E

embarrass(ment)
This one won"t embarrass you if you remember it is large enough for a double [r] AND a double [s].

equipment
This word is misspelled "equiptment" 22,932 times on the web right now.

exhilarate
Remembering that [h] when you spell this word will lift your spirits and if you remember both [a]s, it will be exhilarating!

exceed
Remember that this one is -ceed, not -cede. (To exceed all expectations, master the spellings of this word, "precede" and "supersede" below.)

existence
No word like this one spelled with an [a] is in existence. This word is a menage a quatre of one [i] with three [e]s.

experience
Don"t experience the same problem many have with "existence" above in this word: -ence!



F

fiery
The silent "e" on "fire" is also cowardly: it retreats inside the word rather than face the suffix -y.

foreign
Here is one of several words that violate the i-before-e rule.



G

gauge
You must learn to gauge the positioning of the [a] and [u] in this word. Remember, they are in alphabetical order (though not the [e]).

grateful
You should be grateful to know that keeping "great" out of "grateful" is great.

guarantee
I guarantee you that this word is not spelled like "warranty" even though they are synonyms.



H

harass
This word is too small for two double letters but don"t let it harass you, just keep the [r]s down to one.

height
English reaches the height (not heighth!) of absurdity when it spells "height" and "width" so differently.

hierarchy
The i-before-e rule works here, so what is the problem?

humorous
Humor us and spell this word "humorous": the [r] is so weak, it needs an [o] on both sides to hold it up.



I

ignorance
Don"t show your ignorance by spelling this word -ence!

immediate
The immediate thing to remember is that this word has a prefix, in- "not" which becomes [m] before [m] (or [b] or [p]). "Not mediate" means direct which is why "immediately" means "directly."

independent
Please be independent but not in your spelling of this word. It ends on -ent.

indispensable
Knowing that this word ends on -able is indispensable to good writing.

inoculate
This one sounds like a shot in the eye. One [n] the eye is enough.

intelligence
Using two [l]s in this word and ending it on -ence rather than -ance are marks of . . . you guessed it.

its/it"s
The apostrophe marks a contraction of "it is." Something that belongs to it is "its."



J

jewelry
Sure, sure, it is made by a jeweler but the last [e] in this case flees the scene like a jewel thief. However, if you prefer British spelling, remember to double the [l]: "jeweller," "jewellery."

judgement
"Judgement" is governed by one of the rare rules of English orthography, so why not enjoy it? After [c] and [g], [e] is retained to indicate the letter is "soft," i.e. pronounced like [s] or [j], respectively. Omitting it indicates it is "hard," i.e. pronounced [k] or [g], as in "fragment," "pigment". If we write "management," "arrangement," we should write "judgement," "acknowledgement," "abridgement." The presence of the [d] is of no significance to English orthography.



K

kernel (colonel)
There is more than a kernel of truth in the claim that all the vowels in this word are [e]s. So why is the military rank (colonel) pronounced identically? English spelling can be chaotic.



L

leisure
Yet another violator of the i-before-e rule. You can be sure of the spelling of the last syllable but not of the pronunciation.

liaison
Another French word throwing us an orthographical curve: a spare [i], just in case. That"s an [s], too, that sounds like a [z].

library
It may be as enjoyable as a berry patch but that isn"t the way it is spelled. That first [r] should be pronounced, too.

license
Where does English get the license to use both its letters for the sound [s] in one word?

lightning
Learning how to omit the [e] in this word should lighten the load of English orthography a little bit.



M

maintenance
The main tenants of this word are "main" and "tenance" even though it comes from the verb "maintain." English orthography at its most spiteful.

maneuver
Man, the price you pay for borrowing from French is high. This one goes back to French main + oeuvre "hand-work," a spelling better retained in the British spelling, "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
Why would something to remind of you of a moment be spelled "memento?" Well, it is.

millennium
Here is another big word, large enough to hold two double consonants, double [l] and double [n].

miniature
Since that [a] is seldom pronounced, it is seldom included in the spelling. This one is a "mini ature;" remember that.

minuscule
Since something minuscule is smaller than a miniature, shouldn"t they be spelled similarly? Less than cool, or "minus cule."

mischievous
This mischievous word holds two traps: [i] before [e] and [o] before [u]. Four of the five vowels in English reside here.

misspell
What is more embarrassing than to misspell the name of the problem? Just remember that it is mis + spell and that will spell you the worry about spelling "spell."







N

neighbor
No wonder many speaking Black English say "hood" for "neighborhood"it avoids the i-before-e rule and the silent "gh". If you use British spelling, it will cost you another [u]: "neighbour."

noticeable
The [e] is noticeably retained in this word to indicate the [c] is "soft," pronounced like [s]. Without the [e], it would be pronounced "hard," like [k], as in "applicable."