The most commonly misspelt words in UK classrooms have been revealed in one of the largest studies of spelling ever carried out.
Around 530 million spelling attempts from 936,926 pupils across the country were examined by education platform EdShed to draw their results, determining which words schoolchildren find most tricky.
‘February’, ‘definitely’ and ‘License’ all appear in the top ten according to the study. Researchers add that the findings are notably similar across all regions, with pupils across the country struggling with broadly similar words.
Rob Smith, chair at education platform EdShed, which carried out the tests, said: “Looking at spelling at this scale shows that children's mistakes are rarely careless. In most cases, they are applying logic.
“Spelling improves most when pupils understand why words are spelt the way they are, rather than simply memorising lists.”
Top ten most misspelt words:
- Sketch
- Mischievous
- February
- Couldn't
- Mustn't
- License
- Definitely
- Indefinite
- Convenience
- Preferred
The list reveals that words with double letter or silent letters often prove more difficult to spell, found in words like ‘preferred’ and ‘mischievous’.
Researchers add that homophones – words spelt differently but pronounced the same – can also trip people up, such as ‘reign’ and ‘rain’ or ‘whether’ and ‘weather’.
The EdShed report finds that children’s spelling can be improved by encouraging them to understand patterns in language, rather than asking them to memorise lists. This can help them write more fluently and with more confidence.
The education platform provides a suite of interactive learning platforms to over two million learners, which also includes maths and literacy.
Leanne Aston, a primary school teacher in Kettering, Northamptonshire, said: "This research reflects exactly what we see in the classroom every day.
“Children aren't making random mistakes; they're trying to apply rules and patterns they've learned, but sometimes they overgeneralise or miss the exceptions,” she told Sky News.
“The key is helping pupils understand the structure behind words - roots, prefixes, suffixes and spelling patterns - rather than just testing them on weekly lists.”
She adds: "Regular reading makes a huge difference because children begin to internalise what 'looks right'.
“Digital tools and spelling apps can also be incredibly helpful when they provide immediate feedback and make practice engaging. When spelling becomes less of a barrier, you can actually see children's confidence in their writing grow.”
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