# PTE spelling list

Words people misspell in Write From Dictation and Listening Fill in the Blanks. PTE accepts US, UK, Australian and Canadian spelling; keep one within an answer.

- **science**: silent 'c' after the 's': sc-ie

- **available**: ends -able, not -ible; one 'l'

- **development**: no 'e' after 'develop': develop-ment

- **program** (also programme): one 'm' in American spelling; British adds -me

- **technology**: 'ch' sounds like 'k': tech-

- **government**: the 'n' before 'm' is easy to miss because it's often not pronounced: gover-n-ment

- **college**: ends -ege, not -age (not 'collage')

- **professor**: one 'f', double 's'

- **financial**: ends -cial, not -tial or -shal

- **career**: ends -eer (car-eer), with one 'r' after 'ca' (not 'carrier' or 'carreer')

- **business**: the 'i' after 'bus' is silent: bus-i-ness

- **mathematics**: the unstressed 'e' after 'math' is easy to drop

- **writing**: one 't' (write drops the 'e'); 'written' has two

- **opportunities**: double 'p', then 'or' not 'er': opp-or-tun-ities

- **field**: 'i' before 'e': fi-eld

- **assignments**: double 's' and a silent 'g' before 'n'

- **resources**: 'c' not 's' before the final -es

- **language**: -uage, not -auge or -ague

- **society**: 'ie' after the 'c': soc-ie-ty

- **experience**: ends -ence, not -ance; 'peri' not 'pere'

- **difficult**: double 'f', single 'l'

- **chemistry**: 'ch' sounds like 'k', and the middle vowel is 'i': chem-i-stry

- **develop**: no final 'e' (not 'develope')

- **knowledge**: silent 'k' at the start and silent 'd' before 'g'

- **designed**: silent 'g' before 'n'

- **literature**: the unstressed 'e' after 'lit' is often dropped

- **laboratory**: the unstressed 'o' after 'lab' is often dropped: lab-o-ratory

- **community**: double 'm'

- **center** (also centre): American -er; British spelling ends -re

- **crucial**: ends -cial, not -tial or -shal

- **environment**: the 'n' before 'm' is silent: environ-ment

- **essential**: double 's' and ends -tial, not -cial

- **currently**: double 'r', ends -ent-ly

- **professional**: one 'f', double 's'

- **journalism**: 'our' sounds like 'er': jour-

- **variety**: 'ie' in the middle: var-ie-ty

- **submitted**: double 't' before -ed

- **throughout**: 'through' + 'out': both have -ough/-ou

- **weather**: homophone trap: 'weather' (rain, sun) vs 'whether' (if)

- **conference**: ends -ence; unstressed 'e' after 'conf'

- **seminar**: ends -ar, not -er

- **challenges**: double 'l'

- **encouraged**: 'cour' with a 'u', and keep the 'e' before -d

- **exercise**: no 'c' after 'x' (not 'excercise'); ends -ise

- **theater** (also theatre): American -er; British spelling ends -re

- **management**: keep the 'e': manage-ment

- **practice**: noun ends -ice; British uses 'practise' only for the verb

- **significant**: ends -ant, not -ent

- **physical**: 'ph' for the 'f' sound and 'y' for the 'i'

- **success**: double 'c' and double 's'

- **usually**: double 'l': usual + ly

- **argument**: argue drops its 'e': argu-ment

- **psychology**: silent 'p' and 'y' for the 'i': psych-

- **taught**: -aught, not -ought (that is 'brought')

- **scheduled**: 'sch' at the start; one 'l' before -ed

- **analyze** (also analyse): 'y' in the middle; American -yze, British -yse

- **evidence**: ends -ence, not -ance

- **possible**: double 's', ends -ible not -able

- **necessary**: one 'c', double 's': ne-c-ess-ary

- **access**: double 'c' and double 's'

- **pollution**: double 'l'

- **received**: 'e' before 'i' after 'c': rec-ei-ved

- **among**: no 'u' after 'o' (not 'amoung')

- **adapt**: near-homophone trap: 'adapt' (adjust) vs 'adopt' (take up)

- **phenomenon**: 'ph' start and ends -non, not -nom; plural is 'phenomena'

- **safety**: 'e' before 'ty': safe-ty (not 'saftey')

- **numerous**: ends -ous, not -ious

- **potential**: ends -tial, not -cial

- **valuable**: value drops its 'e': valu-able

- **scholarship**: 'sch' sounds like 'sk'; ends -ar

- **participate**: the unstressed 'i' after 'partic' is often dropped

- **facilities**: one 'c', one 'l': fa-ci-li-ties

- **temperature**: the 'a' after 'temper' is barely spoken: temper-a-ture

- **extremely**: keep the 'e': extreme-ly

- **choose**: double 'o' for present tense; 'chose' is the past

- **previously**: -ious-, not -ous-

- **certain**: ends -ain, not -ian or -en

- **statistics**: 't' and 's' alternate: sta-tis-tics

- **sociology**: 'c' not 's' or 'sh': soc-i-ology

- **ancient**: 'ie' after 'c' and the 'c' sounds like 'sh'

