Most Repeated Spellings in the PTE Exam: Download PDF

In the PTE writing section, candidates have to use decent vocabulary to express their ideas better. While attempting this section, candidates must spell words correctly to get a better score. Candidates attempting the PTE exam aren’t by default supposed to be native English speakers. To score better in the PTE writing section, candidates should focus on keywords and use them accordingly. Many editing software these days uses autocorrect features to check the candidates’ spelling abilities. Focusing on spelling will also improve your vocabulary skills. This blog will tell you about the most repeated spellings in the PTE exam.

Exam Name	PTE Exam
Full Form	Pearson Test of English
Conduction Body	Pearson PLC Group
Sections	Speaking and WritingReadingListening
Application Fee	INR 18,000
Score Range	10-90 Points

PTE Vocabulary Spelling Tests

To improve a candidate’s vocabulary skills and word spelling, there are many vocabulary practice tests available online which will surely help you in scoring better marks in the PTE exam. Some of these practice tests are on the official website of Pearson PLC Group, which is the conducting body of the PTE exam. Inside these practice tests, there are 1000+ words; almost all of them have been repeated more than once in the PTE exam.

While attending the PTE Writing section, you don’t have to attend to all the questions, but you have to make sure the questions you are attempting to answer should be correct so that there are no negative markings. These practice tests will help you gain confidence in the PTE Writing section.

Most Repeated Spellings in the PTE exam

List of most common repeated spellings in the PTE exam section focuses on words that appear repeatedly in the PTE exam and are often misspelt by candidates. These spellings commonly occur across all modules, including speaking, writing, reading, and listening. Paying close attention to them is essential, as even a single spelling mistake in tasks like Write from Dictation or Summarise Written Text can lead to a noticeable score reduction. Each entry clearly highlights the incorrect spelling students tend to write and the correct form that should be remembered and practised.

Letter	Wrong Spelling	Correct Spelling	Memorise the Repeated Spelling
A	Accomodate	Accommodate	Two C’s and two M’s – CC-o-MM-odate
B	Begining	Beginning	Double N before -ing
C	Concious	Conscious	Sci in the middle, like science
D	Definately	Definitely	Finite is in the middle – de-FINITE-ly
E	Embarass	Embarrass	Two R’s and two S’s – RR-SS
F	Fourty	Forty	Drop the U from four
G	Goverment	Government	Govern + ment
H	Higeine	Hygiene	Y before gi – think hygienic
I	Independant	Independent	Ends with -ent, not -ant
J	Jeapordy	Jeopardy	Jeo, not Jea – think leopard
K	Knowlege	Knowledge	Include the D – know + ledge
L	Liason	Liaison	Two I’s – Li-ai-son
M	Maintainance	Maintenance	Break it as main-ten-ance
N	Neccessary	Necessary	One C, two S’s – one collar, two sleeves
O	Occured	Occurred	Double R before -ed
P	Persue	Pursue	Pur, not Per – think pursuit
Q	Questionaire	Questionnaire	Double N before the ending
R	Recieve	Receive	I before E except after C
S	Seperate	Separate	Par in the middle – se-PAR-ate
T	Tommorrow	Tomorrow	One M, two R’s – to-MORR-ow
U	Untill	Until	Only one L
V	Vaccuum	Vacuum	Two C’s, one U – vaCC-uum
W	Wierd	Weird	Exception word – We-I-R-d
X	Exagerate	Exaggerate	Double G – ex-aGG-erate
Y	Yeild	Yield	I before E – yi-E-ld
Z	Zepplin	Zeppelin	Double P – named after Count von Zeppelin

Explore: Collocations in IELTS Speaking

Difficult Spelling or Words for PTE Exam

Difficult spelling or Words for PTE exam section focuses on challenging academic and professional vocabulary that appears frequently in PTE Reading passages, listening lectures, and dictation-based tasks. These words are difficult not only because of their spelling but also due to silent letters, uncommon letter combinations, and exceptions to phonetic rules. Many of them are standard in university-level english, which makes mastering them essential for consistent performance across all PTE modules.

