Common Spelling Errors Even in the Age of Spell Check

Instructions: Wherever alternative spellings appear, circle the spelling which is correct.

1. [Your/You're] our last chance, Kenny, so don't blow it!
2. After forty two years of devoted service, [Principle/Principal] Anderson decided to retire.
3. The king summoned the jester to come [forth/fourth) and amuse him.
4. Danielle did an absolutely [super/supper] job making Thanksgiving dinner last year.
5. As we pushed the car farther/father down the road in the hot sun, my [farther/further/father], dripping with sweat, suggested [farther/further/father] steps be taken to fix the flat tire.
6. Normally, the security guard [ate/eight] three dozen donuts between shifts, but he still wondered why he couldn't catch up to the elderly shoplifter.
7. It [seems/seams] to me that Kelly's jeans are in some serious need of stitching.
8. Some may call me [cheep/cheap], but I view myself as an educated consumer.
9. When Gomer came into camp fifty pounds above the team's desired [wait/weight] Coach Finkle told him he had only two weeks to slim down.
10. [Anyone/Any one] of you sitting before me in this room today has the chance to become a millionaire someday.
11. Due to recent budget cutbacks, [moral/morale] the of teachers in the public schools has been quite low.
12. As I [lie/lay] here on a big raft in my pool, I now realize the true meaning of life.
13. If you have more failing grades [than/then] passing grades, you'll very likely be going to summer school.
14. The widow's facial expressions were hidden from the other mourners by a black [vail/veil].
15. There was a small rat lying [beside/besides] the sleeping cat.
16. His [allusions/illusions] of grandeur were becoming wilder and wilder as his [allusions/illusions] to a blood kinship with the Queen of England became more frequent.
17. We as a corporation have been [all together/altogether] oblivious to the critical situation we have [here/hear].
18. The debate on how television [effects/affects] the children of today will go on for decades.
19. The [hale/hail] fell onto my car, leaving noticeable little dents on the hood.
20. Earlier today, there was a [foul/fowl] odor that came from the cafeteria and spread throughout the building.
21. I would never consider orange and purple corduroy bell bottoms something to [ware/wear] to work.
22. Last Sunday, my mother picked a nice [pair/pear] of [pears/pairs] from a tree in the orchard by the bay.
23. After the football game, John and Jason were so hungry that they ate two and four hamburgers [respectfully/respectively].
24. If I had to choose between studying and going on a road trip, I'd choose the [later/latter].
25. Beth decided that she needed to [altar/alter] her wedding dress.
26. The president of the college made no secret of his favorite hobby: conducting a [flee/flea] circus.
27. Before I went to my trusty tutor Tony, I had never [passed/past] a calculus test.
28. It's a long (hall/haul] from Boston to Los Angeles.
29. Instead of having my typical bean sprout dinner, I decided to splurge and eat a thick, juicy [steak/stake].
30. After a three-hour delay, the pilot said that the [plane/plain] was ready for takeoff.
31. We experienced a [son/sun] shower this morning, when rain fell gently from the bright sky.
32. My favorite day of the [week/weak] is Monday, because I get to wake up at 6 a.m. and go to work.
33. At the bottom of Heartbreak Hill, Shephard Connelly [led/lead] the Boston Marathon by 200 yards.
34. [A/An] easy way to remember [a/an] number of unrelated pieces of information is to make up [a/an] simple story that uses them all.
35. Setting: Drive-in theater. Speaker: "Three previews will be [shone/shown] tonight before the feature presentation. Please turn off your headlights. Thank you..."
36. The harsh words directed at Big Louie were most certainly said in [vein/vain/vane].
37. My lovely wife and I went hunting for [deer/dear] together in the Moosehead Lake region of Maine.
38. I thought it would be a [great/grate] idea to ask my pesky little brother to [grate/great] the onion when he insisted on helping me make dinner.
39. On a hot day like today, the [sight/site/cite] of a soda vending machine makes me thirsty.
40. Under the Constitution, writers have the [rite/right/write] to express themselves in any way they choose.
41. Samantha [rode/road] the Green Line from Kenmore Square to Boston College.
42. It upsets me when people say I live on Pendergast St. or Pendergast Rd., when [it's/its] really Pendergast [Lain/Lane].
