Spelling.School · How to spell

How to spell centimeter

Centimeter is spelled C-E-N-T-I-M-E-T-E-R.

hear itcen·ti·me·ter/'sɛntə,mitər/nounHidden vowels

What it means: A metric unit equal to one hundredth of a meter.

In a sentence: The ant is about one centimeter long.

The part people get wrong

Watch for an unstressed vowel that is hard to hear.

Also spelled: centimetre (accepted as correct).

Same family: centi-, millimeter, kilometer, centimeters, metric. If you can spell one, the shared part carries to the others.

Where it comes from: “Centimeter” comes from French and Latin roots: “centi-” means “one hundredth” and “meter” comes from the Greek word for “measure.” In British English, it is usually spelled “centimetre,” following French spelling patterns.

Try spelling it

You will hear the word and a sentence. Type it and press Enter. Then four more words from the same level, so you know where you stand.

Words like this

Everyone has words they always get wrong. Spelling.School finds yours, shows you exactly why you miss them, and uses spaced repetition until you spell them right every time. Five minutes a day. Try five words without signing up.