Letter	Wrong Spelling	Correct Spelling	Memorise the Repeated Spelling
A	Aquisition	Acquisition	Ac-qui together – think acquire
B	Beurocracy	Bureaucracy	Bur-eau like bureau (office desk)
C	Commitee	Committee	Double M, double T, double E
D	Disipline	Discipline	Disc at the start – think disciple
E	Entrepeneurs	Entrepreneurs	Pre, not pe – entre-PRE-neurs
F	Flourescent	Fluorescent	Fluor like fluoride – no ou
G	Gaurantee	Guarantee	Guar like guard
H	Harrass	Harass	One R, two S
I	Innoculate	Inoculate	One N in the middle – in-oc-ulate
J	Judgement	Judgment	No E in American English (both accepted)
K	Kaleidescope	Kaleidoscope	Scope at the end like telescope
L	Liesure	Leisure	Lei at the start – think flower garland
M	Millenium	Millennium	Double L, double N
N	Noticable	Noticeable	Keep the E before -able
O	Ocassion	Occasion	One C, two S
P	Priviledge	Privilege	Ends with lege
Q	Quarentine	Quarantine	Quar-an-tine – three parts
R	Restaraunt	Restaurant	Aur in the middle – rest-AU-rant
S	Succesful	Successful	Double C, double S, one L
T	Threshhold	Threshold	Only one H in the middle
U	Unfortunatly	Unfortunately	Keep the E – unfortunate + ly
V	Vengance	Vengeance	Ge in the middle – ven-GE-ance
W	Wellfare	Welfare	One L – wel-fare
X	Xylephone	Xylophone	Xyl-o-phone – O in the middle
Y	Yatch	Yacht	Silent CH
Z	Zoollogy	Zoology	Two O’s only – zo-o-logy

Complex Words with Similar Spelling 

Building on the difficult spellings covered above, this section moves a step further by focusing on words that look or sound almost the same but carry completely different meanings. These are especially challenging in the write from dictation task, where spelling accuracy must match exactly what is heard. Confusing such words can change the meaning of a sentence and directly affect scores. Understanding both the spelling difference and the meaning distinction is therefore essential for strong performance in the PTE exam.

Letter	Wrong or Confused Word	Correct Spelling (with meaning)	Memorise the Repeated Spelling
A	Affect (verb)	Effect (noun)	Affect means to influence; effect means result
A	Altar (religious)	Alter (change)	Altar is a place of worship; alter means modify
B	Breath (noun)	Breathe (verb)	Breath is the air taken in; breathe is the act
C	Compliment (praise)	Complement (complete)	Compliment flatters; complement completes
C	Conseil	Council / Counsel	Council is an assembly; counsel is advice
D	Desert (dry land)	Dessert (sweet food)	One S for sand; two S’s for sweet
E	Elicit (evoke)	Illicit (illegal)	Elicit means draw out; illicit means forbidden
E	Emigrate (leave)	Immigrate (enter)	Emigrate is to exit; immigrate is to enter
F	Forth (forward)	Fourth (number)	Forth means onward; fourth is a position
G	Grate (shred)	Great (excellent)	Grate is an action; great is a quality
H	Hear (sound)	Here (place)	Hear relates to ears; here indicates location
I	Its (possessive)	It’s (it is)	Its shows ownership; it’s is a contraction
J	Judicial (court)	Judicious (wise)	Judicial relates to law; judicious means sensible
K	Knew (past know)	New (fresh)	Knew is knowledge; new means recent
L	Loose (not tight)	Lose (misplace)	Loose means free; lose means cannot find
M	Moral (ethics)	Morale (spirit)	Moral is values; morale is confidence
N	Naval (navy)	Navel (belly button)	Naval relates to ships; navel is body part
P	Personal (private)	Personnel (staff)	Personal is individual; personnel are employees
P	Principal (head)	Principle (rule)	Principal is main person; principle is a rule
Q	Quiet	Quite / Quit	Quiet is silent; quite means very; quit means stop
R	Rational (logical)	Rationale (reason)	Rational means sensible; rationale explains why
S	Stationary (still)	Stationery (paper)	Stationary is not moving; stationery is writing items
T	Than (compare)	Then (time)	Than compares; then shows sequence
T	Their	There / They’re	Their shows ownership; there is place; they’re is they are
U	Urban (city)	Urbane (polished)	Urban means city-based; urbane means refined
W	Weather (climate)	Whether (condition)	Weather is climate; whether expresses choice
W	Were	Where / We’re	Were is past tense; where is place; we’re is we are
Y	Your	You’re	Your shows possession; you’re means you are
Z	Zealot (fanatic)	Zealous (enthusiastic)	Zealot is extreme; zealous is passionate

