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Spell Check #1

Identify the misspelled word in each sentence and enter its correct spelling.
Quiz by
ThirdParty
Featured Quiz
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Last updated: January 28, 2014
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First submittedDecember 16, 2013
Times taken78,998
Average score55.0%
Rating4.91
Quiz and answer stats >>
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Sentence
Correction
The principle factor in my deliberations must be my family's health
principal
Regrettably, the deceased monarch did not leave behind any airs
heirs
Ever sense the hijacking, she refuses to board planes
since
I will only tell you my secret if you promise to be discrete
discreet
Overuse of pesticides had a deleterious affect on eagle eggs
effect
She awaited his next advance with baited breath
bated
A noxious scent began defusing through the ventilation system
diffusing
You can now buy a ride into outer space, but the fair is exorbitant
fare
I council you to keep your eyes peeled and your mouth zipped
counsel
The bell of the ball looked devilish in her black satin gown
belle
In a blaring of bugles, the Calvary rode to the rescue
cavalry
There are no inherit differences between races, only cultural ones
inherent
We must liberate the populous from the tyrannical dictator
populace
The husband's diamond cuff links matched his wife's broach
brooch
Salad was traditionally a palette cleanser eaten just before dessert
palate
He was adverse to team sports, preferring solo competitions
averse
The film's climatic moment came just minutes before the end
climactic
He confessed because the felony was preying upon his conscious
conscience
I cannot discern the rational behind the new protocols
rationale
This wine is the perfect compliment for fish such as perch or bass
complement
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100 Recent Comments
dasims45
+8
Level 82
Dec 26, 2013
"He was adverse to team sports, prefering solo competitions." This one has two errors! The correct spelling is "preferring".
ThirdParty
+7
Level 44
Dec 26, 2013
You're right. I've submitted a fixed version.
ThirdParty
+9
Level 44
Dec 30, 2013
Because this quiz was so well-received, I have gone ahead and created a sequel: Spell Check #2.
ThirdParty
+6
Level 44
Jan 2, 2014
And now Spell Check #3 as well.
darklunar
+3
Level 34
Oct 30, 2020
YAY!!!
darklunar
+3
Level 34
Oct 30, 2020
YAY!!!
wolfiee
+4
Level 74
Jan 27, 2014
one more minute please!
ruudsje
+3
Level 68
Jan 27, 2014
Would be nice
Nathaniel
+6
Level 77
Mar 31, 2021
Eye would need it two
irish41
+8
Level 58
Jan 27, 2014
I spent so much time trying to figure out how "exorbitant" was spelled wrong that I missed fair/fare.
postwaste
+3
Level 88
Jan 27, 2014
I did the same thing with "deleterious".
ThirdParty
+7
Level 44
Jan 27, 2014
Yep, that was a deliberate red herring; if the only words in the sentence were ones you were sure you knew how to spell, the obvious error would have been obvious.
smartcookie17
+1
Level 45
Jun 20, 2014
Bad choice of phrasing.
wolfcat95
+1
Level 66
Jan 27, 2014
Outstanding quiz!
DiscoBayGolfer
+2
Level 80
Jan 27, 2014
