Full list: Literary study reveals the top 50 common words we struggle to spell

A literacy study says that half of the population can’t properly spell 'fluorescent' without relying on a spellcheck.

16:52 08 October 2014

A recent study has revealed that more than half of 2,000 adults tested have difficulty spelling commonly used words.

 

The study, which was commissioned by the television channel Nick Jr. UK, added that 40% of people admitted to rely on autocorrect technology to monitor their spelling and steer them in the right direction. 

 

While one in five would panic when they don’t have access to spellchecking technology, over a fifth said that they have not paid attention to spelling since they were at school. 

 

Here are 50 common words that Britons struggle to spell:

 

1. Embarrassment
2. Fluorescent
3. Accommodate
4. Psychiatrist
5. Occasionally
6. Necessary
7. Questionnaire
8. Mischievous
9. Rhythm
10. Minuscule
11. Conscience
12. Xylophone
13. Pronunciation
14. Graffiti
15. Millennium
16. Occurrence
17. Exhilarate
18. Restaurant
19. Accessory
20. Guarantee
21. License
22. Separate
23. Believe
24. Colleague
25. Definite
26. Humorous
27. Weird
28. Symphony
29. Illicit
30. Species
31. Appearance
32. Possession
33. Vacuum
34. Changeable
35. Queue
36. Acquire
37. Receipt
38. Receive
39. Difficulty
40. Foreign
41. Discipline
42. Equipment
43. Business
44. Relevant
45. Beautiful
46. Technology
47. Neighbour
48. Friend
49. Religious
50. Government