Spelling.School · How to spell

How to spell rebellious

Rebellious is spelled R-E-B-E-L-L-I-O-U-S. The part people get wrong: double L.

hear itre·bel·lious/rɪ'bɛljəs/adjectiveSchwa and roots

What it means: Resisting authority or control.

In a sentence: The rebellious puppy ran away with the sock.

The part people get wrong

Watch for double l, and an unstressed vowel that is hard to hear.

Same family: rebellion, rebelliously, rebelliousness, rebellious-minded, rebelliousness. If you can spell one, the shared part carries to the others.

Where it comes from: Rebellious comes from the noun 'rebel', which traces back to Latin 'rebellare', meaning 'to wage war again' or 'to revolt'. Over time, its meaning softened from literal warfare to describe anyone who strongly resists rules or authority.

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