# IELTS spelling list 155 words from IELTS Listening answers that candidates often misspell, each with the trap. - **accommodation**: Double c and double m; accomodation (one m) is the classic slip. - **environment**: The n before m is easy to drop in speech; enviroment is the common slip. - **government**: The n before m is easy to drop in speech; goverment is the common slip. - **vegetables**: Said veg-tables, but written with an e after veg: vegetables. - **business**: The u sounds like i, the i after the s is silent, and it ends double s. - **unnecessary**: Double n (un + necessary), one c, double s: not unneccessary or unecessary. - **restaurant**: rest + au + rant: the au is barely heard, and it ends -ant, not -ent. - **questionnaire**: Double n and -aire at the end: not questionaire or questionnair. - **opportunity**: Double p, and the unclear vowel after the pp is o: not oppertunity or oportunity. - **temperature**: Said temp-ra-ture, but written temper + ature: not tempreture or temprature. - **comfortable**: Said comf-ta-ble, but the or is written: comfortable, not comftable. - **temporary**: Fast speech squeezes the middle; written tempor + ary, not tempory or temporery. - **laboratory**: Fast speech drops a vowel; written labor + a + tory, not labratory. - **interest**: Said in-trest, but the e after int- is written: interest, not intrest. - **chocolate**: Said choc-lit: the o after choc- is written, and it ends -ate, not -it. - **experience**: The middle is -peri-, and it ends -ence: not expirience or experiance. - **insurance**: Ends -ance, not -ence: insurence is the common slip. - **attendance**: Double t, and -ance, not -ence: not atendance or attendence. - **confidence**: Ends -ence, not -ance: confidance is the common slip. - **reference**: One f, and -ence at the end: not refference or referance. - **conference**: One f, and -ence at the end: not confference or conferance. - **intelligence**: Double l, and -ence at the end: not inteligence or intelligance. - **evidence**: Ends -ence, not -ance: evidance is the common slip. - **absence**: s, then -ence: not absense or abscence. - **residence**: Ends -ence, not -ance: residance is the common slip. - **convenient**: -ven- then -ient: not convinient or conveniant. - **permanent**: The unclear vowels are a then e (perm-a-nent): not permenant or permanant. - **consistent**: Ends -ent, not -ant: consistant is the common slip. - **current**: Double r and -ent; currant, with -ant, is the dried fruit. - **flexible**: Ends -ible, not -able: flexable is the common slip. - **responsibility**: Ends -ibility, like responsible: not responsability. - **science**: sc at the start (the c is silent) and -ence at the end: not sience or sciense. - **island**: The s is silent, so it is easy to write iland. - **climb**: The b is silent, so it is easy to write clim. - **castle**: The t is silent, so it is easy to write casle or cassle. - **design**: The g is silent, so it is easy to write desine or desin. - **knowledge**: Silent k at the start and a d before the g: not nowledge or knowlege. - **daughter**: augh sounds like aw and the gh is silent: not dauter or doughter. - **exhibition**: The h after the x is silent: exibition is the common slip. - **grandparents**: The d is often unpronounced, so granparents is the common slip. - **architecture**: The ch sounds like k: arkitecture is the common slip. - **technology**: The ch sounds like k: not teknology or tecnology. - **surprise**: The first r is often dropped in speech (suprise), and it ends -ise, not -ize. - **exercise**: c in the middle, then -ise: not excersise or exersize. - **language**: In -guage the u comes before the a: not languge or langauge. - **tongue**: Sounds like tung, but it ends -ngue with a silent u and e. - **souvenirs**: The first vowel sound is written ou, and it ends -ir, not -eer: souvenirs. - **leisure**: ei, not ie, then -sure: liesure and leasure are the common slips. - **protein**: ei after the t, not ie: protien is the common slip. - **achievement**: ie, not ei, and keep the e of achieve: not acheivement or achievment. - **similar**: One m, one l, and -ar at the end: not simmilar or similiar. - **grammar**: Double m, and it ends -ar: grammer is the classic slip. - **analysis**: y after the l, not i: not analisis or analysys. - **electrician**: Ends -cian, from electric: not electrition or electrision. - **assessment**: Double s twice: not assesment or asessment. - **approximately**: Double p, and keep the e before -ly: not aproximately or approximatly. - **beginners**: Double n before -er: not beginers or begginers. - **college**: Double l, and it ends -ege: not colege or colledge. - **profession**: One f, double s: not proffession or profesion. - **curtains**: Sounds like curt-ns, but written -ain: not curtens or curtins. - **fountain**: Sounds like fount-n, but written -ain: not fountin or founten. - **surface**: Sounds like sur-fis, but written -face: surfice is the common slip. - **anxiety**: x after the n, then -iety: not angziety or anxeity. - **oxygen**: y after the x, and g, not j: not oxigen or oxyjen. - **desert**: One s for the sandy place; dessert, with double s, is the pudding. - **pollution**: Double l: polution is the common slip. - **communication**: Double m: comunication is the common slip. - **appointment**: Double p: apointment is the common slip. - **attention**: Double t: atention is the common slip. - **traffic**: Double f and no k at the end: not trafic or traffick. - **annual**: Double n: anual is the common slip. - **apartments**: One p, unlike appointment: appartments is the common slip. - **illegal**: il + legal gives double l: ilegal is the common slip. - **irrigation**: Double r, one g: irigation is the common slip. - **mammals**: Double m in the middle: mamals is the common slip. - **mirror**: Double r, and it ends -or: not miror or mirrow. - **umbrella**: One m, then double