posted November 17, 2011 Share Posted November 17, 2011 judgment/judgement I had an argument with my jr. year English teacher over which was correct. I said judgement and she counted off on a paper of mine. I looked it up and it said that both were accepted spellings, but she said, "I'm the teacher and I say it's wrong." :glare: That one gets me, too. I guess it's a cousin to argument. ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NorCalMom Posted November 17, 2011 Share Posted November 17, 2011 Occasionally....we want to add an extra 's'. Separate...we try to spell it like 'seperate'. Both of these trip me up for the same reasons. Here's another one: Commitment....I want to add an extra 't', even though I don't struggle with "commit". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HeidiKC Posted November 17, 2011 Share Posted November 17, 2011 Occasionally....we want to add an extra 's'. Separate...we try to spell it like 'seperate'. SAME!!! And I'm also a naturally good speller. Embarrass gave me trouble for a long time, but I think I've finally got that one down! Then there is the whole dilemma/dilemna thing! Which is a different thread, really. But very interesting. My whole life I spelled it dilemna, until a friend told me about this whole dilemma...and if you look it up online it is pretty interesting. Apparently TONS of people grew up spelling it "dilemna", and not just in the US, but also Britain and Australia. And I think also the French version has been misspelled! And I guess they never could figure out how so many people got that wrong. It seems that lots of these people (but I don't think all) attended Catholic schools, and the misspellings began in the 1950s or 1960s, but I don't think they ever found any spelling book or anything that taught the incorrect spelling (but I may be wrong). My parents were born in 1940 and attended Catholic schools and never heard of it spelled dilemna and thought I was NUTS. But my sister spelled it the same way I did (incorrectly). Anyway, I was fascinated by this and think someone should make a movie about it. But of course I'm kinda weird like that! I think I'll do a poll here... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chelli Posted November 17, 2011 Share Posted November 17, 2011 I am a natural speller and my two arch nemesis are: separate (had to look back in the thread to spell it correctly) cemetery (I want to spell it -ary every time.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pfamilygal Posted November 17, 2011 Share Posted November 17, 2011 My 14 year old and I are natural spellers and 9 times out of 10 if she has a problem spelling a word I have trouble with that same word, too. I wonder if most natural spellers' brains are wired the same way so they misspell a lot of the same words (That makes no sense but hopefully you get what I'm saying). Here are a couple that we stumble on and they're not necessarily even hard words. Occasionally....we want to add an extra 's'. Separate...we try to spell it like 'seperate'. Just remember that separate is sneaky word - it has "a rat" in the middle. Calendar always messes me up. I always want to write "calender". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chelle in MO Posted November 17, 2011 Share Posted November 17, 2011 I got knocked out of a spelling bee in 5th grade over "separate" for the same reason. I always have an issue with the word accommodate. I always want to spell it with one M instead of two. Spell check gets me every time. ;) I once heard someone point out that the a's SEPARATE the e's in that word. That helps me remember the correct spelling. :001_smile: The one that used to always get me is "definite." I always wanted it to end in "ate" until my sister set me straight. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lady Florida. Posted November 17, 2011 Share Posted November 17, 2011 I always have an issue with the word accommodate. I always want to spell it with one M instead of two. Spell check gets me every time. ;) Yes, words that have, or seem like they should have, more than one doubled consonant often get me. Sometimes I can take the word apart, like dis appoint and figure it out. Other times I need to look it up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lady Florida. Posted November 17, 2011 Share Posted November 17, 2011 It seems that lots of these people (but I don't think all) attended Catholic schools, and the misspellings began in the 1950s or 1960s, but I don't think they ever found any spelling book or anything that taught the incorrect spelling (but I may be wrong). My parents were born in 1940 and attended Catholic schools and never heard of it spelled dilemna and thought I was NUTS. But my sister spelled it the same way I did (incorrectly). I have never heard of this, but I attended Catholic school in the 1960's and have always spelled it dilemna. In fact, it was always one of those words I sounded out in my head - dil em na, like Wed nes day. It's only been in recent (10?) years that I noticed my spelling seems to be wrong. I wonder what other incorrect spellings those nuns taught us...:) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cinder Posted November 17, 2011 Share Posted November 17, 2011 I also have trouble with occasion and have to remind myself that it's o-kay-zhun not o-cash-un. I used to have trouble with separate until I realized it's like the word disparate not like desperate. And my latest: broccoli. I keep wanting to spell it brocolli. Neither one ever looks quite right to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pfamilygal Posted November 17, 2011 Share Posted November 17, 2011 I once heard someone point out that the a's SEPARATE the e's in that word. That helps me remember the correct spelling. :001_smile: The one that used to always get me is "definite." I always wanted it to end in "ate" until my sister set me straight. :D My friend always says "you're definAtely an a-hole if you use an a to spell definite." Which is, of course, not true. But it helps me remember :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elegantlion Posted November 17, 2011 Share Posted November 17, 2011 dyslexic, psychology, anything with that ys, sy at the beginning I even misspelled dyslexic just now. Thank goodness for spell checker. