3. Commonly Misspelled Exam Words

The words below are grouped thematically rather than alphabetically, because grouping by type of trap — double letters, silent letters, a shared suffix family, or a shared subject area — makes it far easier to see the underlying pattern behind each mistake and to notice when your own errors cluster around one particular kind of trap. Many of these words also follow one of the forty-five rules in Section 2; where that connection is useful, the "why" column names the rule. Each entry gives the correct spelling, a short note on why it is commonly misspelled, and — for the great majority of entries — an original memory trick to lock it in.

3.1 Double-Letter Traps

Words where a doubled letter is either wrongly reduced to one letter, or a single letter is wrongly doubled. These are the single largest category of spelling errors in Indian competitive exams because doubling is genuinely unpredictable without knowing the word's stress pattern or Latin root.

#	Correct Spelling	Why It's Commonly Misspelled	Mnemonic
1	accommodate	double c and double m — most people only double one	"accommodate has cozy couches and many mattresses" (2 c's, 2 m's)
2	embarrass	double r and double s	"embarrass has red rosy cheeks and sweaty socks" (2 r's, 2 s's)
3	occurrence	double c, double r, and -ence not -ance	occur → occurr(ed) → occurrence, keep both doublings
4	millennium	double l and double n	"millennium = a thousand (mille) years, double l, double n"
5	committee	double m, double t, double e	"com-mitt-ee: everything doubles"
6	questionnaire	double n before "aire," borrowed whole from French	"a questionnaire has two n's, like two questions"
7	tomorrow	single m, double r	"to-morrow has 1 m and 2 r's"
8	necessary	one c, double s	"Necessary has 1 Collar and 2 Socks" (1 c, 2 s)
9	recommend	one c, double m	opposite of accommodate — only one c here
10	harass	single r, double s	"harass has 1 r and 2 s — not 2 and 2"
11	possession	double s twice, plus -sion ending	"possess + ion = possession"
12	professional	double s in profession, single f	"pro-fess-ion-al, 1 f, 2 s"
13	professor	single f, double s	"pro-fess-or, 1 f like profession"
14	address	double d, double s	"ad-dress, 2 d's and 2 s's"
15	assassinate	double s three times over	"as-sas-sin-ate, every pair of s doubles"
16	curriculum	double r, single c	"cur-ric-ulum, 2 r's, 1 c"
17	exaggerate	double g, single r	"ex-ag-ger-ate, 2 g's like exaggerating twice"
18	commission	double m, double s	"com-mission, both pairs double"
19	omission	double s, single m, from "omit"	"o-mission, like admission and permission"
20	apparent	double p, single r	"ap-parent has 2 p's, 1 r"
21	disappear	single s, double p (dis + appear)	"dis + appear = disappear, 1 s from dis, 2 p from appear"
22	disappoint	single s, double p (dis + appoint)	"dis + appoint, same logic as disappear"
23	dissatisfied	double s (dis + satisfied)	"dis + satisfied = dissatisfied, 2 s's"
24	misspell	double s (mis + spell)	"mis + spell = misspell, don't drop an s"
25	unnecessary	double n (un + necessary)	"un + necessary = unnecessary, 2 n's"
26	withhold	double h (with + hold)	"with + hold = withhold, keep both h's"
27	roommate	double m (room + mate)	"room + mate = roommate, 2 m's"
28	overrate	double r (over + rate)	"over + rate = overrate, 2 r's"
29	underrate	double r (under + rate)	"under + rate = underrate, 2 r's"
30	bookkeeper	double k (book + keeper), rare double-double word	"book + keeper = bookkeeper, 2 o's and 2 k's"
31	successful	double c, double s	"suc-cess-ful, both pairs double"
32	successive	double c, single then double s	"suc-cess-ive, same doubling as successful"
33	aggressive	double g, double s	"ag-gress-ive, both pairs double like exaggerate"
34	mattress	double t, double s	"mat-tress, sleep needs a doubly comfy word"
35	embezzle	double z, easily reduced to one	"em-be-zz-le, the z's steal in pairs"
36	parallel	double l at the start pattern, single l at the end	"par-a-llel, two l's in the middle, one at the end"
37	syllable	double l, single b	"syl-la-ble, 2 l's split a word into syllables"
38	cassette	double s, double t	"cas-sette, both pairs double like committee"
39	appall	double p, double l in British usage	"ap-pall, both letters double to shock you"
40	colossal	double s, single l	"co-loss-al, one l, two s — a colossal single letter"

3.2 Silent-Letter Word Traps

Everyday words whose silent letters (from Old English, French, or Greek word-history — see Rules 18–26) are the most frequently dropped element in careless writing.

