How to spell fluorescent

hear itflu·o·res·cent/,fluə'rɛsənt/adjectiveSchwa and roots

What it means: A type of bright lighting used in many settings.

In a sentence: The fluorescent lights made the classroom bright.

The part people get wrong

Watch for an unstressed vowel that is hard to hear. Often misspelled as florescent or flourescent.

Same family: fluorescence, fluorescent light, fluorescent lamp, fluorescent bulb, fluoresce. If you can spell one, the shared part carries to the others.

Where it comes from: Fluorescent comes from the word fluorescence, which was named after the mineral fluorite, a crystal that glows under ultraviolet light. The modern fluorescent light was developed in the 20th century to produce bright light using less electricity than traditional bulbs.

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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