Page 572 - Word Power Made Easy: The Complete Handbook for Building a Superior Vocabulary

KEY: 1–b, 2–a, 3–a, 4–b, 5–b, 6–b, 7–a, 8–b, 9–a, 10–b, 11–b, 12–b, 13–b, 14–a, 15–b, 16–a,
17–b, 18–b, 19–b, 20–a, 21–b, 22–a, 23–b, 24–a, 25–a

By now you’re well on the way toward developing a de nite superiority complex about
your spelling—which isn’t a half-bad thing, for I’ve learned, working with my students,
that many people think they’re awful spellers, and have completely lost faith in their
ability, solely because they get befuddled over no more than two dozen or so common

words that they use over and over again and always misspell. Every other word they spell
perfectly, but they still think they’re prize boobs in spelling until their self-con dence is
restored. So if you’re beginning to gain more assurance, you’re on the right track. The
conquest of the one hundred common words most frequently misspelled is not going to
assure you that you will always come out top man in a spelling bee, but it’s certain to clean
up your writing and bolster your ego.

So far you have worked with fty of the one hundred spelling demons. Here, now, is the
remainder of the list. Test yourself, or have someone who can keep a secret test you, and
discover which ones are your Waterloo. Study each one you miss as if it were a problem in
engineering. Observe how it’s put together and devise whatever association pattern will x
the correct form in your mind.
Happy spelling!

SPELLING DEMONS

These fty words complete the list of one hundred words that most frequently stump the
inexpert spellers:

1. embarrassing

2. judgment
3. indispensable
4. disappear
5. disappoint

6. corroborate
7. sacrilegious

8. tranquillity
9. exhilaration
10. newsstand
11. license

12. irresistible
13. persistent

14. dilemma