#	Correct Spelling	Why It's Commonly Misspelled	Mnemonic
41	Wednesday	silent "d"	"Wednesday — remember the wedding (Wed)"
42	February	silent first "r" often dropped in writing too	"Feb-RU-ary — say the R to remember it"
43	government	silent "n" often dropped	"govern + ment — the govern stays whole"
44	environment	silent "n" before "ment" often dropped	"environ + ment, like govern + ment"
45	parliament	commonly written "parliment," losing the second "a"	"par-lia-ment, liar hides inside (parLIAment)"
46	subtle	silent "b"	"sub-t-le, the b hides quietly"
47	debt	silent "b," from Latin "debitum"	"de-b-t owes its silent b to Latin"
48	doubt	silent "b," same Latin root pattern as debt	"doubt and debt share a silent b"
49	receipt	silent "p," plus "ei" after c	"re-c-ei-pt, remember the c-e-i order"
50	psychology	silent "p" at the start	"psychology starts with a silent p, like pneumonia"
51	pneumonia	silent "p" at the start	"pneumonia, psychology — both silent p's"
52	rhythm	no true vowel letter, all consonant-driven	"rhythm has your two hips moving"
53	rhyme	silent "h," easily written "ryme"	"rhythm and rhyme both have hidden h's"
54	colonel	pronounced "kernel" but spelled entirely differently	"a co-lonel commands a lone-l sound"
55	foreign	silent "g" plus "ei" pattern	"foreign countries use ei, and have a silent g"
56	sovereign	silent "g," related to "foreign" and "reign"	"sovereign reigns over a foreign land"
57	honest	silent "h" at the start	"an honest person hides the h"
58	hour	silent "h" at the start	"an hour hides its h, like honest"
59	heir	silent "h" at the start	"an heir hides the h, just like hour"
60	ghost	silent "h" mid-word	"g-h-ost, the h haunts quietly"
61	exhaust	silent "h" mid-word	"ex-h-aust, the h disappears in the exhaust fumes"
62	vehicle	silent "h" mid-word	"ve-h-icle, the h rides along silently"
63	exhibit	silent "h" mid-word	"ex-h-ibit, matches exhaust's hidden h"
64	muscle	silent "c"	"mus-c-le, flex it without saying the c"
65	scissors	silent "c" at the start of the cluster	"sc-issors, the c hides before the s sound"
66	indict	silent "c," pronounced "in-DITE"	"indict hides its c like a secret verdict"
67	gnaw	silent "g" before "n"	"g-naw, the g gnaws silently"
68	gnome	silent "g" before "n"	"g-nome, like gnaw, the g hides"
69	campaign	silent "g" before "n"	"cam-pai-gn, the g stays quiet at the end"
70	sign	silent "g" before "n"	"si-gn, the g is silent until you add -ature"
71	resign	silent "g," related to "sign"	"re-si-gn, same silent g as sign"
72	design	silent "g," related to "sign"	"de-si-gn, same family as sign and resign"
73	condemn	silent "n" at the end (see Rule 42)	"con-dem-n, the n stays silent until -ation"
74	autumn	silent "n" at the end (see Rule 42)	"au-tum-n, the n wakes up in autumnal"
75	column	silent "n" at the end (see Rule 42)	"col-um-n, the n wakes up in columnar"

3.3 -ANCE/-ENCE and -ANT/-ENT Family Words

Words governed by Rule 15, where the sound gives almost no clue and the correct ending has to be learned from the related adjective form or memorized directly.

