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Computer spell check software is great, but it sometimes doesn’t inform you to a misspelled word. And, you might be spelling a word correctly, but it isn’t the word that you should be using in the context of the sentence.

For example, what if you wrote this sentence with a typo in it:  He tackled the breast and killed it. Well obviously, you didn’t mean to put that R in there – it should have said, He tackled the beast and killed it.

But spell check wouldn’t catch it because they’re both words and both spelled properly. But one isn’t correct and it could cause you a lot of embarrassment. So you can’t rely on spell check to save you.

According to an article in Harvard Business Review, 81% of those surveyed that poorly written material wastes a lot of time. As an employee, and as a company, your reputation is on the line when it comes to writing effectiveness.

A few simple examples follow as the most commonly misspelled words:

• You, Your or You’re? – These words are spelled correctly, but are used differently in sentences. Many people confuse the words your and you’re and don’t understand which to use. Also, if the word ‘you’ is misspelled in a sentence, it’s usually a typo that the spell check didn’t catch, like ‘yo.’

• Loose or Lose? – The English language is sometimes tricky, and these two words are good examples. Loose can be used in a sentence as an adjective, while lose is used as a verb.
• Accept or Except? – Use ‘accept’ when something is being received and use ‘except’ to indicate the exclusion of something.
• Complement or Compliment? – These two words are commonly misused in writing. A good rule to remember in this case is that ‘compliment’ is when you’re praising something and ‘complement’ is used mostly when matching something.
• Assure, Ensure or Insure? – It’s difficult to remember how to use these three words unless you understand the most intricate part of their meanings. Each word essentially means the same thing – to secure or be certain of – but digging a bit deeper gets to the real meanings.
• Pique, Peak or Peek? – Pique is an emotional high point and peak is the highest point of something, while peek means to look at something.
• Then or Than? – They’re both spelled correctly, but each is used in a different context. Don’t confuse your reader by using them incorrectly.
• Copyright or Copywrite? – Copyright is a word meaning exclusive rights to a product. Copywrite isn’t a word, but copywriter is, so some people become confused about using copywrite to explain what a copywriter does.
• Counsel or Council? – These two words are often confused. Remember that ‘Counsel’ can be a noun or a verb and ‘council’ is used as a noun to help you know which to choose when writing.
• Lie or Lay? – These two words trip up lots of writers, and only until you know the true meaning of each will you understand which to use.

Spelling is truly a skill that can set you and your company apart as a good writer and effective communicator. Studies show that good grammar leads to more promotions and higher salaries. Thank goodness that we have spell-checkers that come with our computers now, but they’re not foolproof. Go the extra mile and take the time to ensure your writing is clear, concise, edited, and productive.

Outsource your work to an editor for additional help or use specific spell check software packages that are geared toward grammar, spelling, and punctuation checks such as Grammarly. There are also some that are targeted to medical writing, legal writing and more.