How to Avoid Using Commonly Mispelled Words

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By Robin Jessie-Green
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The English language is a complicated animal with so many words that are spelled in ways far from how they sound phonetically. Often times, you misspell a word because you are thrown off by its pronunciation. Other times, you may intentionally add some letters for emphasis; I do it allllllllll the time. This article touches on how to avoid some of the most common spelling mistakes. Keep in mind no writer is purrfect.
(Yes, "mispelled" is misspelled.)

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

Dictionary

Step 1

The opposite of gain is loss. When something is misplaced and cannot be found, it is lost. Sometimes, I feel I just may lose my mind when I see that others are "loosing" their touch when it comes to spelling. Loosing refers to "detaching" or "releasing." Losing means "unprofitable" or "failing."
Step 2

You cannot "recIeve" sound advice from this article to apply to your writing. You can however, "receive" some helpful tips. The rule is "I" before "E" except after "C." Therefore, believe is correct but not "belEive." I guarentee (guarantee) that if nothing else, you will pick up some basic principals (principles) of spelling.
Step 3

Use spell check to catch spelling errors, keeping in mind that although the word used may be correctly spelled, it may not have the intended meaning you're trying to relieve. (See, that should have been "relay" or "relate" not "relieve.") You can "accept" what I write as truth "except" for any errors you discover. (Folks sometimes switch those words around too.)
Step 4

Come back to it later with fresh eyes. Sometimes you can re-read your writing and discover mistakes you've missed only after taking time away from it. Reviewing your work immediately after writing may lead you to read your piece as you intended it to sound rather than what is actually present.
Step 5

Keep a couple of dictionaries handy. Wherever you typically sit down to clickity-clack at your keyboard should have a dictionary to reference nearby. A physical resource coupled with dictionary.com, thefreedictionary.com or merriam-webster.com will help you tremendously with avoiding some common spelling errors.