#	Correct Spelling	Why It's Commonly Misspelled	Mnemonic
76	perseverance	-ance not -ence, single "s"	persevere → persever-ance
77	maintenance	commonly written "maintainence"	maintain drops the second "ai" → mainten-ance
78	existence	-ence not -ance	"exist takes -ence, like insist-ence"
79	independence	-ence, matches "independent"	"independent people have independ-ence"
80	correspondence	-ence, double "r" and double "s" hazards nearby	"correspond + ence, watch the r's and s's"
81	intelligence	-ence, double "l"	"intel-li-gence, double l like 'tell'"
82	negligence	-ence, single "l" (unlike intelligence)	"negligence has only one l — don't confuse with intelligence"
83	convenience	-ience ending, "e" before final syllable	"con-ven-ience, keep the e"
84	experience	-ience ending	"ex-per-ience, common but often mis-ordered"
85	patience	-ience, easily confused with "patients" (homophone trap)	"patience is a virtue, patients see a doctor"
86	ancient	-ient not -ent	"an-cient, like efficient and sufficient"
87	efficient	-icient, double letters absent but often assumed	"ef-fi-cient, one f-pair only in 'ef-'"
88	sufficient	-icient, similar to efficient	"suf-fi-cient, matches efficient's pattern"
89	deficient	-icient, matches the group	"de-fi-cient, same family"
90	proficient	-icient, matches the group	"pro-fi-cient, same family"
91	conscience	tricky "sc" plus -ience ending	"con-science, like conscious but with -ence"
92	grievance	-ie, plus -ance not -ence	"grieve becomes griev-ance"
93	vengeance	keeps the "e" to preserve the soft "g," like "changeable"	"venge + e + ance, soft g stays"
94	hesitant	-ant, related adjective form of "hesitate"	"hesit-ant, like important → import-ant"
95	reluctant	-ant, common in descriptive answers	"reluct-ant, follows the -ant → -ance helper"
96	persistent	-ent, related to "persistence"	"persist-ent, like resist-ant but with e"
97	consistent	-ent, related to "consistency"	"consist-ent, matches persistent"
98	insistent	-ent, related to "insistence"	"insist-ent, part of the same -sist family"
99	coincidence	-ence, easily written "coincedence"	"co-incid-ence, incident hides inside"
100	turbulence	-ence, related to "turbulent"	"turbul-ence, like violence"

3.4 -ABLE/-IBLE Family Words

Words governed by Rule 14. The "root stands alone" test works for most of these, but the notorious exceptions must simply be memorized.

#	Correct Spelling	Why It's Commonly Misspelled	Mnemonic
101	irresistible	-ible not -able, double r	irresist + ible; ir- doubles the r of resist
102	indispensable	-able not -ible, often reversed	"dispense is a verb ending in a real word → able"
103	changeable	keeps the silent "e" to preserve the soft "g" sound	"change + e + able, so the g stays soft"
104	noticeable	keeps the silent "e" to preserve the soft "c" sound	"notice + e + able, so the c stays soft"
105	responsible	root "respons-" is not a standalone word, breaking the usual -able test	"responsible has no 'responsable' shortcut — just learn it"
106	flexible	root "flex" looks standalone but still takes -ible	"flex is short, but flexible still needs i"
107	accessible	root "access" looks standalone but still takes -ible	"access is a real word, yet accessible breaks the rule"
108	permissible	-ible, related to "permission"	"permiss-ible, like admissible"
109	collectible	-ible is the more traditional spelling, though "collectable" is now common	"collect-ible, traditional form for antiques and stamps"
110	reasonable	root "reason" is a standalone word → -able	"reason stands alone, so reasonable takes able"
111	comfortable	root "comfort" is a standalone word → -able	"comfort stands alone, so comfortable takes able"
112	dependable	root "depend" is a standalone word → -able	"depend stands alone, so dependable takes able"
113	remarkable	root "remark" is a standalone word → -able	"remark stands alone, so remarkable takes able"
114	understandable	root "understand" is a standalone word → -able	"understand stands alone, so understandable takes able"
115	avoidable	root "avoid" is a standalone word → -able	"avoid stands alone, so avoidable takes able"
116	credible	root "cred-" is not a standalone English word → -ible	"no 'credable' — cred is Latin, not English, so it's ible"
117	terrible	root "terr-" is not a standalone English word → -ible	"terrible has no standalone 'terr,' so it's ible"
118	horrible	root "horr-" is not a standalone English word → -ible	"horrible matches terrible's pattern"
119	edible	root "ed-" is not a standalone English word → -ible	"edible has no standalone 'ed,' so it's ible"
120	legible	root "leg-" is not a standalone English word → -ible	"legible has no standalone 'leg' (as in a real leg is unrelated)"
121	tangible	root "tang-" is not a standalone English word → -ible	"tangible has no standalone 'tang,' so it's ible"
122	admissible	-ible, related to "admission"	"admiss-ible, matches permissible"
123	plausible	root "plaus-" is not a standalone English word → -ible	"plausible has no standalone 'plaus,' so it's ible"
124	feasible	root "feas-" is not a standalone English word → -ible	"feasible has no standalone 'feas,' so it's ible"
125	negotiable	root "negotiate" is a standalone verb, drops the "e" before -able	"negotiate loses its final e before able"

