10 Words Ghanaians Keep Spelling Wrong—Are You Guilty Too?

I remember when I first started high school, a teacher spoke about words Ghanaians often struggle to spell correctly. He asked us to spell “receive.” After a few seconds, a debate broke out among the students, one group believed “recieve” was correct, while the rest of us (myself included) stood firm that it was “receive” (which is the accurate spelling). The teacher’s point was proven. Some words are commonly misspelt, largely because of how we pronounce them. So, let’s explore 15 of these words.

1. Angel vs. Angle

Have you ever been complimented with “You’re a beautiful angle?” Or maybe you’ve seen someone on social media being complimented “You are a cute angle?” While the intention is sweet, mixing up “angle” with “angel” can be a bit cringe-worthy. So, why does this happen so often?
The words “angle” and “angel” are homophones, meaning they sound alike, which makes them easy to confuse when spelling. However, they have very different meanings: an “angle” refers to a geometric shape formed by intersecting lines, while an “angel” is a spiritual being often depicted with wings—or a term of endearment for someone special in our lives.

2. Maintenance as Maintainance

Maintenance refers to the act of keeping something in good working order, ensuring it continues to function optimally. The word “maintenance” comes from the verb “maintain,” which means to preserve or keep something in a particular state. Despite this connection, the similar spelling often causes confusion. It’s common to see “maintenance” misspelled as “maintainance.” The correct spelling, however, is M-A-I-N-T-E-N-A-N-C-E. Here is an example: Regular maintenance of your car, such as changing the oil and checking the brakes, can prevent costly repairs down the road.

3. Entrepreneur as Enterpreneur

In business, being an entrepreneur is a big deal. It shows that you are creative, willing to take risks, and ready to challenge the norm. However, many people mistakenly spell it as “enterpreneur” instead of “entrepreneur.” Why does this happen? One reason is that the way we pronounce the word often causes confusion. We tend to say “enter” instead of “entre,” which leads to the misspelling. The word actually comes from the French entreprendre, meaning “to undertake” or “to take on a task.”

4. Compliment vs Complement

Have you ever found yourself wondering whether to use “compliment” or “complement” in a sentence? You’re not alone. The similarity in pronunciation between these two words often leads to confusion. To clarify, “compliment” refers to an expression of praise or admiration. For example, “She received a compliment on her new hairstyle.” On the other hand, “complement” means something that completes or enhances something else. For instance, “The wine complemented the flavours of the meal.” The key to using these words correctly lies in understanding their distinct meanings and paying attention to the context in which they’re used. 

5. I’m vs Am

In informal writing and speech, it’s common to use “I’m” as a contraction of “I am.” For example, “I’m heading to school” is a shortened way of saying “I am heading to school.” However, when used incorrectly, “am” can sound awkward or grammatically wrong. So, what’s the correct usage? “Am” is the first-person singular present tense form of the verb “to be.” While “am” is usually paired with “I” to form a complete sentence, like in “I am going to the movies,” it shouldn’t be used alone. A common mistake is saying “am leaving” instead of “I’m leaving.”

6. Lose vs Loose
With the rise of weight loss trends on social media, one thing that caught my attention is that many Ghanaians confuse “lose” and “loose.” The mix-up happens because the two words sound similar, but they have different meanings. “Lose” refers to not winning or getting rid of something, like losing weight. On the other hand, “loose” means something that is not tight or something that is free, like when your shoelace is loose.  I’m drinking fresh fruit juices from API Juice Ghana to cut down on artificial sugar and lose weight not loose weight.

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7. Pronunciation as Pronounciation

Just like how people spell “maintenance” as “maintainance” because of “maintain,” many mistakenly write “pronunciation” as “pronounciation” due to the word “pronounce.” The error comes from how the word is pronounced, but the correct spelling is “pronunciation.”

·       Pronounce: This is the present tense verb, meaning to say or speak a word aloud. For example, “I pronounce the word clearly.”

·       Pronounced: This is the past tense of "pronounce," referring to something that has already been said. For example, “He pronounced the word correctly.”

·       Pronunciation: This is a noun, referring to the way in which a word is said or spoken. For example,
“Her pronunciation of that word was perfect.”

8. Ghanaian as Ghanain

Yes, even citizens of Ghana sometimes spell their nationality incorrectly. This error arises from the common convention in English, where the suffix “i-a-n” is added to a country’s name to denote nationality. For example, someone from Cameroon is a “Cameroon-ian,” so Ghanaians may assume that since Ghana ends with the letter “a,” they just need to add the letters “i-n.” However, the correct spelling is “Ghanaian,” with the “a-i-n” affix, not just “i-n.”

9. Conscience as Consience

The word “conscience” is often tricky to spell. The main reason for this confusion is the “s-c” sound, which can be hard to write correctly. Many people, myself included, have had trouble with it in the past. A common mistake is leaving out the “c.” This happens because the word doesn’t follow the usual pronunciation rules. Unlike other words with “s-c,” “conscience” sounds different, which leads people to misspell it as “consience.”

10. Separate as Seperate

The word “separate” is another prime example of how pronunciation can lead to spelling errors. When spoken, the word sounds like “sep-uh-rut” [sɛp(ə)rət], with the “a” being silent. This silent “a” often causes people to mistakenly spell “separate” as “seperate.” Since the “a” is not pronounced, many assume it’s not needed in the spelling. However, the correct spelling does include the silent “a.”

English can be tricky. That’s why getting the basics right, like spelling, matters more than we think. From job applications to social media posts, these small mistakes can make a big difference.