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clementine Posted November 17, 2011 Share Posted November 17, 2011 The words license and exercise always make me pause and rethink. The longer I look at a word, the more it looks wrong - even when it's not. :tongue_smilie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LittleIzumi Posted November 17, 2011 Share Posted November 17, 2011 I agree on the separate sometimes, and also lavender. I always want it to say lavendar! And my favorite :glare:, rythym. Rhythm. However the heck you spell that word. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jakesask Posted November 17, 2011 Share Posted November 17, 2011 Hemorrhoids and Philippines -- those double letters! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HeidiKC Posted November 17, 2011 Share Posted November 17, 2011 I have never heard of this, but I attended Catholic school in the 1960's and have always spelled it dilemna. In fact, it was always one of those words I sounded out in my head - dil em na, like Wed nes day. :) Exactly! Are we spelling Wednesday correctly? Now I'm suspicious! Well, at least you noticed you were misspelling it. I never even noticed. My friend that pointed it out to me noticed when some movie (or was it a book) came out last year called "dilemma" and she wondered why they were spelling it incorrectly! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Belacqua Posted November 17, 2011 Share Posted November 17, 2011 How many of us will always remember the word we missed in that elementary school spelling bee? I still cringe when I have to spell "majesty" (I spelled it with a "g," figuring it was related to magic). That, and getting points off in geography for labeling part of my map as "Sweeden." This stuff really sticks with us, doesn't it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChristusG Posted November 17, 2011 Share Posted November 17, 2011 Yes, I'm a natural speller and I spell separate wrong ALL the time. I always get the little squiggly red line underneath LOL. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trresh Posted November 17, 2011 Author Share Posted November 17, 2011 How many of us will always remember the word we missed in that elementary school spelling bee? I still cringe when I have to spell "majesty" (I spelled it with a "g," figuring it was related to magic). That, and getting points off in geography for labeling part of my map as "Sweeden." This stuff really sticks with us, doesn't it? I won our jr. high spelling bee and then went to the county bee. I can't remember the word I lost on but my first word was scroll and I totally blanked out for what seemed like an eternity. In my head, I was like 'Scroll!?!? What in the heck is a scroll?' It finally came to me. In 5th grade, it was down to me and another girl. The word was pedal. I spelled petal, instead. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trresh Posted November 17, 2011 Author Share Posted November 17, 2011 I have trouble with a lot of the words that have been mentioned. So....are these commonly misspelled words for everyone or just natural spellers? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ginevra Posted November 17, 2011 Share Posted November 17, 2011 My 14 year old and I are natural spellers and 9 times out of 10 if she has a problem spelling a word I have trouble with that same word, too. I wonder if most natural spellers' brains are wired the same way so they misspell a lot of the same words (That makes no sense but hopefully you get what I'm saying). Here are a couple that we stumble on and they're not necessarily even hard words. Occasionally....we want to add an extra 's'. Separate...we try to spell it like 'seperate'. Okay - That is amazingly bizarre! I am a pretty good speller, but I came into this thread planning to say I can never, ever seem to learn "occasionally" and have also always, always had trouble with "separate." My mistakes are identical to yours! I also have trouble with "occur/occurrence" and "balance." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mommy22alyns Posted November 17, 2011 Share Posted November 17, 2011 How many of us will always remember the word we missed in that elementary school spelling bee? I still cringe when I have to spell "majesty" (I spelled it with a "g," figuring it was related to magic). That, and getting points off in geography for labeling part of my map as "Sweeden." This stuff really sticks with us, doesn't it? Carrion. Now I'll never forget how to spell it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ElizabethB Posted November 17, 2011 Share Posted November 17, 2011 I have rules for most of these words, I will post the rules later tonight or tomorrow. I spelled truly wrong about a billion times until I learned the rule for that case! For me, once I learn the rule, it makes remembering these tough words much easier. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
~Tara~ Posted November 17, 2011 Share Posted November 17, 2011 Accommodate, commitment yep, those 'to double or not to double' deals get me. I also struggle with some of the -ance -ence, -ant -ent words someone pointed out. Hemorrhoids, can't spell that one to save my life! It always looks wrong. Occurrence, whew, wow, yeah, thank you spell check. And I have to stop and think about misspell. :p Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LittleIzumi Posted November 17, 2011 Share Posted November 17, 2011 How many of us will always remember the word we missed in that elementary school spelling bee? I still cringe when I have to spell "majesty" (I spelled it with a "g," figuring it was related to magic)./QUOTE] Pigeon!!! We had just read a story about a pigeon named "Pidge" so I ended up spelling it "pidgeon." :glare: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