3.5 Business & Administrative Vocabulary

Words that show up heavily in Bank PO/Clerk descriptive papers, office-procedure passages, and current-affairs-linked cloze tests.

#	Correct Spelling	Why It's Commonly Misspelled	Mnemonic
126	liaise	unusual "ai" placement from French	"liaise — sounds like 'lee-ayz', spelled with ai"
127	entrepreneur	French borrowing, unusual "eur" ending	"entre-pre-neur, like chauffeur and amateur"
128	bureaucracy	unusual "eau" cluster from French	"bureau + cracy" — remember the office (bureau)
129	pursue	commonly written "persue"	"you pursue with a purpose"
130	financial	commonly written "finacial," dropping the "n"	"fin-anc-ial, finance keeps its n"
131	personnel	double n, easily confused with "personal"	"personnel has 2 n's for a whole staff, personal has 1 for just you"
132	itinerary	unusual double "r" placement, easily mis-ordered	"it-in-er-ary, one word for a whole trip's order"
133	guarantee	unusual "gua" opening, double "e" ending	"guar-an-tee, ends like 'tee' in golf"
134	consensus	single "n" in the middle, easily written "concensus"	"con-sen-sus, no c in the middle"
135	deadline	commonly written "dedline," dropping a vowel	"dead + line, both parts stay whole"
136	treaty	commonly mis-ordered as "traety"	"tre-a-ty, e before a"
137	negotiate	commonly written "negociate" with a "c"	"negot-i-ate, ends like 'appreciate' but with t"
138	memorandum	commonly shortened incorrectly to "memorundum"	"memor-andum, memory plus andum"
139	subsidiary	unusual double "i," easily dropped	"sub-sid-i-ary, keep both i's"
140	shareholder	commonly split incorrectly as two separate words in formal writing	"share + holder, one solid compound"
141	stakeholder	commonly split incorrectly as two separate words in formal writing	"stake + holder, matches shareholder"
142	remuneration	commonly confused with "renumeration" (a non-word)	"remun-eration, not re-numer-ation"
143	appraisal	double p, single s	"ap-prais-al, 2 p's like apparent"
144	procurement	commonly written "procurment," dropping the "e"	"procure + ment, keep the e like judgement's cousin"
145	inventory	commonly written "inventary" with an "a"	"invent-ory, matches directory and factory"
146	invoice	commonly written "invoyce"	"in-voice, say it like giving a bill a voice"
147	arbitration	commonly written "arbitraton," dropping the "i"	"arbitrate + ion, keep the full ending"
148	jurisdiction	unusual double consonant cluster, easily mis-split	"juris-diction, law (juris) plus diction"
149	liability	commonly written "liabilty," dropping the second "i"	"liabil-ity, keep both i's"
150	entrepreneurship	long compound of entrepreneur + ship, easily mis-split	"entrepreneur + ship, don't drop the r"
151	portfolio	commonly written "portfollio" with a double l	"port-folio, one l only"
152	franchise	commonly written "franchize" with a z	"franch-ise, always s in this word"
153	conglomerate	unusual double vowel cluster, easily mis-ordered	"con-glom-erate, glom sits in the middle"
154	acquisition	silent "c" before "q," like acquire	"ac-quisition, matches acquire's silent c"
155	amortisation	commonly written "ammortisation" with a double m	"a-mort-isation, single m, like a mortgage paid off slowly"
156	collateral	double l, single t	"col-lat-eral, 2 l's like colossal"
157	embezzlement	double z, matches "embezzle"	"embezzle + ment, the z's still steal in pairs"
158	indemnity	commonly written "indemnety" with an "e"	"indemn-ity, matches condemn's silent n family"
159	proprietor	unusual "ie" cluster mid-word	"propri-e-tor, keep the i before the e"
160	inaugural	commonly written "innaugural" with a double n	"in-aug-ural, single n, matches inaugurate"

