Spelling.School · How to spell

How to spell independent

Independent is spelled I-N-D-E-P-E-N-D-E-N-T. Every vowel after the P is E: in-de-pend-ENT, ending -DENT.

hear itin·de·pend·ent/,ɪndɪ'pɛndənt/adjectiveSilent and tricky

What it means: Not controlled by outside forces or influences.

In a sentence: The cat felt independent as it explored the garden alone.

The part people get wrong

Watch for an unstressed vowel that is hard to hear.

Same family: depend, dependent, independence, independently, dependence. If you can spell one, the shared part carries to the others.

Where it comes from: Independent comes from Latin roots: the prefix in- meaning 'not' plus dependere meaning 'to hang from' or 'to rely on.' So an 'independent' clause is one that does not 'hang from' another clause and can stand on its own.

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