Which is the most commonly misspelled word in each state?
(NEXSTAR) – The 97th Scripps National Spelling Bee took place this past week, showcasing the orthographical talents of the best and brightest youngsters in the nation.
And unlike us, none of them were using Google to doublecheck their spelling.
In honor of this year's Bee, WordUnscrambler.pro — an online resource for wordsmiths and Scrabble enthusiasts — has attempted to determine the most misspelled word in each state by studying the volume of Google searches containing phrases like 'How do you spell [X]' or 'How to spell [X].' The site's analysts also enlisted the help of Ahrefs, a marketing and SEO company, to determine the volume of searches and the variations of possible spelling queries for the analysis.
The results, according to WordUnscrambler.pro, are indicative of 'America's most misspelled words.'
Spelling bee champ wins by visualizing words typed on keyboard
A representative for the site said many of the commonly misspelled words shared similar attributes, such as silent letters, tricky vowel sounds, or foreign etymologies. Having autocorrect on our phones and computers may also be contributing to poorer spelling ability, the spokesperson noted.
'We simply forget things that we delegate to technology,' the spokesperson wrote in an emailed statement obtained by Nexstar. 'Misspellings might be on the rise not because we know less, but because we need to know less.'
Which words do Americans often misspell?
On a national level, the results of the analysis determined that Americans misspell the word 'definitely' more than any other, with 33,500 searches for the word's correct spelling recorded from January 1 through May 16, 2025. 'Separate' and 'necessary' followed behind with 30,000 searches and 29,000 searches respectively.
America's most misspelled words, according to WordUnscrambler.pro
Definitely – 33,500 searches.
Separate – 30,000 searches.
Necessary – 29,000 searches.
Believe – 28,500 searches.
Through – 28,000 searches.
Gorgeous – 27,000 searches.
Neighbor – 25,500 searches.
Business – 24,200 searches.
Favorite – 23,000 searches.
Restaurant – 22,500 searches.
When it comes to individual states, many of those same words appear to be most difficult for residents to spell. Some of the notable outliers include: residents of Hawaii, who often appear to have trouble with 'luau'; residents of Tennessee, who aren't so sure how to spell 'broccoli'; and Google users in Vermont, who more often request the correct spelling of 'Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious.'
America's most misspelled words by state, according to WordUnscrambler.pro:
Alabama – Different
Alaska – Tomorrow
Arizona – People
Arkansas – Quesadilla
California – Appreciation
Colorado – Sergeant
Connecticut – Schedule
Delaware – Beautiful
Florida – Compliment
Georgia – Necessary
Hawaii – Luau
Idaho – Definitely
Illinois – Congratulations
Indiana – Taught
Iowa – Through
Kansas – Different
Kentucky – People
Louisiana – Through
Maine – Pneumonia
Maryland – Character
Massachusetts – Beautiful
Michigan – Scratch
Minnesota – Successful
Mississippi – Beautiful
Missouri – Temperature
Montana – Appreciate
Nebraska – Beautiful
Nevada – School
New Hampshire – Protective
New Jersey – Congratulations
New Mexico – Appreciate
New York – Different
North Carolina – Secret
North Dakota – Daughter
Ohio – Crochet
Oklahoma – Patience
Oregon – Business
Pennsylvania – Scissors
Rhode Island – Cancelled
South Carolina – People
South Dakota – Beautiful
Tennessee – Broccoli
Texas – Protect
Utah – Definitely
Vermont – Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious
Virginia – People
Washington – Appreciation
West Virginia – Beautiful
Wisconsin – Different
Wyoming – Beautiful
Scripps spelling bee celebrates a century of testing young learners
The results of the analysis were released just in time for the 2025 Scripps National Spelling Bee, which itself came just in time to make Americans everywhere feel slightly worse about their own spelling abilities. Faizan Zaki, 13, a student from Allen, Texas, won the competition after correctly spelling the word 'eclaircissement,' which Merriam-Webster defines as 'a clearing up of something obscure.'
He then fell to the floor as confetti rained down upon the stage.
'One thing that differentiates him is he really has a passion for this,' a friend of his told the Associated Press. 'In his free time, when he's not studying for the bee, he's literally looking up archaic, obsolete words that have no chance of being asked.'
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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