Spelling.School · How to spell

How to spell interest

Interest is spelled I-N-T-E-R-E-S-T. It starts with inter, as in internet, then EST: inter + est.

What it means: An activity or hobby that a person enjoys.

In a sentence: Reading books is my favorite interest. ▶

The part people get wrong

Watch for an unstressed vowel that is hard to hear.

Same family: interested, interesting, disinterest, uninterested, interestingly. If you can spell one, the shared part carries to the others.

Where it comes from: “Interest” comes from Latin ‘interesse,’ meaning ‘to be between’ or ‘to be important,’ and later developed the sense of something that matters to you or catches your attention. Over time, English speakers began using it as both a noun and a verb, as in “to interest someone.”

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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