misspell

American  

[mis-spel] / mɪsˈspɛl /

verb (used with or without object)

misspelled, misspelt, misspelling

1. to spell incorrectly.

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misspell British  

/ ˌmɪsˈspɛl /

verb

1. to spell (a word or words) wrongly

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Etymology

Origin of misspell

First recorded in 1645–55; mis- ¹ + spell ¹

Explanation

When you misspell something, you spell it worng. Whoops. Sorry about that — When you misspell something, you spell it wrong. When you have the letters in the wrong order or you don't have the right letters, you misspell. How humiliating it would be to misspell this word! Just remember that you need two s's — the one in mis- (as in mistake or mishandle), meaning to do something the wrong way, and the s in spell.

Example Sentences

Toczylowski said federal agents sometimes misspell the name of the person they are booking into custody.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 22, 2025

He added that "typo-squatting" - a type of cyber-crime that targets users who incorrectly misspell an internet domain - is common.

From BBC • Jul. 17, 2023

Among the words Ms. Bolden spelled correctly were prejudice, persevere, misspell and embarrass.

From New York Times • Jun. 1, 2023

In a group called Healthcare Heroes for Personal Choice, an administrator instructed people to remove or misspell buzzwords and to avoid using the syringe emoji.

From Seattle Times • Sep. 28, 2021

Never in my life have I known Metias to misspell anything.

From "Legend" by Marie Lu