How to spell political

hear itpo·lit·i·cal/pə'lɪtɪkəl/adjectiveLong vowels

What it means: Relating to government, elections, or public affairs.

In a sentence: The school held a fun political election for class president.

The part people get wrong

Watch for an unstressed vowel that is hard to hear. Often misspelled as politial or politacal.

Same family: politics, politician, policy, politically, politicality. If you can spell one, the shared part carries to the others.

Where it comes from: “Political” comes from the Greek word “politikos,” meaning “of citizens or the state,” which is related to “polis,” the ancient Greek word for “city.” Over time, it came to describe anything connected with government, public affairs, or how groups make decisions.

Patterns it uses: The unstressed vowel (schwa)

Try spelling it

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