That was awesome...nice job. Not too happy with only thirteen but looking foreward to the other two...yes there is a misspell on purpose.
typhon
+1
Level 51
Jan 27, 2014
gahh! I zoned out and the time expired.
098
+4
Level 30
Jan 28, 2014
I spent ages wondering why it wasn't accepting sulphurous- Why can't we all just spell things the same way? -_- Could sulphurous be accepted or the word changed or specify that American spellings are used?
ThirdParty
+3
Level 44
Jan 28, 2014
Dang, I thought I'd avoided British/American differences; missed that one. I've changed "sulfurous" to "noxious".
NekroNeko
+3
Level 25
Jan 28, 2014
aeroplane ;)
ThirdParty
+4
Level 44
Jan 28, 2014
Blimey! I've changed it to "planes".
burntfrost
+6
Level 47
Apr 21, 2014
Finally, something for us grammar Nazis.
joeythelemur
+2
Level 81
Jul 16, 2014
Yes! I feel exactly the same. These kinds of things drive me nuts.
jruland
+1
Level 37
Jun 6, 2014
UMMMM... The first spelling of "principle" was actually correct in this case. No one else noticed?
ThirdParty
+10
Level 44
Jun 6, 2014
"Principle" is a noun meaning "basic tenet" and "principal" is an adjective meaning "most important".
Sifhraven
+2
Level 76
Dec 18, 2019
Some people just have no principles when it comes to spelling and grammar.
joel77
+1
Level 22
Jul 3, 2014
i think wrong word not wrong spelling or misspelled
smartcookie17
+1
Level 45
Aug 6, 2014
3:33 left. Winner!
IsleAuHaulte
+3
Level 92
Sep 24, 2018
6:66 left. Double winner!
JackintheBox
+1
Level 82
Dec 18, 2019
But there are only 60 seconds in a minute ;)
xterminate
+1
Level 50
Nov 26, 2014
Took me forever to get populace. Love this quiz!
QuizPUNK130
+1
Level 17
Nov 27, 2014
only 6/20. Awesome Quiz!
DeusCaritasEst
+1
Level 54
Apr 6, 2015
Loved this!
celebeth
+1
Level 72
Jun 5, 2015
100% with 2:09 left.
sillie
+4
Level 75
Apr 24, 2016
The problem is I don't nearly always understand what the writer wants to say. I get so stuck on the misspellings. Like "bell" - wtf is a bell doing at the ball? Church bell? Wedding bell? And I lose track of what I am reading completely. The best one I've ever come across in a real text was the phrase "peach black". Now that must've been some peach!
Jacktheguy
+2
Level 93
Apr 24, 2016
I wouldn't eat that peach if I was you.
Freestatebear
+8
Level 88
Oct 27, 2016
Since we're being grammar Nazis here, "...if I WERE you." (The 'if' triggers using the subjunctive tense.)
Jacktheguy
+2
Level 93
Sep 23, 2019
Thanks for the correction :)
Malbaby
+2
Level 70
Apr 24, 2016
I fund thes quis prety eesy my being sooch a god speler.
Juliebean
+2
Level 67
Dec 10, 2024
Yehs mi to! Soe eesy
Cyclonus
+1
Level 88
Apr 24, 2016
This is technically a spelling quiz, but really a grammar quiz. Either way, well done!
Olinguito
+1
Level 45
Apr 24, 2016
I just love quizzes in which I know every single one of the answers first time.
Roger77024
+1
Level 56
Apr 24, 2016
Great one- #'s 2 to 10, please, ThirdParty! Being male, I struggled with "not cuff links" for a while. Average score of 25 year olds? My guess is about 3.
Sifhraven
+3
Level 76
Jan 28, 2020
Male?? 25 year olds?? What do those have to do with anything.. especially the first one. Is even spelling gender based all of a sudden?

