Writing Prompt ~ Commonly Misspelled Words

Posted by: Tara Benwell Writing Prompt

Writing Prompt: Are there some words that you often spell incorrectly? The best way to fix this is to use these words as often as you can. Try to figure out what it is about a word that makes it difficult to spell. It might have something to do with your own native language. These spelling rules may help you. Choose five words that you often spell incorrectly. Write a paragraph using all five words at least once. Provide tips to yourself (and your readers) about how to remember the spelling.

Example

I often feel embarrassed that I have trouble with spelling. I definitely need to remember tricks and spelling tips. For example, the word “finite” is in the word “definitely”. One word that always gives me trouble is “vacuum”. I always forget if it has two c’s or two u’s. It’s like “broccoli”. I often forget if “broccoli” has two c’s or two l’s. At least broccoli looks wrong when you spell it incorrectly. The word vacuum looks wrong with two u’s! Why does a word have double u’s anyway? It should be spelled like “volume”. I’d like to vacuum up this word, or at least one of the u’s! I’m glad that my students accommodate me. They don’t mind when I forget to double my letters, as in the word “accommodate”. My students are very accommodating. They remind me of the proper spelling, and tell me not to be embarrassed. They sometimes forget which letters to double, too. I definitely rely on spellcheckers.

Try this writing prompt in your notebook or on your MyEC blog.

Written by Tara Benwell for EnglishClub
Tara Benwell is a Canadian freelance writer and editor who specializes in materials and articles for the ELT industry.
© EnglishClub.com

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