All languages evolve over time, both through internal developments and through interactions with many other languages. English is Germanic in its roots and was established by the Norse colonies. After the Norman conquest of 1066 AD, the Latin influence became prominent through French and Italian loan words. Thus, modern English, due to its interaction with a variety of European languages, is a Germanic language that uses Latin alphabets. The primary reason English spellings are often misspelt is because the language is not phonetically written, unlike German.

Good spelling is synonymous with good writing. Even though English spelling has a lot of exceptions, rules exist for a reason. Coherent and consistent spelling makes communicating ideas easier, which is extremely important in academic writing.

Let’s look at some of the most common English spellings that are often misspelt.

Constant vigilance, folks!

Find out how good you are at identifying the correct spelling by attempting the quiz: http://www.englishleap.com/exercises/spelling1.