omg that would make things even more complicated like: "I'm panromantic and gender-fluid but spellingwise I identify as male"...

Highlander29
+1
Level 78
Apr 25, 2016
This is the kind of quiz which shows who truly got an education.
Jerry928
+3
Level 76
Apr 25, 2016
This quiz doesn't seem to accept type-ins.
IsleAuHaulte
+1
Level 92
Sep 24, 2018
I've been looking for this snarky comment.
dasubergeek
+2
Level 80
Apr 26, 2016
Finally, a quiz to indulge my inner copy editor.
Grafakos
+1
Level 34
Jun 13, 2016
Too easy!
saammmy
+3
Level 43
Jul 8, 2016
"You can now buy a ride into outer space, but the fare is exorbitant."

Am I the only who chuckled because outer space is literally out of (earth's) orbit?

samiamco
+4
Level 68
Oct 17, 2016
This was grate, ThirdParty; excellent job on the read herrings! Thank ewe for doing a pare of sequels to!
Dollyfroggy
+1
Level 63
Oct 8, 2023
Actually, that should be "excellant".
LyRiKH
+1
Level 51
Nov 21, 2016
2.26 left for me...
ashleykay
+1
Level 16
Jul 8, 2017
Awesome quiz!
GeoGuy8
+1
Level 66
Oct 21, 2017
Gweat quis! Shud doo moor off dese!
Remymer
+1
Level 16
Jan 14, 2018
2:59 to spare GFG
RobNobody
+9
Level 80
Feb 11, 2018
I'm sorry, but knowing the full context of these statements shows that many of the "mistakes" are actually correct.

-Being part of a continuum of people makes it impossible to keep a secret, so truly it is important to be discrete.

-Knowing his fondness for Italian food, she had just eaten a full bulb of garlic.

-The "noxious scent" deactivated a series of bombs set throughout the ducting.

-The Orbital Carnival does, in fact, charge far too much for tickets.

-Inheritance law itself does not distinguish between races, but varying cultural interpretations and attitudes can have an effect.

-The film referred to is Al Gore's An Inconvenient Truth.

Please make the appropriate corrections with all do speed.

IsleAuHaulte
+3
Level 92
Sep 24, 2018
Well played finish.
Dimby
+1
Level 83
Apr 22, 2021
Where are the likes for this comment? It's very cute.
IsleAuHaulte
+1
Level 92
Sep 24, 2018
Nice use of potential homonyms throughout the sentences to make us work for it.
GeoDude
+1
Level 46
Jan 27, 2019
pervect with 16 sec left
CPAmt
+1
Level 66
Feb 7, 2019
Love it. Thanks!
divantilya
+1
Level 36
Aug 15, 2019
climactic moment.
Ryanlee
+1
Level 77
Jan 15, 2020
I live in a small village in Bhutan for my whole life and finished within 2 minutes.
Ssssss
+1
Level 72
Mar 31, 2021
Probably did better than most of my fellow UK citizens!
Findlay
+2
Level 80
Feb 17, 2020
My pedantry feels well catered for.
Zenelle
+1
Level 48
Apr 28, 2020
I really enjoyed this. Annoyed at myself, though, for spending so long trying to figure out how one sentence was spelt incorrectly, and it turns out the wrong word was used instead, but it's a common misunderstanding. Whoops xD
Dylanplex
+1
Level 99
Apr 30, 2020
Climatic and climactic are interchangeable, neither word is wrong, they are both correct smh
Ssssss
+9
Level 72
Mar 31, 2021
No, in this context, climatic cannot be right. Climatic refers to climate; climactic to climax. SMH!
orange3472
+2
Level 72
Apr 26, 2024
I just figured it was documentary that was building up to discussing climate change
EMZSEW
+1
Level 57
Jul 5, 2020
dyslexic, didn't realise there was anything wrong with most of them.
grout
+1
Level 44
Feb 18, 2021
only missed populace :(
SpencerGT
+2
Level 68
Mar 31, 2021
I like how the simplest word in each sentence is misspelled.
TanteTami
+1
Level 66
Mar 31, 2021
Oh my, if you are not a native English speaker, you are totally lost here.
Nathaniel
+2
Level 77
Mar 31, 2021
Not true. My native language is German and I got eleven before the time ran out, including the least guessed one.
Dollyfroggy
+2
Level 63
Oct 8, 2023
It depends on how well you know English, I suppose. It's less about native language and more about depth of knowledge.
IrisIris
+1
Level 59
May 18, 2021
my native language is French and i got 19/20
AlexThirkell
+2
Level 74
Mar 31, 2021
Got the salad one with 2 seconds remaining after trying pretty much every possible combination of the letters in the misspelled word!
deebte
+1
Level 64
Mar 31, 2021
how do you not get populace its easy
Damangio
+2
Level 64
Mar 31, 2021
Wow, I did not realize there are three spellings of pallet/palette/palate! I don't think I even realized there are two.
Evaristo
+1
Level 65
Mar 31, 2021
INHERITED, not inherent
IrisIris
+3
Level 59
May 18, 2021
it's two different words. both exist
dogmeat
+1
Level 69
Mar 31, 2021
I feel old. Way easy.
Asterlan
+1
Level 57
Apr 1, 2021
Could we have a bit more time?
johanna9
+2
Level 42
Apr 1, 2021
I tried so many spellings for populous.. I'm not sure I've ever seen it written down like that
IrisIris
+3
Level 59
May 18, 2021
it's two different words. "populous" is an adjective that means there's a lot of people. "populace" is a noun that means the people.
mia56
+1
Level 45
Aug 12, 2021
SHE awaited HIS..(blah blah blah)?
Cocobutterscrubb
+1
Level 21
Oct 12, 2021
The principle one was spelled right, you were wrong. Remember, a principal (the head of the school) is always your pal.
AlexThirkell
+5
Level 74
Oct 26, 2021
principal (adj. main, most important) is what's needed to describe the factor, not principle (n. foundational belief that governs behaviour & opinion).
rwwt
+1
Level 85
Feb 11, 2022
Haha. Spent a good while trying to think how "exorbitant" was spelt, if not that way, and thus completely overlooked "fair".
SpartanLlama
+1
Level 78
May 14, 2023
17/20, missed populace, brooch, and averse
Liam315
+1
Level 72
May 27, 2023
18/20

