Spelling.School · How to spell

How to spell personal

What it means: Belonging to or meant for one particular person.

In a sentence: I have a personal diary where I write my thoughts. ▶

The part people get wrong

Watch for an unstressed vowel that is hard to hear. Often misspelled as personel or personnal.

Sounds like, but is not: personnel. Same sound, different spelling and meaning.

Same family: personal (adjective: private; belonging to one person), personally, personality, impersonal, interpersonal. If you can spell one, the shared part carries to the others.

Where it comes from: “Personal” comes from the Latin word “persona,” meaning an actor’s mask or character. Newspapers later used “personal” for short notices about people’s private lives, such as messages, introductions, or small announcements.

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.

Words like this

additional · never · answer · interest · natural · service · determine · political

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