Today's word
Today's word is embarrass.
To make someone feel awkward, self-conscious or ashamed.
“Nothing will embarrass you faster than tripping up the stairs on the first day of school.”
Free · no accounts · classroom-safe
One tricky word a day. Spelled right for good.
Daily Spelling is a free, two-minute spelling practice for students aged 8 and up. Hear the word, have a go, then find out why it's spelled the way it is — at home, or as a quick warm-up at the start of class.
- No sign-up for students
- No ads
- About two minutes
How it works
Three steps. Two minutes. One word you'll never fumble again.
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1
Hear it
Each day's word comes with its pronunciation and a sentence that uses it in context. Listen first — no peeking at the letters.
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2
Spell it
Type your attempt. You'll see which letters landed in the right place, so you can find the tricky bit yourself before the answer appears.
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3
Learn the why
A short note explains where the word came from and why its letters fall the way they do — plus a memory hook for the next time you need it.
Word lists
Tricky words for every grade
Four levels of commonly misspelled words, from third grade up. Each list is about a week's worth of practice: learn one or two a day, then try the Friday test.
Level 1
Grades 3–4
Ages 8–10
- because
- friend
- answer
- February
- library
- beautiful
- surprise
- Wednesday
Level 2
Grades 5–6
Ages 10–12
- necessary
- definitely
- separate
- rhythm
- mischievous
- restaurant
- disappear
- government
Level 3
Grades 7–8
Ages 12–14
- embarrass
- accommodate
- occurrence
- committee
- conscience
- recommend
- privilege
- parliament
Level 4
Grades 9+
Ages 14 and up
- conscientious
- liaison
- millennium
- questionnaire
- bureaucracy
- entrepreneur
- onomatopoeia
- idiosyncrasy
Weekly practice test
The Friday spelling test
This week's seven words, test-style. Listen to each word (or read the clue), type your answer, then mark your paper. Nothing is saved or sent anywhere — it's just for practice, so have as many goes as you like.
No peeking at the archive further down the page — the answers are in it!
Word origins
Why it's spelled that way
English spelling looks random until you see where a word has been. Every Daily Spelling word comes with a short origin note — the history is the hint.
Today's note
Why embarrass has a double r and a double s
- barraItalian: a bar
- imbarazzareItalian: to hinder
- embarrasserFrench: to block
- embarrassEnglish, 1600s
To embarrass someone was originally to block them — to put a bar in their way. The double rr is that bar itself, carried over from the Italian barra. The double ss comes from the French verb embarrasser, which English borrowed in the 1600s. Only later did the meaning drift from blocking someone's path to making them go red.
Memory hook: two red cheeks, two shy smiles — rr and ss.
Don't mix it up with harass, which has only one r. It comes from a different root: Old French harer, to set a dog on someone. Different family, different spelling.
separate
From Latin separare: se- “apart” + parare “to prepare”. That par is the same one in prepare, which is why the middle letter is an a.
rhythm
From Greek rhythmos, “measured flow”. The rh is how Latin wrote an initial Greek rho — and rhyme only gained its h in the 1600s by association with rhythm.
mischievous
Built from mischief (Old French meschief, “misfortune”) plus -ous. No extra i before the ending: it's three syllables, mis·chie·vous.
From the archive
The last seven words
The red letters mark the bit most students get wrong. Cover the word, read the definition, and see how many you can spell.
Level 2
separate
Forming a unit by itself; set or kept apart. As a verb: to move or come apart.
The tricky bit: it's sep-a-rate. There's “a rat” hiding in the middle.
Level 3
occurrence
An incident or event; the fact of something happening.
The tricky bit: double c, double r, and it ends in -ence, not -ance.
Level 2
mischievous
Causing, or showing a fondness for causing, trouble in a playful way.
The tricky bit: no “-ious”. Three syllables: mis·chie·vous.
Level 4
liaison
Communication or cooperation that helps people work closely together; a person who acts as that link.
The tricky bit: an i on each side of the a — l-i-a-i-son.
Level 4
conscientious
Wishing to do what is right, especially to do one's work or duty well and thoroughly.
The tricky bit: start with conscience, then swap the final -ce for -tious.
Level 2
rhythm
A strong, regular, repeated pattern of movement or sound.
The tricky bit: two h's and no vowel but y. Rhythm Helps Your Two Hips Move.
Level 3
accommodate
To provide room or lodging for; to fit in with someone's wishes or needs.
The tricky bit: double c and double m — it's roomy enough to fit both.
For teachers
Made to use in class
Daily Spelling works on a classroom projector, a shared tablet or a student's own device. There's nothing to set up and nothing for students to sign in to. A few ways teachers use it:
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The five-minute warm-up
Put today's word on the board. Read the definition and example aloud, let the class suggest spellings, then use the one-letter hint to reveal it tile by tile.
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Friday practice test
Students take the weekly test on their own device and mark it themselves. Nothing is recorded, so it's low-pressure practice before your real spelling test.
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Word detectives
Use the origin notes to spot roots and prefixes — se- meaning “apart”, ob- turning into oc- — and hunt for other words from the same family.
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Spelling journals
Students copy each word, its memory hook and a sentence of their own into a notebook. By the end of term, they've built a personal dictionary of their trickiest words.
For teachers & parents
Get the word by email, ready for the board.
One short message with the word, how to say it, an example sentence and the story behind its spelling — ready to put up at the start of class or read together over breakfast. One-click unsubscribe in every email.
Students: you don't need to sign up to practice. The daily word is always right here on the website. If you'd like the email, ask a teacher or parent.
Is it really free?
Yes. The daily word, the word lists, the practice test and the email are all free, with no ads and no in-app purchases. Daily Spelling is a small independent project, and the daily word will always stay free.
Who is it for?
Students from about age 8 to 16, and the teachers and parents who help them. The word lists run from Level 1 (grades 3–4) to Level 4 (grades 9 and up), and each daily word is tagged with its level.
Is it safe for school?
Yes. There are no student accounts, no ads, no chat or comments, and students are never asked for personal information. Spelling attempts are checked in the browser and never sent anywhere. The only email address we store is one a teacher or parent chooses to give us.
How are the words chosen?
We pick words that students commonly misspell in their writing and that have an interesting reason behind their spelling. Every definition and origin note is checked against standard dictionaries before it goes up.
American or British spelling?
We use American spelling by default. Most of our words are spelled the same everywhere; when they aren't (think color and colour), we show both and explain where the difference came from.
Can I use it in my classroom?
Please do — that's what it's for. Project the daily word, use the lists for your weekly spelling, and have students take the practice test. If you share our notes publicly, a link back to dailyspelling.site is appreciated.
How do I unsubscribe from the email?
Every email has a one-click unsubscribe link at the bottom. You can also reply “stop” or write to us, and we'll remove you.