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Misspelled or Misspelt?
The Difference between "Misspelled" and "Misspelt"
"Misspelled" and "misspelt" are both written with a double "s." (The first "s" is from the prefix "mis," and the second is from the root word "spell.")If you're unsure whether to use "misspelled" and "misspelt," use "misspelled."
(If you're following UK writing conventions, you can use "misspelt," but it has been less popular than "misspelled" since the mid-1970s.)

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More about Misspelled and Misspelt
Somewhat ironically, the verb "to misspell" is commonly misspelled. The first point to note is that it is written with a double "s." In other words:- mispell
, mispelled
, mispelt
- misspell
, misspelled
, misspelt
Verb | Past Simple | Past Participle |
---|---|---|
misspell | misspelled OR misspelt | misspelled OR misspelt |
Americans Demand "Misspelled"
In America, "misspelled" dominates. The use of "misspelt" as the past tense or past participle of "to spell" is considered a spelling mistake by most Americans.Brits Will Accept "Misspelled" or "Misspelt"
Outside America, "misspelled" has been more popular than "misspelt" since the mid-1970s. (Here is evidence from Google's Ngram viewer.) In the UK, both "misspelled" and "misspelt" are accepted.Spelled and Spelt
It's the same with "spelled" and "spelt." Americans demand "spelled," but Brits will accept either.Verbs with Irregular and Regular Forms
The following verbs (like "to spell") have both regular and irregular forms:Verb | Past Simple | Past Participle |
---|---|---|
burn | burned OR burnt | burned OR burnt |
dream | dreamed OR dreamt | dreamed OR dreamt |
learn | learned OR learnt | learned OR learnt |
smell | smelled OR smelt | smelled OR smelt |
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See Also
adverse or averse? affect or effect? Ms., Miss, or Mrs? avenge or revenge? bare or bear? complement or compliment? dependant or dependent? discreet or discrete? disinterested or uninterested? dived and dove e.g. or i.e.? envy or jealousy? hanged and hung imply or infer? its or it's? learned and learnt material or materiel? poisonous or venomous? practice or practise? principal or principle? tenant or tenet? who's or whose? What are verbs? What are regular verbs? What are regular verbs? What is the past tense? What are past participles? What are nouns? List of easily confused wordsPage URL