Avoid Common Spelling Errors

In some languages, words are spelled pretty much the way they sound—not English. Take a look at through and rough. Or through and threw. There aren’t many shortcuts here. Other than the old standby, I before E except after C or when it sounds like A, as in “neighbor” and “weigh”—which has many, many exceptions (“What a weird society!”), to the point of being more misleading than helpful—there aren't many helpful hints for remembering how to spell. You’ll just have to memorize the words you have trouble with.

Here is a list of some of the most commonly misspelled words.

Incorrect	Correct
athelete	athlete
calender	calendar
definately	definitely
docter	doctor
eleminate	eliminate
excelerate	accelerate
oppertunity	opportunity
persued	pursued
seperate	separate

Do any of these words pose problems for you? Make a list of the words that you consistently have trouble spelling. Make a note in your phone, or write them on index cards and carry the cards around with you. Anytime you have a few minutes, take a look. Make yourself as familiar as possible with them, so you will be more likely to spot the correct spelling right away.

There are also some commonly misspelled words that tend to come up more often in law enforcement scenarios. You should familiarize yourself with these words, since they often appear in police reports.

Commonly Misspelled Words Related to Law Enforcement
accessory	adjacent
affidavit	aggravated
allegation	arraign
belligerent	caliber
conscious	contusion
corroborate	counterfeit
delinquent	erratically
felony	forfeiture
harassment	illicit
indicted	interrogate
laceration	malicious
misdemeanor	necessary
noticeable	obstruction
occurrence	ordinance
possessions	resuscitate
statutory	subpoena

Then there are the cases when people confuse words that sound similar but mean totally different things. This confusion often arises when it comes to words with an apostrophe. So let’s take a little punctuation detour, shall we?

The Apostrophe

This bit of punctuation can indicate two totally separate ideas: possession or a contraction.

For instance, when you write, That locker is Tammy’s, the apostrophe tells readers you are talking about a locker that belongs to Tammy, not a locker built out of several people named Tammy. And while we are on the topic of possessives—what if you are talking about something belonging to several people named Tammy? In other words, you want the plural possessive. In that case, you add the apostrophe after the s indicating the plural: It turned out that all three of the Tammys’ dates were named Todd.

Then there is the other meaning of the apostrophe. If you write, That locker can’t be Tammy’s, the apostrophe in can’t signals a contraction—a shortened combination of two words, with the apostrophe marking the place of the missing letter or letters.

The real confusion arises when words sound identical but are spelled differently. Take a look and see if any of these present problems for you.

their/there/they’re

• Their indicates possession by more than one person, not including the speaker—That’s their car.
• There indicates distance from the speaker—That’s their car over there.
• They’re is a contraction for they are—That’s their car over there; they’re sitting inside it.

your/you’re

• Your indicates possession by someone the speaker is talking to—Your golf game has improved.
• You’re is another contraction, meaning you are—Your golf game has improved a lot. You’re just about to break par. (Note that “a lot” is two words, not one.)

its/it’s

• Its is the possessive form of it—The department has really raised its standards.
• It’s is a contraction of it is—The department has really raised its standards, and it’s a great morale booster.

Soundalike words

Of course, the apostrophe isn’t responsible for all sources of confusion. Certain words are close to others in sound and meaning, but different in spelling; it is important to know the difference so you can express yourself accurately.

lay/lie

• Lay is a transitive verb, one that indicates an action done to something or someone. Transitive verbs are incomplete without an object—I’m going to lay tile in the new family room.
  
• Lie is a regular verb, one that indicates an action done by something or someone—I’m going to lay tile in the new family room, and then I’m going to lie down for a nap.

raise/rise

This difference is similar to that between lay and lie.

• Raise is done to someone or something—The candidate is going to have to raise a lot of money.
• Rise is done by someone or something—The candidate is going to have to raise a lot of money before he can rise in the political structure.

accept/except

• Accept means taking possession or acknowledging ownership of something—The professor said he wouldn’t accept late papers.
• Except indicates a special case—The professor said he wouldn’t accept late papers, except in situations involving medical or family emergencies.

effect/affect

• Effect is a noun, a result of some action—The effect of the earthquake is devastating.
• Affect is a verb, resulting in an effect—The effect of the earthquake is devastating; nothing this disastrous has ever affected the region before.

site/sight

• Site indicates a location—The site of the outdoor music festival was a pasture south of town.
• Sight is related to vision, either the sense itself or something that is seen—The site of the outdoor music festival was a pasture south of town. After three days of crowds and rain, the area was quite a sight.

persecute/prosecute

• Persecute means inflicting some kind of torment on someone—I don’t know why he keeps persecuting his assistant with unkind comments.
• Prosecute involves bringing legal action—I don’t know why he keeps persecuting his assistant with unkind comments. If he doesn’t watch it, she might try to have him prosecuted for harassment.

precede/proceed

• Precede means to come before—A Secret Service team always precedes the president as he travels.
• Proceed means to continue— A Secret Service team always precedes the president as he travels. If the security team doesn’t feel a site is secure, the event will not proceed.