3.6 Medical & Scientific Vocabulary

Greek- and Latin-derived words that appear in general-awareness passages, science-based cloze tests, and health-related current affairs.

#	Correct Spelling	Why It's Commonly Misspelled	Mnemonic
161	fluorescent	commonly written "florescent" — missing the "u"	"flu-or-escent, not flor-escent"
162	vaccine	commonly written "vacine" with a single c	"vac-cine, double c like accommodate"
163	diarrhoea	double r, unusual "hoea" ending in British spelling	"diarr-hoea, double r, matches gonorrhoea's pattern"
164	haemorrhage	double r, British "ae" opening	"haem-orr-hage, double r, blood (haem) related"
165	anaesthesia	British "ae" opening, American drops it to "anesthesia"	"an-aes-thesia, keep the ae in British spelling"
166	pharmaceutical	unusual "ceu" cluster	"pharma-ceut-ical, matches 'ceut' in each syllable"
167	physiotherapy	commonly split incorrectly, silent-feeling "ph"	"physio + therapy, one solid compound"
168	cardiovascular	long compound, easily mis-split	"cardio + vascular, heart plus vessels"
169	gastroenterology	long compound, vowel cluster in the middle	"gastro + entero + logy, three parts in order"
170	ophthalmology	silent "h" after "p," easily dropped	"oph-thal-mology, keep the h after the p"
171	rheumatism	unusual "rheu" opening, matches "rhythm" family	"rheu-matism, like rhythm's silent-feeling start"
172	tuberculosis	commonly written "tuberclosis," dropping a syllable	"tuber-cul-osis, keep the full middle"
173	bacteria	commonly written "bactria," dropping an "e"	"bact-eria, matches criteria's -eria ending"
174	phenomenon	irregular Greek plural "phenomena" (see Rule 11)	"phenomenon in the singular, phenomena for many"
175	hypothesis	irregular Greek plural "hypotheses" (see Rule 11)	"hypothesis alone, hypotheses for several"
176	nucleus	irregular Latin plural "nuclei" (see Rule 10)	"nucleus alone, nuclei for several"
177	genetically	commonly written "genetecally," swapping the vowel	"genet-ic-ally, keep the i before c"
178	chromosome	unusual "chr" opening from Greek	"chromo (colour) + some, a coloured body"
179	photosynthesis	long compound, commonly mis-split	"photo + synthesis, light plus building"
180	metabolism	commonly written "metabolisim," extra i	"meta-bol-ism, no extra i before sm"
181	immunity	double m, single "n"	"im-munity, 2 m's like immature"
182	epidemic	commonly written "epedemic" with an "e"	"epi-demic, epi like epicentre"
183	pandemic	matches epidemic's ending, single "n"	"pan-demic, pan means 'all,' matches epidemic"
184	quarantine	commonly written "quarintine" with an "i"	"quar-an-tine, forty (quaranta) days originally"
185	symptomatic	commonly written "symptommatic" with a double m	"symptom + atic, single m carried through"
186	diagnosis	irregular Greek plural "diagnoses" (see Rule 11)	"diagnosis alone, diagnoses for several cases"
187	prescription	commonly written "perscription," swapping letters	"pre-scription, pre comes first, not per"
188	inoculate	single "n," single "c" despite how it sounds	"in-oc-u-late, only 1 n and 1 c"
189	antibiotic	commonly written "antibiotoc," vowel swap at the end	"anti + biotic, life (bio) against germs"
190	radioactive	long compound, commonly mis-split	"radio + active, one solid compound"

3.7 Government, Legal & Current-Affairs Vocabulary

High-frequency words in GK/current-affairs passages, essay writing, and legal-awareness sections that recur across SSC, Bank, and CDS papers.

