Spelling.School · How to spell

How to spell potential

Potential is spelled P-O-T-E-N-T-I-A-L. Start with potent, then add -IAL: the SH sound is spelled TI, as in partial.

What it means: The ability to develop into something in the future.

In a sentence: You have the potential to become anything you want! ▶

The part people get wrong

Watch for an unstressed vowel that is hard to hear.

Same family: potentially, impotent, omnipotent, potency, power (near-synonym in physics contexts). If you can spell one, the shared part carries to the others.

Where it comes from: Potential comes from Latin 'potentialis', from 'potens' meaning 'powerful' or 'able'. In physics, electrical potential keeps that original idea of 'power' by describing the ability to do electrical work, measured in volts.

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

phenomenon · knowledge · phobia · additional · never · little · answer · done

Everyone has words they always get wrong. Spelling.School finds yours, shows you exactly why you miss them, and uses spaced repetition until you spell them right every time. Five minutes a day. Try five words without signing up.