Many students lament that the English language possesses the most unpredictable spelling in the world. However, various linguistic studies confirm that it is not correct. Only around 400 words in English have spellings that do not follow any rule.
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Some students strive a lot with spelling blunders. Some of the errors include, for instance, missing the vowels in words. These errors also comprise writing a single letter in the terms where double letters are supposed to be written and vice versa. Before you type an essay, keep in mind the following main spelling mistakes mentioned in the article below.
1. Single/ Double Letters
This mistake has been putting students in confusion for a long time. It is one of the common mistakes you can make when you type an essay, and it takes a toll on its quality. It is easy to get confused whether the word contains a single letter or a double.
For Example
Assessment– Incorrect
Assessment– Correct
2. Weak vowel sounds
Certain phrases or words are tricky when talking about spelling. They contain the schwa or [ə], which a weak vowel sound. Thus, it becomes very tough to spell out such expressions alone from their sounds.
For Example:
Desperate, Temperature and Literature
3. Silent Letters
Another common confusion for students. In English, some words contain silent letters which you do not pronounce. But in writing, you cannot overlook that letter.
For Example:
Wrong: Casle
Right: Castle
4. Position of ‘i’ and ‘e’:
When reading any book or any content, you may come across some words where ‘i’ comes before ‘e’. But again, there will be some words that do not follow this rule, hence successfully confusing the reader.
For Example:
Wrong: Wierd
Right: Weird
5. Confusion with ‘or’ and ‘er’:
You discover some words that end with ‘or’, for example, ambassador, while you use ‘er’ in some terms, for example, cinematographer. You are prone to get confused in this case. Hence, you have to be cautious about these terms when you type an essay.
6. Writing How you Speak
There are some words that you write differently, but their pronunciation is entirely different. As a result, you may write them as you speak. But when you are writing an essay, you have time to understand the difference between pronunciation and writing. Thus try to transcribe English terms in the same way.
For Example:
Mashine – Incorrect
Machine – Correct
7. Words that Sound Similar
You may encounter words in English that may sound similar, but their meanings are worlds apart. If you use them in an academic essay, you are liable to make blunders. These words are known as homophones or homographs.
For Example
- Dual and Duel
- Blew and Blue
- Hour and Our
Their/There/They’re
- Their colleagues are really considerate people.
- There are many colleagues of mine.
- They’re my colleagues, and I like them.
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Ways to Avoid Spelling Errors
There are many ways through which you can avoid making spelling mistakes. If you work on these spellings, then you can unquestionably write them perfectly.
- Develop a hobby of reading and writing more. It is the first step to understand the use of complex words and spellings. The more you read and write, the more you will learn about their usage.
- Practice is the first step to perfection. Whenever you find yourself struggling with a type of word formation, try to incorporate it more in your daily vernacular. As you keep practicing, you will start to gain mastery over such words.
- Play spelling games online that would benefit you to remember the terms in a fun learning atmosphere.
- One fundamental tip is that once you make any spelling mistake, try remembering the correct spelling of that word positively. Then try your best to avoid performing the same mistake again and again.