43. There was a [hair/hare] I saw at the [fair/fare] who would [stair/stare] at the [bear/bare] who was moping in his [lair/layer].
44. Not all people who deliver the [male/mail] are [male/mail].
45. [Bye/Buy/By] the time I finish cleaning my house, I will have to [bye/buy/by] myself another bottle of furniture polish.
46. "Now remember, Fran, I must [awake, a wake] at exactly 4 p.m."
47. Have you ever [read/red] the classic tale of Little [Read/Red] Riding Hood?
48. When I took Geometry, I found myself confused by the various types of [angels/angles].
49. Which [one/won] of the baseball teams [one/won] the championship last year?
50. Little Timmy was [knot/not] able to tie his own shoes until he was six years old.
51. Priscilla went on a whale watch to [see/sea] if she could spot any of the giant, fishlike mammals.
52. [Every one/Everyone] of us dreaded the three-hour accounting exam.
53. Lisa asked her hairdresser to [advice/advise] her on [whether/weather] or not to get a perm.
54. When we went to our Senior Prom, we dressed very [formally, formerly].
55. Parents are great; [there/their/they're] always [there/their/they're] when you need [there/their/they're] help.
56. Each of us was able to pay for a ticket [accept/except] Shayla, because the box office didn't [accept/except] credit cards.
57. With her glow-in-the-dark white skin, Julie looked like someone who had never been to the [beech/beach].
58. Bill sat by the [creak/creek] for some poetic inspiration, but all he could think of was his leaky faucet.
59. As Junior approached the coffee table on his Big Wheel tricycle, I told him to use his [brake/break].
60. The boy in class who carries his violin wherever he goes generally doesn't follow the [herd/heard].
61. We have exactly one [hour/our] to start and finish [hour/our] ten-page paper!
62. Usually, there is only minor [pain/pane] involved in playing Frisbee, but George managed to break his leg.
63. I thought I could [beat/beet] the clock by taking an illegal U-turn, until I saw the blue lights flashing behind me.
64. Did you [meet/meat] the vegetarian who boasted that he could never contract Mad Cow Disease?
65. Though he said he would never [steal/steel], Martin took the forks and spoons and knives from the cafeteria.
66. I asked the [maid/made] to cook a typical meal from her homeland.
67. As a teacher's [aid/aide], Laura's salary is so meager that she just might have to apply for financial [aid/aide].
68. The president of the student [counsel/council] rattled off a string of promises to the students.
69. Upon reaching the mountain's [peek/peak], Butch was overwhelmed by the thrill of accomplishment.
70. Doing step aerobics, one must remember to go from toe to [heal/heel] when stepping down.
71. After the war, soldiers argued about who would get a [peace/piece] of land.
72. Hannerhan was fired this morning because of poor sales performance and [two/to/too] many absences from meetings.
73. Uncle Larry never thought that he would [loose/lose] the pumpkin growing contest!
74. Giovanni was punished because he [threw/through] his baseball [threw/through] the school window.
75. I decided to [complement/complement] my teenage sister on her blue hair, so that she wouldn't feel offended.
76. As I rode my [stationary/stationery] bike, composed a letter on beautiful [stationary/stationer].
77. After completing his basketball-size rubber band ball, Michael exclaimed, "This [may be/maybe] the greatest moment of my life!"
78. Jacob wondered why he could not claim his dogs as [dependents/dependence] on his income tax return; after all they did depend on him in every way!
79. My roommate, the hypochondriac, looked into a medical dictionary and found four diseases that [ail/ale] her.
80. That department store has had a going-out-of-business [sale/sail] every week for the past year.
81. Lindsay always managed to become busy when her father retold the [tail/tale] of his high school days.
82. Antigone was prescribed an [ante-/anti-] depressant to help her cope with her sense of loss.
83. In order to endure the long wait in a doctor's office, one must have a great deal of [patients/patience].
84. Arthur hired two [assistants/assistance] to help him operate his small diner more efficiently.
85. Here comes Peter Cottontail [hoping/hopping] down the bunny trail.
86. Never [loan/lone] your clothes to Caroline unless you don't mind stains and spots all over them.
87. Costello asked Abbott, "[Who's/Whose] on first base?"
88. I was not [conscious/conscience] that I had a guilty [conscious/conscience] about accidentally killing my goldfish.

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