How to spell control

hear itcon·trol/kən'troʊl/nounLong vowels

What it means: Devices or switches used to operate a machine or vehicle.

In a sentence: The pilot uses controls to fly the airplane smoothly.

The part people get wrong

Often misspelled as controll or contol.

Same family: controls, controlled, controlling, controller, under control. If you can spell one, the shared part carries to the others.

Where it comes from: Control comes from Old French “contrerolle,” meaning a copy of a register used to check accounts. The idea of checking or verifying later grew into our modern sense of guiding or having power over something.

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.

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