Some of the trickiest words to spell are “February”, “definitely” and “mischievous”, according to tests carried out by nearly a million children.
New research revealed that spelling mistakes in classrooms are not random blunders; they follow clear and predictable patterns.
From writing “Febuary” to mixing up vowel-heavy words like “convenience” and “indefinite”, many schoolchildren are simply spelling words the way they sound, especially when silent letters or unusual pronunciations come into play.
The list of most misspelt words includes some of the most commonly used in everyday use, such as “couldn’t”, with “sketch” being the number one incorrect word out of the millions surveyed.
The second most misspelt word was “mischievous”, while “February” was third, the data stated.
Experts said the findings show spelling struggles are a national trend, not something shaped by region or accent.
In fact, children across different schools and areas are making remarkably similar mistakes, the study found.
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Researchers examined 530 million spelling attempts from 936,926 pupils across the UK, in one of the largest studies of spelling ability ever conducted.
1) Sketch
2) Mischievous
3) February
4) Couldn’t
5) Mustn’t
6) License
7) Definitely
8) Indefinite
9) Convenience
10) Preferred
Teachers said the figures show students are actively applying spelling rules they have learned, but sometimes overgeneralising them or missing tricky exceptions.
Words with doubled consonants, suffixes or silent letters, such as “preferred” or “mischievous”, often prove particularly challenging, the experts said.
There is also confusion around homophones – words pronounced the same but spelt differently – such as “brake” and “break” or “reign” and “rain”, while complex English spelling patterns continue to trip up even confident writers.
Researchers say spelling uncertainty can dent writing confidence, with children pausing over familiar words and losing their flow.
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.
“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 added: “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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Understanding patterns in spelling, rather than just memorising lists, could be the key to helping pupils write more fluently and with greater confidence in the classroom, the researchers said.
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.”