l: umbrela is the common slip. - **written**: Double t after the short i: not writen (writing keeps one t). - **assistant**: Double s, and it ends -ant: not asistant or assistent. - **holiday**: One l, then i: not holliday or holyday. - **dining**: One n, because the i is long (dine): dinning is the classic slip. - **balance**: One l, and -ance at the end: not ballance or balence. - **vegetarian**: The vowel after veg is e: not vegitarian or vegterian. - **behaviour** (also behavior): British spelling ends -iour: behavour (no i) is the common slip. - **favourite** (also favorite): British -our-, then -ite: not favorit or favourate. - **colour** (also color): British spelling has u before the r: colour (American color). - **harbour** (also harbor): British spelling has u before the r: harbour (American harbor). - **centre** (also center): British spelling ends -re, though it sounds like -er: centre. - **theatre** (also theater): British spelling ends -re, though it sounds like -er: theatre. - **litre** (also liter): British spelling ends -re, though it sounds like -er: litre. - **cheque** (also check): Sounds like check, but the bank document is cheque in British English. - **grey** (also gray): British spelling uses e: grey; gray is the American form. - **catalogs** (also catalogues): American form; British spelling is catalogues, with -ue before the s. - **programs**: Computer programs: program even in British English; programme is for TV. - **percent** (also per cent): British style often writes per cent as two words; percent is American. - **fertilisers** (also fertilizers): -ise and -ize are both used in British English: fertilisers or fertilizers. - **socialise** (also socialize): -ise and -ize are both used in British English: socialise or socialize. - **practice**: The noun practice ends -ice; practise, with s, is the British verb. - **advertising**: advertise uses -ise even in American English, so avoid advertizing. - **vocabulary**: -bu-, then -lary: not vocablary or vocabulery. - **competition**: The unclear vowel after comp- is e (as in compete), then -tition. - **certificate**: Ends -cate, though it sounds like -kit: not certificat or certifikit. - **average**: Said av-rij, but the e after av is written, and it ends -age. - **mathematics**: Said math-matics, but the e after math is written: mathematics. - **silence**: Ends -ence, with c: not silance or silense. - **emergency**: Ends -ency, not -ancy: emergancy is the common slip. - **reliable**: The y of rely becomes i before -able: not relyable or reliabel. - **visible**: Ends -ible, not -able: visable is the common slip. - **label**: Ends -el, not -le: lable is the common slip. - **disease**: Both s's sound like z, and ea follows the s: not desease or dizease. - **confusion**: Ends -sion, not -tion: confution is the common slip. - **description**: Starts de-, not di-, and keeps the p: not discription or descrition. - **development**: No e after the p: developement is the classic slip. - **equipment**: No t before the m: equiptment is the classic slip. - **management**: Keep the e of manage: managment is the common slip. - **breathing**: From breathe: ea, and drop the final e before -ing: not breatheing. - **weather**: Sounds like whether (as in if), but this one is ea: weather. - **friend**: i before e: freind is the common slip. - **quiet**: quiet (no noise) ends -iet; quite (fairly) ends -ite. - **weight**: Sounds like wait, but it is eigh with a silent gh: weight. - **tough**: Sounds like tuff, but it is spelled with ough: tough. - **route**: Sounds like root (or rout), but it's ou + te: route. - **tourism**: Starts tour-, with ou: turism is the common slip. - **museum**: Ends -eum: musuem and museam are the common slips. - **whole**: Sounds like hole, but whole starts with a silent w. - **physics**: The f sound is ph and the i sound is y: not fisics or phisics. - **patients**: Sounds like patience (being calm), but people under care are patients. - **council**: Sounds like counsel (advice); local government is council, with -cil. - **diary**: Easily swapped with dairy (milk): diary has the i before the a. - **brakes**: Sounds like breaks, but the parts that stop wheels turning are brakes. - **waist**: Sounds like waste, but the body part is spelled with ai: waist. - **persuading**: The su sounds like sw: not perswading or pursuading. - **athletes**: Two syllables, no e between th and l: athelete is the common slip. - **monkeys**: Keep the y and add s: monkies is the common slip. - **Wednesday**: Said wenz-day: the first d and the e after the n are silent. - **February**: The first r is often dropped in speech, so Febuary is the common slip. - **Thursday**: Thurs- with ur, though it sounds like er: not Thirsday or Thersday. - **Saturday**: Satur- with a u, not an e: not Saterday. - **Tuesday**: ue after the T: not Tusday or Teusday. - **January**: u after the n, then -ary: not Janury or Januery. - **August**: Starts Au- with a capital A; lowercase august means grand. - **September**: Ends -ber, not -bre: Septembre is the French spelling. - **October**: Ends -ber, not -bre: Octobre is the French spelling. - **November**: Ends -ber, not -bre: Novembre is the French spelling. - **December**: Starts De-, not Di-, and ends -ber: not Decembre. - **April**: Ends -il: not Aprel or Aprile. - **Monday**: Sounds like Munday, but it is spelled with o: Monday. - **Sunday**: u, as in sun: Sonday is the slip to avoid. - **Friday**: Fri- with i and a capital F: not Fryday. - **March**: Capital M for the month; lowercase march means to walk in step. - **May**: Capital M for the month; lowercase may is a verb. - **June**: Capital J and a final e: not Jun or lowercase june. - **July**: Capital J, and it ends -y: not Juli or Julai. - **Brisbane**: Sounds like Briz-bn, but it ends -bane: not Brisben or Brisbin. - **Europe**: Starts Eu-, which sounds like you: not Yurope or Urope.