Spelling.School · How to spell

How to spell terrible

What it means: Very bad or unpleasant.

In a sentence: The storm outside is terrible! ▶

The part people get wrong

Watch for double r, and an unstressed vowel that is hard to hear. Often misspelled as terible or tarrible.

Same family: terribly, terribleness, awful, horrible. If you can spell one, the shared part carries to the others.

Where it comes from: “Terrible” comes from the Latin word “terrere,” meaning “to frighten,” which also gave us the word “terror.” Over time, English speakers began using “terrible” not only for things that cause fear, but also for anything very bad or of poor quality.

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.

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