 acceptable - Several words made the list because of the suffix pronounced -êbl but

sometimes spelled -ible, sometimes -able. Just remember to accept any table offered
to you and you will spell this word OK.
 accidentally - If an -ly adverb comes from an -al adjective ("accidental" in this case),
the -al has to be in the spelling. No publical, then publicly. See? And don't forget to
double the C.
 accommodate - Remember, this word is large enough to accommodate both a double
C AND a double M.
 acquire - This word is rooted in the prefix ad- but remember this trick: D converts to
C before Q.
 acquit - Acquit follows the D to C before Q rule, too!
 a lot - Two words! Hopefully, you won't have to allot a lot of time on this problem.
 apparent - It's apparent that you must pay the rent, so remember this word always has
the rent. Double the P, not the R.
 argument - Let's not argue about the loss of this verb's silent [e] before the suffix -
ment.
 atheist - Lord help you remember that this word comprises the prefix a- (not) + the
(god) + -ist (one who believes).
 believe - You must believe that I usually comes before E except after C. (Actually,
the "i-before-e" rule has more exceptions than words it applies to!)
 bellwether - Nothing to do with the weather. A wether is a gelded ram, chosen to lead
the herd (thus his bell) due to the likelihood that he will always remain ahead of the
ewes.
 calendar - This word has one E sandwiched between two As. The last vowel is A.
 category - This word is not in a category with "catastrophe" even if it sounds like it:
the middle vowel is E.
 cemetery - Don't let this one bury you: it ends in -ery with nary an -ary in it. You
already know it starts on C.
 changeable - The verb "change" keeps its E here to indicate that the G is soft, not
hard.
 collectible - Another -ible word that you just have to remember.
 column - A silent final N is not uncommon in English, especially after M.
 committed - If you're committed to correct spelling, you'll remember that this word
doubles the final T from "commit."
 conscience - Don't let misspelling this word weigh on your conscience: CH sound
spelled as SC is unusual but legitimate.
 conscientious - Work on your spelling conscientiously and remember this word has
the CH sound spelled two different ways: SC and TI. English spelling, huh!
 conscious - Try to be conscious of the SC [CH] sound and all the vowels in this
word's ending and i-o-u a note of congratulations.
 consensus - The census does not require a consensus, since they are not related.
 daiquiri - Don't make yourself another daiquiri until you learn how to spell this funny
word - the name of a Cuban village.
 definitely - This word carries a silent E everywhere it goes.
 discipline - A little discipline in remembering both the S and the C will get you to the
correct spelling of this one.
 drunkenness - You would be surprised how many sober people omit one of the Ns in
drunkenness.
 dumbbell - Even smart people forget one of the Bs in this one.
 embarrassment - This one won't embarrass you if you remember it's large enough for
a double R AND a double S.
 equipment - This word is misspelled "equiptment" a lot. Google it!
 exhilarate - Remembering the silent H when you spell this word will lift your spirits
and if you remember both As, it will be exhilarating!
 exceed - Think of the speed limit you shouldn't exceed to remember it's -ceed, not -
cede.
 existence - You won't find it spelled with an A after the T anywhere in existence.
 experience - Don't experience the same problem many have with "existence."
Remember, it's -ence!
 fiery - The silent E on fire is cowardly: it retreats inside the word rather than face the
suffix -y.
 foreign - Here's one of several words that violate the i-before-e rule. (See "believe"
above.)
 gauge - To learn to gauge the positioning of the A and U in this word remember
they're in alphabetical order.
 grateful - Keeping "great" out of "grateful" is great.
 guarantee - This word isn't spelled like "warranty," even though they're synonyms.
 harass - This word is too small for two sets of double letters, just double the S on the
end.
 height - English reaches the height (not heigth!) of absurdity when it spells "height"
and "width" so differently.
 hierarchy - The i-before-e rule works fine here, so what's the problem?
 humorous - The R is so weak here, it needs an O on both sides to hold it up.
 ignorance - Don't show your ignorance by spelling this word with -ence!
 immediate - The immediate thing to remember is that this word uses the prefix in-
(not), where the N becomes an M before M (or B or P).
 independent - Please be independent but not in your spelling of this word. It ends on -
ent.
 indispensable - Knowing this word ends on -able is indispensable to good writing.
 inoculate - This one sounds like a shot in the eye. One N in the eye is enough.
 intelligence - Using two Ls in this word and ending it on -ence rather than -ance are
marks of . . . you guessed it.
 jewelry - It's made by a jeweler but the last E flees the scene like a jewel thief.
 judgment - Traditionally, the word has been spelled judgment in all forms of the
English language. However, the spelling "judgement" largely replaced judgment in
Britain in non-legal contexts. In the context of the law, however, judgment is still
preferred.
 kernel - There is more than a kernel of truth in the claim that all the vowels in this
word are Es.
 leisure - Yet another violator of the i-before-e rule.
 liaison - Another French word throwing us an orthographical curve: a second I after
the A and an S that sounds like a Z.