macpuffins Posted November 17, 2011 Share Posted November 17, 2011 Weird. Just from reading the title of your thread, the very first work that popped into my head is 'occasionally' (which Firefox tells me I just misspelled, only moments after reading it in your comment!!). No matter how many times I remind myself, I always spell it with one c and two s's. I have always spelled that incorrectly! I will deliberately reword a phrase to avoid it where possible! Caffeine (did it wrong the first time again!) Considering how much I like coffee, I misspell caffeine more often than I don't. I agree on the separate sometimes, and also lavender. I always want it to say lavendar! And my favorite :glare:, rythym. Rhythm. However the heck you spell that word. *YES* BOTH!!!!!!! The words license and exercise always make me pause and rethink. The longer I look at a word, the more it looks wrong - even when it's not. :tongue_smilie: Yup on license. As for "the longer I look at a word" ... have you ever looked at word you KNOW and have trouble pronouncing it, and then you try repeatedly, and by the time you are done, you still can't do it right (or if someone helps you, the right pronunciation drives you NUTS)?? I have had the trouble w/ "piano" {pie-an-OH} one day, HOURS over it. Hubby had both "people" {pee-op-el} and "water" {wait-er} give him headaches on a couple different days. We say when that's the case, that you just witnessed those braincells' death!:001_huh: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted November 17, 2011 Share Posted November 17, 2011 I really struggle with -ant vs. -ent and -ance vs. -ence. :iagree: Exactly what I was going to say! I used to also have trouble with short i and e as I'm southern and don't really hear or say the difference in most words. The whole pin/pen thing. But I've memorized them mostly by now and it only occasionally trips me up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
macpuffins Posted November 17, 2011 Share Posted November 17, 2011 I have rules for most of these words, I will post the rules later tonight or tomorrow.... For me, once I learn the rule, it makes remembering these tough words much easier. 2 nasty ones in my vocabulary::001_huh: hyperbole epitome I've only *just* recently learned how to pronounce hyperbole, and spell the correct pronunciation correctly! Do the rules cover these two? If so, which ones, because we use those in conversation around here! (We're geeks, and read a lot, but those two have eluded us for some reason. In conversation, we use them.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cathmom Posted November 17, 2011 Share Posted November 17, 2011 I am a natural speller and I don't have a problem with most of the words mentioned. Separate - has two "a"s and two "e"s Rhythm - the "h" is the middle letter in both syllables r h y t h m I can't think of any words that I do routinely have a problem with. If I do, I'll let you know LOL! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cathmom Posted November 17, 2011 Share Posted November 17, 2011 (edited) Oh, and I was out in the county spelling bee in 6th grade on the word "sebaceous." Something to do with glands, I believe. I think I spelled it "sabatious." Funny, but I don't remember any of the words in the junior high spelling bee which pitted the 7th graders (me) against the 8th graders, and which I won. Edited November 17, 2011 by cathmom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
macpuffins Posted November 17, 2011 Share Posted November 17, 2011 introduction - grade 6 still have to stop myself when I spell it aloud. I'm ok to type/write it, but saying it causes issues. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cinder Posted November 17, 2011 Share Posted November 17, 2011 How many of us will always remember the word we missed in that elementary school spelling bee? I do! In 2nd grade there was a small rivalry between me and a boy named Bill. I had 1 more perfect spelling test than he . . . until the last test of the year. I misspelled "remember" as "rember." We had a 9th grade spelling bee. I got out on "solder." I had never even heard that word before! :tongue_smilie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wheres Toto Posted November 17, 2011 Share Posted November 17, 2011 Wednesday and bulletin. Wednesday I have to really think about and bulletin I always do wrong and then spell check. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spock Posted November 18, 2011 Share Posted November 18, 2011 judgment/judgement I had an argument with my jr. year English teacher over which was correct. I said judgement and she counted off on a paper of mine. I looked it up and it said that both were accepted spellings, but she said, "I'm the teacher and I say it's wrong." :glare: I also always want to type judgement, but Word (and Firefox) consistently say it's wrong. I just checked on Word--if I set the language to UK English instead of US English, it is correct. I apparently read a lot of UK books as a child, because most of the words I have trouble with are words I want to spell British instead of American (saviour, behaviour, grey, traveller, etc.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JessieC Posted November 18, 2011 Share Posted November 18, 2011 I have trouble with broccoli and cocoon, in addition to others mentioned here, like occasionally. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
