13 Spelling Mistakes Even Smart People Make In Their CVs / Cover Letters

English spelling can be tricky, even for English speakers! English has the capacity to confuse even the smartest of its native speakers - including scientists, engineers, laywers, etc.  especially when it has to be put down on paper. It's not easy to remember all the rules of the English language.  Hence, don't get caught in the trap of these simple grammar mistakes. One little spelling or grammar mistake can ruin an entire CV / resume or cover letter.

So here's a little cheat to help you avoid some common grammar and spelling errors, and make your CV / resume or cover letter clean.
Since these words sound exactly the same, almost everyone has made these mistakes while writing, and spell-check hardly detect them since they are proper words. When you go back to edit, pay special attention to which version of the word you are using.

1.)   IT'S and ITS

"It's" is a contraction of it and is. "Its" is used as the possessive of it.  It's (with an apostrophe) replaces It is or It has. (e.g It's easy to remember!). Its (with no apostrophe) refers to something that belongs to "it". (e.g Its meaning is clear!)

2.)  YOU'RE and YOUR

This is perhaps the most common mistake of all. Heaven knows why. The distinction is really quite simple: You're is used to substitute the words you are. Your is a word you use when referring to something that belongs to the person you're speaking to. "Your purse", "your coat", and so on and not "Your late!" or "Your wrong!"

3.)  THEY'RE, THEIR, and THERE

They're is short for They are, i.e They're is a contraction of "they" and "are" .  Their refers to something that belongs to them, Their is the possessive of they,  And "There" refers to a place. e.g They're going to their house, which is over there.

4.)  TOO, TO and TWO

"Too" means in addition or as well. (John is coming, too). "To" is a preposition that indicates approach and arrival, motion made in the direction of a place or thing. "Two" is the written version of the number 2.

5.)  HERE and HEAR:

"Here" refers to a place. (I am here). "Hear" refers to the act of listening. (I can hear the music).

6.)  LOOSE and LOSE

Loose (with two o's) is the opposite of tight.  Lose is the opposite of find. e.g This one really drives me batty, and when I lose my mind, I often let loose a string of expletives.

7.)  THEN and THAN:

"Then" is used to show chronology. (e.g We went to lunch, then to the movies).  "Than" is used to show comparison. (e.g The rabbit is faster than the turtle.)

8.)  AFFECT and EFFECT:

"Affect" means to influence. (e.g The layoff affected his mood).  "Effect" refers to a result.  (e.g The effect of drinking on the liver is damaging).

9.)  EXCEPT and ACCEPT:

"Except" means to exclude. (e.g Everyone except Terry can come).  "Accept" means to receive.  (e.g I accepted his invitation.)

10.)  EITHER/OR and NEITHER/NOR

Either/or and neither/nor: Remember to always use the parallel conjunction when using either or neither. (e.g. Neither Joe nor Paul are going. Either John or Michael can be a substitute.)

11.)  IRREGARDLESS

Hundreds of people use this word (often with passion), both in speech and writing, every day   but the truth is, it doesn't exist! The real word is regardless.

12. )  ALOT

 If you've ever written this non-word, what you probably meant was either a lot (meaning "many") or allot (to ration or allocate).

13.)  AHOLD

Boy, would I love to get a hold (two words, not one) of the person who decided to just forget the space and make up "ahold new word."

Guilty? Don't sweat it. Its nothing to loose sleep over. Your not to bad. Their are alot of people in the same boat, irregardless of what you may think. Just get ahold of you'reself, take a few mental notes, and move on from here. LOL

Like I said, these little confusions are pretty common. They may not actually bother some interviewers but it is good to get it right.