- **built**: silent 'u': b-u-ilt

- **achieving**: 'i' before 'e', and drop the final 'e' of achieve

- **successful**: double 'c', double 's', but a single 'l' at the end

- **separate**: 'par' in the middle, not 'per': sep-a-rate

- **additional**: double 'd'

- **useful**: single 'l' at the end

- **responsible**: ends -ible, not -able

- **assessment**: double 's' twice: a-ss-e-ss-ment

- **summary**: double 'm' (not 'summery')

- **curriculum**: double 'r', single 'c' each time: cu-rr-i-cu-lum

- **thorough**: 'thor' + 'ough'; not 'through' or 'though'

- **architecture**: 'ch' sounds like 'k': arch-i-tecture

- **coming**: single 'm': come drops its 'e'

- **whether**: homophone trap: 'whether' (if) vs 'weather' (rain, sun)

- **probably**: the middle 'ab' is often swallowed: prob-ab-ly

- **equipment**: no 't' after 'equip' (not 'equiptment')

- **performance**: ends -ance, not -ence

- **philosophy**: 'ph' twice for the 'f' sound

- **comprehensive**: 'pre' in the middle and ends -sive

- **behavior** (also behaviour): American -or; British spelling adds a 'u'

- **excellent**: 'c' after 'x', double 'l', ends -ent

- **communication**: double 'm'

- **discussion**: double 's', ends -ssion

- **accessible**: double 'c', double 's', ends -ible

- **accounting**: double 'c'

- **recognized** (also recognised): -ize is American and also used in Oxford British spelling; most British and Australian writing uses -ise

- **accepted**: double 'c'; 'accept' (agree) not 'except' (exclude)

- **listening**: silent 't': lis-t-en

- **canceled** (also cancelled): American single 'l'; British doubles it

- **disease**: 'ea' in the middle, ends -se: dis-ea-se

- **assistance**: ends -ance, not -ence

- **beginning**: double 'n' before -ing

- **analysis**: 'y' in the middle, ends -sis

- **campaign**: silent 'g' before final 'n': camp-ai-gn

- **illness**: double 'l' and double 's'

- **whole**: silent 'w'; homophone of 'hole'

- **site**: homophone trap: 'site' (place) vs 'sight' (seeing) vs 'cite' (quote)

- **accuracy**: double 'c', single 'r'

- **extension**: ends -sion, not -tion

- **approach**: double 'p'

- **influence**: ends -ence, not -ance

- **conclusions**: ends -sion, not -tion

- **brought**: -ought, not -aught (that is 'taught')

- **constantly**: ends -ant-ly, not -ent-ly

- **devices**: noun 'device' with 'c'; the verb 'devise' has 's'

- **politicians**: ends -cian, not -tion or -sian

- **organization** (also organisation): -ize is American and also used in Oxford British spelling; most British and Australian writing uses -ise

- **allowed**: homophone trap: 'allowed' (permitted) vs 'aloud' (out loud)

- **assess**: double 's' twice

- **explanation**: no 'i' after 'expla' (not 'explaination')

- **admission**: double 's', ends -ssion

- **affordable**: double 'f', ends -able

- **advice**: noun with 'c'; the verb 'advise' has 's'

- **accommodation**: double 'c' and double 'm'

- **across**: single 'c' (not 'accross')

- **happening**: single 'n' before -ing (stress is on 'hap')

- **confidence**: ends -ence, not -ance

- **decisions**: 'c' then 's': de-ci-sion

- **led**: past of 'lead' is 'led', not 'lead'

- **planning**: double 'n' before -ing

- **techniques**: 'ch' sounds like 'k' and ends -que

- **carefully**: double 'l': careful + ly

- **beneficial**: 'bene' not 'beni', ends -cial

- **benefits**: 'bene' not 'beni'

- **reference**: single 'r' in the middle, ends -ence

- **oxygen**: 'y' not 'i', and 'g' for the 'j' sound

- **vocabulary**: 'ab' then 'ul': voc-ab-ul-ary

- **especially**: 'es' start, double 'l', -cial-

- **competitive**: 'pet' then 'i', not 'a': com-pet-i-tive

- **chocolate**: the middle 'o' is silent in speech: choc-o-late

- **muscles**: silent 'c' after 's'

- **recommendations**: single 'c', double 'm'

- **globalization** (also globalisation): -ize is American and also used in Oxford British spelling; most British and Australian writing uses -ise

- **island**: silent 's'

- **relevant**: ends -ant, not -ent

- **distance**: ends -ance, not -ence

- **believe**: 'i' before 'e': bel-ie-ve

- **answers**: silent 'w'