extendedforecast Posted November 18, 2011 Share Posted November 18, 2011 I always struggle with bassinet. I seem to want to double all the consonants for some reason. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThreeBlessings Posted November 18, 2011 Share Posted November 18, 2011 Not sure why but I always need to stop and think before typing necessary. I want to put two c's even though I *know* it isn't right from spellcheck correcting me one too many times. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chelle in MO Posted November 18, 2011 Share Posted November 18, 2011 My friend always says "you're definAtely an a-hole if you use an a to spell definite." Which is, of course, not true. But it helps me remember :) I sure am glad I learned to spell it correctly, then! I'd hate to be thought of as one of those! ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arghmatey Posted November 18, 2011 Share Posted November 18, 2011 My 14 year old and I are natural spellers and 9 times out of 10 if she has a problem spelling a word I have trouble with that same word, too. I wonder if most natural spellers' brains are wired the same way so they misspell a lot of the same words (That makes no sense but hopefully you get what I'm saying). Here are a couple that we stumble on and they're not necessarily even hard words. Occasionally....we want to add an extra 's'. Separate...we try to spell it like 'seperate'. Mercy Maude! I almost fell out of my seat when I saw "occasionally". I read the title of your thread and immediately thought of "occasion". Even today my silly phone kept auto correcting it! I won a local spelling bee or two as a child, and I have been thinking of participating in an adult spelling bee just for fun. LOL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Myeightkiddies Posted November 18, 2011 Share Posted November 18, 2011 Just remember that separate is sneaky word - it has "a rat" in the middle. This was how I was taught to spell separate. I learned it in middle school (we called it Junior High then); haven't misspelled it since. Occasionally or Occasion - I always start off with two s's then realize it is wrong. Even looking at it now, it doesn't appear correct. :confused: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ElizabethB Posted November 18, 2011 Share Posted November 18, 2011 (edited) OK, I have a bunch of obscure rules! :D (That doesn't mean I always spell everything correctly or even that I spell these words correctly, it just means I know a lot of rules after studying phonics and spelling for so long. I collect rules and spelling books and dictionaries...) Argument and judgement fall under the final silent e rules: Final silent e Is normally dropped when adding a suffix that begins with a vowel. (move, movable) -unless needed to keep c or g soft (change, changeable) Will be kept if it is part of a letter team that end in e (ee, ue, oe, etc; i.e. see, seeing) -exception: dropped after u or w (true, truly; awe, awful) Will be kept if the suffix begins with a consonant. (careful, lateness) So, judgement should have that e to keep the g soft. I could see how the dg *could* signal a soft g, but judgement is preferred in my opinion. Occasionally would be pronounced with a sh instead of a zh if it had 2 s's (like mission.) For an explanation of why, you can watch my phonics lesson 22. The explanation is within the first 3 minutes. It would take a long time to type here--I explain in the movie with a specially marked print that helps you "see" how it works. The audio also helps. Accommodate needs 2 m's to keep the o short. The doubling rules cover several words, here first are the rules: Double when adding a suffix beginning with a vowel; don't double if suffix begins with a consonant. 2 syllable words with an accent on the last syllable will double the consonant when adding a syllable (Old English origin) but words of Latin origin will accent on the first syllable, and will not double the consonant when adding a syllable. Philippines has an accent on the 2nd syllable, so will double the p. Occurrence has an accent on the 2nd syllable, so will double the r. Hyperbole and epitome are from Greek. They follow Greek spelling and pronunciation rules. My chart from phonics lesson 27 explains this to some degree, and the lesson covers it a bit as well, although it might not totally explain these words, but just knowing that they are all Greek to me, too might help! :D Cemetery: Well, since there are hundreds of words spelled -ary and only 2 spelled -ery with this pronunciation, I can see why you would want to spell it ary! Just memorize that cemetery and stationery are exceptions. (Most -ery words are pronounced like "recovery" or "treachery." -ant/ent and -ence/ance and -ar/or/er: There are actually rules for these, but they are complex and I don't have a good source for them that is not under copyright. The best consolidated explanation of all these suffix rules is in Stephen V. Ross's "Spelling Made Simple." *All rule quotes are from my upcoming new spelling rules document, I'm finally adding in all the suffix rules. There are a lot, I'm still typing, it is still in draft. Edited November 18, 2011 by ElizabethB Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Occasionally Posted November 18, 2011 Share Posted November 18, 2011 Weird. No, I mean that I have trouble spelling "weird." :tongue_smilie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NanceXToo Posted November 18, 2011 Share Posted November 18, 2011 Occasionally for me, also. And, ironically, the word misspell. Heh. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
radiobrain Posted November 18, 2011 Share Posted November 18, 2011 Definitely. Separate. Bureaucracy. Necessary. I am sure there are others, but those are consistent bumblers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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