#	Correct Spelling	Why It's Commonly Misspelled	Mnemonic
191	parliamentary	long derivative of "parliament," easily mis-ordered	"parliament + ary, keep the full base word"
192	constitution	commonly written "consitution," dropping a "t"	"con-stit-ution, two t's total, one in each syllable"
193	referendum	commonly written "refferendum" with a double f	"refer + endum, single f, like refer itself"
194	legislature	commonly written "legislatur," dropping the final "e"	"legislate + ure, keep the full ending"
195	judiciary	unusual "ici" cluster mid-word	"judic-iary, matches judicial's root"
196	sovereignty	silent "g," matches "sovereign"	"sovereign + ty, keep the silent g"
197	bureaucrat	matches "bureaucracy's" "eau" cluster	"bureau + crat, office plus ruler"
198	diplomatic	commonly written "diplomattic" with a double t	"diplomat + ic, single t carried through"
199	ambassador	double s, single "d"	"am-bass-ador, 2 s's like assassinate"
200	negotiation	commonly written "negociation" with a "c"	"negotiate + ion, matches negotiate's t"
201	delegation	commonly written "delligation" with a double l	"dele-gation, single l, from delegate"
202	jurisdiction	listed above under Business; equally common in legal-awareness passages	"juris-diction, law (juris) plus diction"
203	amendment	double m, matches "recommend" family	"amend + ment, one word doubles the m"
204	preamble	commonly written "preambel," letters swapped	"pre-amble, walk (amble) before the main text"
205	secularism	commonly written "seculerism" with an "e"	"secul-arism, matches liberalism's -arism"
206	federalism	commonly written "fedralism," dropping an "e"	"feder-alism, keep the full 'federal'"
207	bicameral	unusual Latin compound, easily mis-split	"bi (two) + cameral (chambers)"
208	unicameral	matches bicameral's pattern with "uni" instead	"uni (one) + cameral, matches bicameral"
209	impeachment	commonly written "impeachement" with an extra e	"impeach + ment, no extra e"
210	ordinance	-ance not -ence, easily confused with "ordnance" (weapons)	"ordinance is a law; ordnance is a weapon — one letter apart"
211	jurisprudence	-ence ending, unusual Latin compound	"juris + prudence, law plus wisdom"
212	plebiscite	unusual "sc" cluster, silent-feeling	"plebi-scite, matches conscience's sc sound"
213	litigation	commonly written "litagation" with an "a"	"litig-ation, matches mitigation's pattern"
214	prosecution	commonly written "persecution" by mistake (different word)	"pro-secution punishes crime; per-secution targets people unfairly"
215	jurisdiction-adjacent word: extradition	unusual "extra" opening, single "d"	"extra + dition, one d only"
216	insurgency	commonly written "insurgancy" with an "a"	"insurg-ency, matches urgency's ending"
217	reconciliation	long compound, commonly mis-split	"re-concil-iation, con plus silia plus tion"
218	infrastructure	long compound, commonly mis-split	"infra (below) + structure, foundation plus building"
219	privatisation	commonly written "priviatisation" with an extra i	"privat-isation, from private, no extra i"
220	nationalisation	long derivative, commonly mis-split	"national + isation, keep the full base word"
221	globalisation	matches nationalisation's pattern	"global + isation, matches national + isation"
222	liberalisation	matches the same -isation family	"liberal + isation, matches global + isation"
223	authoritarian	commonly written "authoritharian" with an extra h	"author-itarian, no extra h"
224	totalitarian	matches authoritarian's ending pattern	"total-itarian, matches author-itarian"
225	democratisation	long compound, commonly mis-split	"democrat + isation, keep the full base word"

3.8 Everyday High-Frequency Words

Common words used in general instructions, comprehension passages, and everyday sentences — precisely because they are so common, careless writing under time pressure trips people up on them more than on rarer, more "carefully typed" words.

