Some words that trip up American spellers might look a little different to Kiwi eyes, and that’s actually part of the story.
A website called Unscramblerer.com looked at Google search data from the first five months of this year. Their job was to find out which words Americans struggle to spell the most. They tracked how often people searched “how do you spell…” to come up with their list.
Topping the list was “bougie,” followed by “favourite,” “through,” “business,” “tomorrow,” “because,” “definitely,” “beautiful,” “niece,” and “separate.”
Here’s where it gets interesting for New Zealand readers. In America, “favourite” is spelled “favorite” and “colour” is spelled “color.” So while Americans are Googling how to spell their version, we’re over here spelling ours differently. Two countries, same language, different rules.
Some words on the list are tricky no matter where you live, though. “Definitely” is a classic trap, often written as “definately.” “Separate” catches people out too, with many writing “seperate” instead. And “niece” follows that old rule of “i before e, except after c”.
One thing the researchers pointed out is worth thinking about. Relying on autocorrect and AI tools can weaken your spelling over time. Looking up how to spell a word, rather than just letting your phone fix it, is actually a better way to learn.
