Spelling.School · How to spell

How to spell determine

What it means: To figure out or decide something.

In a sentence: Let's determine which ice cream flavor is the best! ▶

The part people get wrong

Watch for an unstressed vowel that is hard to hear. Often misspelled as determin or determind.

Same family: determined, determining, determination, determinate, indeterminate. If you can spell one, the shared part carries to the others.

Where it comes from: “Determine” comes from Latin *determinare*, meaning “to set limits” or “to define precisely.” Over time, its meaning shifted from marking boundaries to firmly deciding something, which is why we now use it for making clear decisions or finding exact answers.

Patterns it uses: The unstressed vowel (schwa)

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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