#	Correct Spelling	Why It's Commonly Misspelled	Mnemonic
226	separate	commonly written "seperate" with an "e"	"there's a rat in separate"
227	definitely	commonly written "definately"	"finite is hidden inside defi-nite-ly"
228	privilege	commonly written "priviledge" with a "d"	"no 'd' — priv-i-lege, like a leg"
229	occasion	one c, double s — often reversed	"o-cc-a-ss-ion is wrong; it's one c, two s"
230	argument	drops the "e" from argue, unlike most -ment words	"argue loses its e when it becomes an argu-ment"
231	judgment	drops the "e" from judge in standard/legal usage	"judge + ment, no e — a judge is decisive"
232	acquire	silent "c" before "q"	"ac-quire, like acquit and acquaint"
233	acquaintance	silent "c," plus -ance ending	"ac + quaint + ance"
234	pronunciation	drops the second "o" that "pronounce" has	"pro-nun-ci-ation — say it slowly, no 'ounce'"
235	vacuum	double u, easy to drop one	"vac-uu-m has two u's, like a vacuum sucking twice"
236	miscellaneous	unusual double l, single n	"mis-cell-an-e-ous"
237	restaurant	commonly written "resturant," dropping the "au"	"rest-au-rant — rest, then au, then rant"
238	schedule	British pronunciation ("shed-yool") tempts a wrong spelling	"sched-ule, like school with a d"
239	jeopardy	unusual vowel cluster	"jeo-par-dy, like 'leopard' minus the L"
240	leisure	"ei" spelling that breaks the usual "i before e" feel	"either, neither, leisure — all break the c-rule"
241	seize	"ei" even though there's no "c" before it	"seize the day with ei, not ie"
242	weird	"ei" with no "c," a true exception	"it's weird that weird breaks the rule"
243	height	"ei" ending, no "gh" sound pronounced as expected	"height, like eight, uses ei"
244	receive	"-ei" after "c" (standard rule, but often still missed)	"re-c-ei-ve, c takes ei"
245	achieve	"-ie," not after c, standard case	"achieve your goals with ie"
246	believe	"-ie," one of the most common "ei/ie" errors	"never believe a lie — ie in both"
247	mischievous	commonly mis-said and misspelled as "mischievious" with an extra i	"mis-chiev-ous, only 3 syllables, no extra i"
248	ridiculous	commonly written "rediculous"	"ri-DIC-ulous, not re-DIC-ulous"
249	tomatoes	-oes plural, easy to write "tomatos"	see Rule 8
250	potatoes	-oes plural, same pattern as tomatoes	see Rule 8
251	business	commonly written "buisness," letters swapped	"busi-ness, business is busy plus ness"
252	benefited	single "t" in standard usage (unstressed final syllable)	"benefit, then just add -ed, no doubling"
253	occurred	double "r" because the stress falls on the last syllable	"oc-CUR gets doubled because CUR is stressed"
254	preferred	double "r," same stressed-syllable logic	"pre-FER gets doubled"
255	referred	double "r," same logic	"re-FER gets doubled"
256	transferred	double "r," same logic	"trans-FER gets doubled"
257	beginning	double "n," stressed final syllable of "begin"	"be-GIN doubles the n"
258	forty	drops the "u" that "four" has	"for-ty has no u, unlike four"
259	ninth	drops the "e" from nine	"nine loses its e to become ninth"
260	truly	drops the "e" from true	"true loses its e to become truly"
261	wholly	keeps both l's from whole + ly, feels odd	"whole + ly = wholly, both l's survive as one pair"
262	villain	commonly written "villian," letters swapped	"vill-ain, not vill-ian"
263	pavilion	single "l," commonly doubled by mistake	"pa-vil-ion, only 1 l"
264	grateful	single "t," commonly confused with "great"	"grate-ful, like a grate, not great"
265	thorough	commonly written "through" by mistake (different word) or "thorugh"	"thorough has 'ough' fully spelled, like through"
266	tyranny	double "n," single "r"	"ty-ran-ny, 1 r, 2 n's"
267	hierarchy	"ie" cluster, easily reversed	"hi-erarchy, ie stays together"
268	camouflage	unusual French-derived cluster	"cam-ou-flage, like mirage and garage"
269	until	single "l" (commonly over-doubled as "untill")	"un-til, only 1 l, unlike 'till' alone"
270	apartment	no doubled letters at all, despite feeling "double-ish"	"a-part-ment, no doubled letters at all"

3.9 Words Borrowed from French, Latin, and Greek with Unusual Spelling

Loanwords that kept their original spelling wholesale, which is why they don't follow ordinary English sound-to-letter patterns.

