Weekends are a good time to consolidate what you learned during the week. This week's quiz covers ten words that consistently trip up professionals and students — words that look right, sound right, but frequently come out wrong. Try each one before reading the answers.

The Quiz — Choose the Correct Spelling

1. (A) accomodate  /  (B) accommodate

2. (A) seperate  /  (B) separate

3. (A) definately  /  (B) definitely

4. (A) occured  /  (B) occurred

5. (A) recieve  /  (B) receive

6. (A) liason  /  (B) liaison

7. (A) judgement  /  (B) judgment

8. (A) embarass  /  (B) embarrass

9. (A) concensus  /  (B) consensus

10. (A) neccessary  /  (B) necessary

Answers and Why They Trip People Up

1. (B) accommodate. Two c's, two m's. The pattern "cc" and "mm" in the middle is the stumbling block. Remembering that it's "large enough to accommodate" — double everything — can help.

2. (B) separate. The classic trap: "separate" contains "par," not "per." A common mnemonic: there's "a rat" in "sepa-rat-e." Sounds odd, sticks permanently.

3. (B) definitely. Built from "definite" + "ly." The error "definately" suggests people are writing it phonetically rather than building from the base word. Always start with "definite."

4. (B) occurred. Single-syllable rule: when a word ends in a consonant-vowel-consonant pattern and the last syllable is stressed, double the final consonant before -ed. "Occur" → "occurred." Same rule: "referred," "committed."

5. (B) receive. The "i before e except after c" rule applies here. After the letter "c," it's "ei" — receive, deceive, perceive. The rule has exceptions, but it covers this word correctly.

6. (B) liaison. Three vowels in a row: "iai." It looks wrong, which is exactly why people misspell it. There's no shortcut — this one just needs to be memorized. Write it five times.

7. (B) judgment. Both "judgment" and "judgement" exist, but in American English, "judgment" (no middle e) is standard. British English accepts "judgement." If you're writing for an American audience, drop the e.

8. (B) embarrass. Two r's, two s's. The error "embarass" skips one of each. Think of it as being doubly embarrassing — double letters all the way through the back half.

9. (B) consensus. Often misspelled as "concensus" by analogy to "census." But the word comes from "consent" — the root is "sens," not "cens." Consensus = everyone consenting to the same thing.

10. (B) necessary. One c, two s's. The mnemonic: it's necessary to wear "one collar and two socks" — 1c, 2s. Once you hear that, it's hard to forget.

This Week's Takeaway

The consistent pattern across these words: they're all misspelled because people write phonetically or by rough memory rather than by understanding the word's structure. The most effective way to lock in correct spelling isn't repetition alone — it's understanding why the word is spelled that way. Etymology, mnemonics, and base-word construction all help more than just drilling the word over and over.

Pick one word from this list that you got wrong and write it correctly three times. That's the minimum effective dose for retention before next week.

Spelling improves the same way investing does: small, consistent effort beats occasional cramming every time.