Also Read: Recent IELTS Speaking Solved Questions

Tips to Improve Your Spelling Skills in the PTE Exam

Spelling mastery develops through consistent, targeted practice rather than quick fixes. In the PTE exam, spelling accuracy plays a decisive role, especially in tasks like Write from Dictation and summarise written text, where even one incorrect word can reduce your score. The strategies below are designed specifically for PTE preparation and have consistently helped test-takers improve spelling accuracy over a focused 4–6 week study period.

1. Start by strengthening the connection between pronunciation and spelling. Many spelling mistakes happen because words are misheard in the Listening section. Regular exposure to British, American, and Australian accents trains the ear to recognise variations in pronunciation. Listening carefully, pausing the audio, writing what is heard, and then checking the transcript helps identify weak areas and reinforces correct spelling through repetition.

2. Creating a personal error log is one of the most effective habits. Recording every misspelled word from practice tests and revisiting them daily ensures that mistakes are not repeated. When learners actively track their own errors, retention improves significantly because the practice is personalised rather than generic.

3. Using a multi-sensory learning approach further strengthens memory. Saying words aloud, writing them by hand, visualising their spelling, and typing them engages different parts of the brain at the same time. This layered learning method helps spellings stay longer in memory and improves recall under exam pressure.

4. Breaking long or complex words into smaller chunks makes them easier to manage. Chunking reduces mental load and is particularly useful for academic words with many letters. Practising each part separately before combining them helps candidates feel more confident when spelling longer words during the exam.

5. Understanding spelling rules and their exceptions also improves accuracy. Rules such as letter doubling, silent letter removal, and common vowel patterns are useful, but recognising exceptions is equally important. Regular review of rules with examples ensures flexibility rather than confusion during real test conditions.

6. Daily practice of Write from Dictation is essential because it directly tests spelling under time pressure. Consistent exposure to exam-style sentences builds familiarity with academic vocabulary while improving speed and confidence. Simulating real exam timing conditions makes practice more effective.

7. Mnemonic devices can simplify tricky spellings. Creating memorable associations or patterns helps recall difficult words instantly. Personal mnemonics work best because they connect spelling with individual memory cues.

8. Active reading of academic texts supports both vocabulary and spelling development. Reading with attention, noting unfamiliar words, and practising their spelling reinforces learning naturally. This habit mirrors the academic language level used in PTE tasks.

9. Technology should be used wisely. Tools like dictionaries and grammar checkers are helpful for identifying patterns, but overreliance on autocorrect should be avoided during practice. Independent spelling practice builds exam-ready skills.

10. Above all, consistency matters more than intensity. Short, daily spelling practice sessions lead to better long-term retention than occasional long study hours. A fixed daily routine ensures steady improvement over time.

When the above strategies are combined thoughtfully and practised consistently, spelling accuracy improves naturally. In the PTE exam, every correctly spelled word contributes to your score. With focused preparation, spelling can shift from being a weakness to a strong scoring advantage.

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