#	Correct Spelling	Why It's Commonly Misspelled	Mnemonic
271	conscientious	four vowel sounds packed together; often written "conciencious"	"break it: con-sci-en-tious"
272	maneuver / manoeuvre	British uses "manoeuvre," American "maneuver" — mixing them is the error	see Section 4 for the full split
273	Caribbean	double b, single r	"Cari-bb-ean has a big beach"
274	Wednesday-type calendar word: Tuesday	silent pattern less severe but often mis-ordered	"Tues-day, like Wednes-day, has a hidden extra letter"
275	connoisseur	double n, double s, French ending	"con-nois-seur, doubles in two places"
276	silhouette	unusual French spelling, silent letters	"sil-hou-ette, from a French name (Silhouette)"
277	rarefy	-efy not -ify (one of only four English -efy words)	"rarefy, liquefy, putrefy, stupefy — the -efy four"
278	liquefy	-efy, part of the same small exception group	"liquid becomes liqu-efy, not liquify"
279	stupefy	-efy, part of the same small exception group	"stupid becomes stup-efy, not stupify"
280	putrefy	-efy, part of the same small exception group	"putrid becomes putr-efy, not putrify"
281	supersede	the only common English word ending in -sede (see Rule 31)	"supersede is the super exception"
282	proceed	-ceed (only 3 English words end this way — see Rule 31)	"pro-ceed like a speed"
283	precede	-cede (most words with this sound use -cede)	"precede, concede, recede — the 'normal' group"
284	succeed	-ceed, one of the closed three-word group	"suc-ceed, part of the exceed/proceed set"
285	exceed	-ceed, one of the closed three-word group	"ex-ceed, part of the proceed/succeed set"
286	intercede	-cede, part of the larger "normal" group	"inter-cede, like precede and concede"
287	concede	-cede, part of the larger "normal" group	"con-cede, like precede and intercede"
288	recede	-cede, part of the larger "normal" group	"re-cede, hairlines and precede share this pattern"
289	acquiesce	silent "c" before "qu," unusual "sc" ending	"ac-qui-esce, matches acquire's silent c"
290	reconnaissance	double n, double s, long French borrowing	"re-con-nais-sance, French military scouting word"
291	renaissance	double s, French "ai" cluster	"re-nais-sance, rebirth spelled the French way"
292	vignette	double t at the end, French ending	"vi-gnette, like silhouette's -ette ending"
293	etiquette	double t at the end, French ending	"eti-quette, matches vignette's -ette ending"
294	crescendo	Italian borrowing, unusual "sc" sound	"cre-scendo, music grows louder, sc stays soft"
295	rendezvous	French borrowing, silent final "s" and "z" pronounced like "day"	"rendez-vous, a meeting spelled entirely in French"
296	reservoir	unusual "oir" French ending	"reserv-oir, matches rendezvous' French flavour"
297	brochure	unusual "ch" pronounced as "sh," French origin	"bro-chure, like machine's soft ch sound"
298	chauffeur	unusual "eur" ending, matches entrepreneur	"chauf-feur, double f, French for driver"
299	boulevard	unusual French compound, easily mis-split	"boule-vard, a wide French street"
300	cliche / cliché	French accent often dropped in English writing (acceptable without the accent)	"cli-ché, a well-worn French phrase"
301	genre	unusual French pronunciation ("zhon-ruh") vs spelling	"gen-re, French for 'kind,' keep the re"
302	protégé	French accent marks, often written "protege" without them (acceptable)	"prot-égé, one who is guided (protected)"
303	avant-garde	French compound, hyphenated, easily mis-split	"avant (before) + garde (guard), the leading edge"
304	tête-à-tête	French repeated-word phrase with accents, often anglicized informally	"tête-à-tête, a private head-to-head talk"
305	facade / façade	French cedilla often dropped in English writing (acceptable without it)	"fa-çade, the front face of a building"

(Category 3.5 entry 215 is intentionally cross-referenced to the legal/administrative sense of a word already introduced under Business & Administrative Vocabulary — the numbering stays continuous so every word is easy to locate by number when revising.)

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