A new survey has discovered that 'separate' is the most misspelt word in the English language, the Telegraph reports. The word topped the list thanks to people commonly mistaking the first 'a' for an 'e'.

'Definitely' was second in the study of 3,500 Britons by the market research company www.OnePoll.com, followed by 'manoeuvre' and 'embarrass', with 'occurrence' closing the top 5 misspelt words.

Computer spell checks and predictive text messaging have been blamed for making people lazy when it comes to learning correct spellings.

Top 20 misspelt words:

• Separate
• Definitely
• Manoeuvre
• Embarrass
• Occurrence
• Consensus
• Unnecessary
• Acceptable
• Broccoli
• Referred
• Bureaucracy
• Supersede
• Questionnaire
• Connoisseur
• A lot
• Entrepreneur
• Particularly
• Liquify
• Conscience
• Parallel

If you are concerned about spelling, you may find some of these factsheets useful:

• Learning Styles Questionnaire
• What is dyslexia?
• British Dyslexia Association