abscess sc in the middle, two s's at the end
abseil ends with -seil (not -sail)
accommodate, accommodation, etc. two cs, two ms (often misspelled with only one m)
accumulate, accumulation, etc. two cs, one m
achieve i before e
acquaint, acquire, acquit, etc. remember the c before the q
address two ds
aggressive, aggression, etc. two g's, two s's
all right two words (not alright)
a lot two words (not alot)
amateur ends with -eur (not -uer)
anaesthetic -ae- after the n
Antarctic remember the c after the r
apartment only one p
apparent ends with -ent (not -ant)
aqueduct e after the u (not aqua-)
archaeology -ae- after the h
Arctic remember the c after the r
argument no e after the u
artefact arte- (arti- is the US spelling)
asterisk ends with -isk (Asterix is a cartoon character)
attach ends with -ach (no t)
beautiful, beauty, etc. remember the u (not beat-)
belief, believe i before e
benighted no k in the middle
besiege i before e
biased only one s
bigoted only one t
blatant ends with -ant (not -ent)
brief i before e
broccoli two cs, one l
buoy, buoyant u before the o
cappuccino two ps, two cs
Caribbean one r, two bs
ceiling e before i
cemetery 3 vowels, all es
civilian only one l
coconut -co- in the middle (no a)
commemorate two ms, then single m
commitment two ms, one t in the middle
committee two ms, two ts
comparative -rative (not -ritive)
compatible -tible (not -table)
competent ends with -ent (not -ant)
conceive e before i
consensus -sensus (not -census)
contemporary ends with -porary (not -pory)
correspondence ends with -ence (not -ance)
cursor ends with -or (not -er)
deceive e before i
definite -ite (not -ate)
descendant ends with -ant (not -ent)
despair begins with des- (not dis-)
desperate -per- in the middle (not -par-)
detach ends with -ach (no t)
diarrhoea two rs, ends with -hoea
disappear one s, two ps
disappoint one s, two ps
disastrous ends with -trous (not -terous)
discipline remember the c after the s
dissect two s's
ecstasy ecs- (not x), ends with -asy
eighth two hs, ends with -hth
embarrass, embarrassment, etc. two rs, two s's
environment remember the n before the m
espresso begins with es- (not ex-)
estuary -tuary (not -taury)
exaggerate, exaggeration two gs, one r
except remember the c after the x
exhilarate -lar- in the middle (not -ler-)
existence ends with -ence (not -ance)
extraordinary begins with extraor- (not extror-)
extrovert begins with extro- (not extra-)
familiar only one l
fascinate, fascination remember the c after the s
February two rs (-ruary not -uary)
fierce i before e
fluorescent fluor- (not flour-)
foreign e before i
forty begins with for- (no u)
friend i before e
fulfil, fulfilment two single ls
gauge -au- (not -ua-)
glamorous, glamorize -mor- in the middle (no u)
government remember the n before the m
graffiti two fs, one t
grammar ends with -ar (not -er)
grateful begins with grate- (not great-)
grief, grieve i before e
guarantee -ua- (not -au-)
guard, guardian, etc. -ua- (not -au-)
hamster ham-, (not hamp-)
handkerchief remember the d
harass, harassment, etc. one r, two s's
hers no apostrophe
hierarchy i before e, ends with -archy
hindrance ends with -drance (not -derance)
homogeneous the ending is -eous, with an e
honorary -nor- in the middle (no u)
humorous, humorist -mor- in the middle (no u)
hygiene, hygienic i before e
idiosyncrasy ends with -asy (not -acy)
imaginary ends with -ary (not -ery)
immediately ends with -ately (not -atly)
inadvertent ends with -ent (not -ant)
independent ends with -ent (not -ant)
inoculate one n, one c
insistent ends with -ent (not -ant)
instalment one l
interrupt, interruption two rs
introvert begins with intro- (not intra-)
irrelevant two rs, ends with -ant
itinerary ends with -ary (not -ery)
jocular ends with -ar (not -er)
judgement use judgement in general contexts, judgment in legal use
kernel ends with -el (not -al)
knowledge remember the d
language -guage (not -gauge)
liaise, liaison remember the second i: liais-
library two rs (-rary)
lightning lightn- (no e)
liquefy -efy (not -ify)
maintenance -ten- (not -tain-), ends with -ance
manoeuvre -oeu- in the middle, ends with -vre
medicine begins with medi- (not mede-)
Mediterranean one d, one t, two rs
millennium two ls, two ns
millionaire two ls, one n
miniature remember the a after the i : minia-
minuscule -uscule (not -iscule)
mischievous i before e, ends with -vous (not -vious)
misspell two s's
moreover remember the middle e
necessary, necessity, etc. one c, two s's
negotiate ends with -tiate (not -ciate)
niece i before e
noticeable remember the middle e
occasion two cs, one s
occur two cs, one r
occurrence two cs, two rs
omission, omit one m
opportunity two ps
ours no apostrophe
parallel two ls in the middle, ends with one l
parliament -lia- in the middle
pejorative begins with pej- (not perj-)
perceive e before i
permanent ends with -ent (not -ant)
persistent ends with -ent (not -ant)
pharaoh ends with -aoh (not -oah)
pigeon no d before the g
Portuguese ends with -guese (remember the 2nd u)
possess, possession, etc. two s's in the middle and two at the end
potato no e at the end of the singular (but add -es to make the plural)
privilege ends with -lege (not -ledge)
pronunciation -nunc- in the middle (no o)
propaganda begins with propa- (not propo-)
protein e before i
publicly ends with -cly (not -cally)
pursue, pursuit begins with pur- (not per-)
questionnaire two ns, one r
rarefied rare- (not rari-)
receive e before i
recommend, recommendation, etc. one c, two ms
refrigerator no d
relevant ends with -ant (not -ent)
relief, relieve i before e
religious ends with -gious (not -gous)
restaurateur no n: -rateur
resuscitate -susc- in the middle (not -suss-)
rhythm begins with rhy-, ends with -thm
rigorous -gor- in the middle (no u)
risotto one s, two ts
sacrilege -rilege (not -relige)
Scandinavian -din- in the middle (not -dan-)
seize e before i
separate -par- in the middle (not -per-)
siege i before e
sieve i before e
skilful two single ls
success, successful, etc. two cs, two s's
supersede -sede (not -cede)
suppress two ps
surprise begins with sur- (not sup-)
tariff one r, two fs
temperature -pera- in the middle
theirs no apostrophe
thief i before e
threshold one h in the middle
tomato no e at the end of the singular (but add -es to make the plural)
tomorrow one m, two rs
truly no e
underrate two rs in the middle
unforeseen remember the e after the r
until just one l at the end
unwieldy i before e
usage just one e, at the end
vaccinate two cs
vegetable vege- (not vega-)
veterinary -er- in the middle; -ary at the end
vulnerable remember the l before the n
Wednesday remember the d before the n
weird e before i
wield i before e
wilful two single ls
withhold two hs in the middle
yield i before e
yours no apostrophe
pō\
