Spelling Confusions Quiz: Test Commonly Misspelled English Words

This spelling confusions quiz helps you practice English words that are often misspelled in school, work, emails, resumes, reports, and everyday writing.

You will practice tricky spellings such as:

• definitely vs. definately
• separate vs. seperate
• necessary vs. neccessary
• receive vs. recieve
• occurrence vs. occurance
• accommodate vs. accomodate
• embarrass vs. embarass
• maintenance vs. maintainance
• calendar vs. calender

Choose the correct spelling for each sentence. The answer key includes short explanations and memory tips.

Spelling confusions quiz at a glance

Skill	What you practice	Example
correct spelling	choosing the standard form	definitely
double letters	remembering repeated letters	accommodate
vowel order	avoiding reversed letters	receive
word endings	choosing the right ending	maintenance

Quick rule:

1. Read the full sentence.
2. Choose the spelling used in standard English.
3. Check double letters, vowel order, and common endings.

Quiz instructions

Choose the correct spelling for each sentence. Try to answer all questions before looking at the answer key.

Spelling confusions quiz

1. Definitely vs. definately

I will _____ attend the meeting.

A. definitely B. definately

2. Separate vs. seperate

Please keep the receipts in a _____ folder.

A. separate B. seperate

3. Necessary vs. neccessary

It is _____ to submit the form by Friday.

A. necessary B. neccessary

4. Receive vs. recieve

Did you _____ my email?

A. receive B. recieve

5. Occurrence vs. occurance

The power outage was a rare _____.

A. occurrence B. occurance

6. Accommodate vs. accomodate

The room can _____ fifty guests.

A. accommodate B. accomodate

7. Embarrass vs. embarass

I did not mean to _____ you.

A. embarrass B. embarass

8. Maintenance vs. maintainance

The website is down for scheduled _____.

A. maintenance B. maintainance

9. Calendar vs. calender

Add the appointment to your _____.

A. calendar B. calender

10. Beginning vs. begining

The _____ of the movie was slow.

A. beginning B. begining

11. Until vs. untill

The office is open _____ 5 p.m.

A. until B. untill

12. Tomorrow vs. tommorow

We will discuss the plan _____.

A. tomorrow B. tommorow

13. Business vs. buisness

She started a small _____ last year.

A. business B. buisness

14. Successful vs. sucessful

The campaign was very _____.

A. successful B. sucessful

15. Environment vs. enviroment

The company wants to protect the _____.

A. environment B. enviroment

Answer key with explanations

1. Definitely

Correct: I will definitely attend the meeting.

The correct spelling is definitely. A helpful reminder is that it contains finite, not “finate.”

2. Separate

Correct: Please keep the receipts in a separate folder.

The correct spelling is separate. Remember the a in the middle: separate.

3. Necessary

Correct: It is necessary to submit the form by Friday.

Necessary has one c and two s’s.

4. Receive

Correct: Did you receive my email?

Use i before e except after c here: receive.

5. Occurrence

Correct: The power outage was a rare occurrence.

Occurrence has double c and double r.

6. Accommodate

Correct: The room can accommodate fifty guests.

Accommodate has two c’s and two m’s.

7. Embarrass

Correct: I did not mean to embarrass you.

Embarrass has double r and double s.

8. Maintenance

Correct: The website is down for scheduled maintenance.

The noun is maintenance, not maintainance.

9. Calendar

Correct: Add the appointment to your calendar.

Use calendar for dates and schedules. Calender is a rare machine word.

10. Beginning

Correct: The beginning of the movie was slow.

Beginning has double n after the short vowel sound.

11. Until

Correct: The office is open until 5 p.m.

The standard spelling is until, with one l at the end.

12. Tomorrow

Correct: We will discuss the plan tomorrow.

The correct spelling is tomorrow, with one m and double r.

13. Business

Correct: She started a small business last year.

The correct spelling is business: b-u-s-i-n-e-s-s.

14. Successful

Correct: The campaign was very successful.

Successful has double c and double s.

15. Environment

Correct: The company wants to protect the environment.

The correct spelling is environment, with n before ment.

Score guide

Score	Meaning
13–15 correct	Excellent spelling control
10–12 correct	Good, with a few words to review
7–9 correct	Keep practicing common misspellings
0–6 correct	Review the answer key and try again

Spelling improves with repeated exposure. The words you miss today are the words to review tomorrow.

Common mistakes to watch for

Mistake 1: Forgetting double letters

Words like accommodate, embarrass, occurrence, and successful are tricky because they contain double letters.

Mistake 2: Reversing vowels

Words like receive are often misspelled because the vowel order is easy to reverse.

Mistake 3: Spelling the noun like the verb

Maintenance is related to maintain, but the noun is not spelled maintainance.

Mistake 4: Trusting spellcheck too much

Spellcheck helps, but it may not explain why a spelling is wrong. Learning the pattern makes you more confident.

Mistake 5: Practicing only once

Spelling needs review. Revisit difficult words several times.

How to improve your spelling score

Use this simple method:

1. Write each missed word correctly three times.
2. Circle the tricky part.
3. Say the word slowly.
4. Write one example sentence.
5. Test yourself again later.

Example:

• accommodate: accommodate
• embarrass: embarrass
• necessary: one c, two s’s

Short memory notes make spelling easier to recall.

Quick quiz

Try these five extra spelling questions.

1. The hotel can _____ our group.
2. The meeting is on my _____.
3. It was an _____ mistake.
4. This task is _____.
5. Did you _____ the package?

Answers:

1. accommodate
2. calendar
3. embarrassing
4. necessary
5. receive

FAQ

What is a spelling confusions quiz?

A spelling confusions quiz tests words that are often misspelled or confused with incorrect forms.

What are examples of commonly misspelled words?

Examples include definitely, separate, necessary, receive, accommodate, embarrass, and maintenance.

How can I get better at spelling?

Practice the words you miss, look for spelling patterns, and write example sentences.

Why is English spelling difficult?

English spelling is difficult because words come from many language histories and do not always match pronunciation.

Should I memorize spelling rules?

Rules help, but memory tricks and repeated practice are often more useful.

Can good writers still misspell common words?

Yes. Many strong writers still double-check tricky words like definitely, accommodate, and embarrass.

If any question felt difficult, review the individual guides for Similar Words Quiz and Grammar and Usage Quiz, then come back to the practice test. For a wider set of examples in this topic, use the Quizzes & Practice archive as the category grows.

Final tip

When a spelling looks suspicious, slow down and check the tricky part:

• double letters
• vowel order
• silent letters
• word endings

The best way to improve is to practice the exact words you miss. Review your missed answers, write your own sentences, and take the quiz again.