Top 10 Weirdest English Spellings (and How to Remember Them)
English spelling can feel like a puzzle made by mischievous elves. The good news: you don’t need to memorize every rule to get confident. With a few smart tips and examples, you can recognize patterns, spot exceptions, and remember the strangest words. Here are the top 10 weirdest English spellings—plus friendly tricks to make them stick.
Why English spelling gets so weird
- English is a mix of languages (French, Latin, Germanic), so spellings clash.
- Pronunciation changed over time, but spellings often stayed the same.
- Silent letters show a word’s history (and cause today’s headaches!).
1. The “OUGH” maze: though, through, tough, cough, bough
Same letters, completely different sounds. “Though” (like “thoh”), “through” (throo), “tough” (tuff), “cough” (koff), “bough” (bow, as in “cow”).
- Examples: “Though it was late, we drove through the fog.” “This math is tough.” “He has a bad cough.” “The cat climbed the bough.”
- Memory tip: Learn them in pairs with a mini story: “Though we drove through rough stuff, his cough stopped under the bough.”
2. Colonel → “kernel”
This military word looks French but sounds like “kernel.” The spelling kept history; the sound took a shortcut.
- Example: “The colonel addressed the troops.” (Say: “KER-nel.”)
- Memory tip: Think of a popcorn kernel in uniform.
3. Queue → “cue”
Five letters, one sound. The “ueue” is basically a line of silent letters waiting politely.
- Example: “Please join the queue.”
- Memory tip: Queue = Q + a “queue” of silent letters.
4. Wednesday → “Wenz-day”
We write the “dnes,” but most speakers drop it when talking.
- Example: “Our meeting is on Wednesday.” (Say: “WENZ-day.”)
- Memory tip: Say it slowly to spell it: “WED–NES–DAY.”
5. Island → silent “s”
The “s” sneaked in from a historical mix-up with “isle” and now just sits there quietly.
- Example: “She grew up on a small island.”
- Memory tip: Think: “I land on the island.” The “s” is invisible.
6. Subtle, doubt, debt → silent “b”
These words borrowed Latin roots (like “dubitum,” “debitum”) and kept the “b,” but English doesn’t pronounce it.
- Examples: “Her makeup is subtle.” “I doubt he’ll be late.” “He paid his debt.”
- Memory tip: The “b” says nothing—be subtle about it.
7. Knife, knee, knead → silent “k”
Old English used to pronounce the “k.” It went quiet, but the spelling stayed.
- Examples: “Use a sharp knife.” “He hurt his knee.” “Knead the dough for 10 minutes.”
- Memory tip: Knock out the “k” sound at the start: “nife,” “nee,” “need.”
8. Choir → “quire”
Looks like “cho-ear” to many learners, but it sounds like “quire.”
- Example: “She sings in a church choir.”
- Memory tip: Choir rhymes with “quire,” not “chair.” Picture a choir holding “quires” (sets) of music sheets.
9. Yacht → “yot”
Short word, luxury spelling. It’s Dutch in origin, and the “ch” is not “chocolate”—it disappears into “yot.”
- Example: “They rented a yacht for the weekend.”
- Memory tip: You got a “yot.”
10. Accommodate → double “c,” double “m”
This common business/travel word is famous for double trouble.
- Example: “We can accommodate your request.”
- Memory tip: It can “accommodate” two guests: cc and mm.
Grammar and usage notes to keep you confident
- Though vs through: “Though” shows contrast (Though it rained, we left). “Through” is movement or completion (We drove through the tunnel; She read the book through).
- Queue vs cue: “Queue” is a line; “cue” is a signal (My cue to speak).
- Tough vs toughen: The base keeps its sound (“tuff”), and the verb adds “-en” (tuff-en).
Quick memory hacks for tricky English spelling
- Chunk it: Break words into parts you can say: WED–NES–DAY, AC–COM–MO–DATE.
- Build a story: The “queue” of letters waits silently behind Q.
- Group by pattern: Learn families: silent “k” (knife, knee), silent “b” (subtle, doubt, debt), “ough” set.
- Use look–say–cover–write–check: See it, say it, hide it, write it, check it. Fast and effective.
- Listen first: Spelling often follows pronunciation patterns you already know.
Mini practice: say it, then spell it
- Say the word naturally, then spell it out loud: “kernel… c-o-l-o-n-e-l.”
- Read the sentence and choose the right spelling:
- We drove (through/though) heavy traffic, (though/through) we arrived on time.
- Please join the (queue/cue) by the door and wait for your (cue/queue).
Remember: English spelling looks wild, but patterns repeat. Keep a short list of your “repeat offenders,” review them for one week, and use them in a sentence each day. With a few friendly tricks, even the weirdest English spellings will start to feel familiar.