 license - Where does English get license to use both its letters for the S sound in one
word?
 maintenance - The main tenants of this word are "main" and "tenance" even though it
comes from the verb "maintain."
 maneuver - Man, the price paid for borrowing from French is high. This one goes
back to French main + oeuvre "hand-work," a spelling better retained by the British
in "manoeuvre."
 medieval - The medieval orthography of English even lays traps for you: everything
about the MIDdle Ages is MEDieval or, as the British would write, mediaeval.
 memento - You might wonder why something that reminds you of a moment is
spelled "memento?" Well, it's from the Latin for "remember."
 millennium - This word is large enough to hold two sets of double consonants, double
L and double N.
 miniature - Since that A is seldom pronounced, it's seldom included in the spelling.
But remember this one is a "mini ature."
 minuscule - Since something minuscule is smaller than a miniature, it's a minus, not a
mini. See?
 mischievous - This mischievous word holds two traps: an I before the E, and an -ous
not -us (or even -ious) ending.
 misspell - What is more embarrassing than to misspell the name of the problem? Just
remember that it is mis + spell.
 neighbor - The word "neighbor" invokes the silent "gh" as well as the "ei" sounded as
"a" rule. This is fraught with error potential.
 noticeable - The E is noticeably retained in this word to indicate the C is soft,
(pronounced like S). Without the E, it would be hard (pronounced like K), as in
"applicable."
 occasionally - Writers occasionally tire of doubling so many consonants and choose
to omit one, usually one of the Ls. Don't do that.
 occurrence - Remember not only the occurrence of double consonants in this word,
but also the suffix -ence, not -ance.
 pastime - Since a pastime is something you do to pass the time, you would expect a
double S here. Sadly, the second S slipped through the cracks of English orthography
long ago.
 perseverance - All it takes is perseverance and you can be a perfect speller. The suffix
is -ance, ruining an almost perfect run of Es.
 personnel - It's not personal that personnel has two Ns, one L, it's business.
 playwright - Since playwrights write plays, they should be "play-writes," right?
Wrong. In Old English a play writer was called a "play worker" and "wright" is from
an old form of "work."
 possession - Possession possesses more Ss than a hissing snake.
 precede - What follows, succeeds, so what goes before should, what? Nothing
confuses English spelling more than common sense. We "succeed" but "precede"
(from the Latin words pre + cedere meaning to go before).
 privilege - According to the pronunciation of this word, that middle vowel could be
anything. Remember: two Is and two Es in that order.
 pronunciation - Nouns often differ from the verbs they're derived from. This is one of
those. In this case, as the second O has been dropped from pronounce, the
pronunciation is different, too, an important clue.
 publicly - Let's publicly declare the rule (again): if the adverb comes from an
adjective ending in -al, include that ending in the adverb. If not, as in here, you don't.
 questionnaire - The French doing it to us again. Don't question it, just double up on
the Ns and don't forget the silent E on the end.
 receipt - Surely, you've received the message by now: I before E except after . . .
 recommend - Think of this word as the equivalent of commending: re + commend.
That would be recommendable.
 referred - Final consonants are often doubled before suffixes (remit, remitted).
However, this rule applies to accented syllables ending on L and R, e.g. "rebelled" or
"referred" and not containing a diphthong, e.g. "prevailed."
 reference - Refer to the aforementioned word and remember to add -ence to the end
of the noun.
 relevant - The relevant factor here is that the word is not "revelant," "revelent," or
even "relevent." It's all about L before V and the suffix -ant.
 rhyme - Actually, "rime" was the correct spelling until 1650. After that, people began
spelling it like "rhythm."
 schedule - If perfecting your spelling is on your schedule, remember the SK sound is
spelled as in "school."
 separate - How do you separate the Es from the As in this word? Simple: the Es
surround the As.
 sergeant - The A needed in the first syllable of this word has been marched to the
back of the line. Remember that, and the fact that E is used in both syllables, and you
can write your sergeant without fear of misspelling his rank.
 supersede - This word supersedes all others in perversity. This is the only English
word based on this stem -sede. Supersede combines the Latin words super + sedere
meaning to sit above.
 threshold - This one can push you over the threshold. It looks like a compound of
thresh + hold but it isn't. Two Hs in the word are enough.
 twelfth - Even if you omit the F in your pronunciation of this word (which you
shouldn't), it's retained in the spelling.
 tyranny - If you are still resisting the tyranny of English orthography at this point,
you must face the problem of the Y inside this word. The guy is a "tyrant" and his
problem is "tyranny." (Don't forget to double up on the Ns, too.)
 until - We will never stop harping on this until it's spelled with an extra L for the last
time!
 vacuum - You just have to remember to spell this word with two Us, unlike
"volume."
 weather - Whether you like the weather or not, you have to have the A after the E
when you spell it.
 weird - This word is an exception to the rule about I before E except after...? So, rules
can be broken! That's weird!