Me: "OK brain, calm down and slowly parse each word methodically, don't try and auto-correct what you see."

Brain: "Nah, I'll just scan eight sentences simultaneously like a maniac, something's bound to jump out."

Me: "Come on, there's only two left, just focus."

Brain: "Pft, you're not the boss of me."

Dollyfroggy
+1
Level 63
Oct 8, 2023
I got tricked by the longer words. Well done.
VincentCanQuiz
+1
Level 56
Apr 17, 2024
Mistake. The bated one uses the two different genders.

SHE awaited HIS next advance with a baited breath

orange3472
+1
Level 72
Apr 26, 2024
And...?
TyrHawk
+1
Level 65
Dec 7, 2025
For anyone in the same boat as Vincent, this is not an error. "Sarah awaited Chuck's next advance" makes perfect sense. Person 1, she, is waiting for Person 2, he, to make another move. Person 2 could easily be a woman too, but Person 1's gender doesn't mean a thing here, grammatically, and doesn't affect the possessive pronoun at all. One might be thinking it's "her bated breath", but "next advance" is attached to the pronoun already, and, grammatically, it would be a disaster to try and insert an unattached "next advance" where it is.

Also, if we consider what it would mean for it to match, we'd be saying "She waited for her own next move while holding her own breath". Why would she do that? Why would she be waiting for her own next move with such suspense? It's an intriguing concept, for sure, and there are situations it might make sense, but it's definitely less-likely as the correct option on any given grammar quiz.

gimplord209
+1
Level 49
Jun 19, 2024
these aren't really misspelled words, they're just misused words... still fun though!!!!
Kawada01
+1
Level 65
Jul 26, 2024
Some of these aren't actually spelling errors, and are just alternate spellings that have been in use for hundreds of years.
Boogum
+1
Level 22
Dec 2, 2024
Principle is actually the correct spelling in the first sentence.
mcchild22
+1
Level 68
Dec 31, 2025
technically, principal can refer to something being "first in order of importance or the main", but I think in the US that it is more common for us to attribute the spelling PAL soley to the principal of a school and use PLE for everything else, but I believe technically the spelling principal is correct, but colloquially, it is not the correct choice for USA spellers and speakers.
RoboquizM86
+1
Level 60
Jan 5, 2026
This felt too much like an English exam lol
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