Embarass or Embarrass — a Basic Spelling Guide

Have you spelled embarrass as embarass previously? Don’t be embarrassed if you have! It is one challenging English word to spell – but with this article, you’ll learn how to spell embarrass just the right way!

How to Spell Embarrass?

Embarrass means to make someone feel humiliated, awkward, or ashamed either by a situation or particular behavior. When you embarrass someone, you make them feel uncomfortable, disconcerted, or self-conscious.

The word ‘embarrass‘ comes from the French word ‘embarrasser‘, which means to overwhelm with confusion or discomfort. Simply, it means ‘to make someone feel ashamed. ‘ Taking this definition into consideration, ‘embarass‘ and ‘embarras‘ are incorrect spellings because they do not follow the French root of ‘embarrasser‘.

The correct spelling of the word is “E-M-B-A-R-R-A-S-S” with double ‘r’ and double ‘s’. It is a 9-lettered, three-syllable word with six consonants and three vowels. The phonemic pronunciation of embarrass is /ɪmˈbærəs/ with the second syllable stressed as in (em-BAR-rass).

Tips to Remember

The word embarrass is often misspelled even by professional writers. The misspelling is commonly as a result of excluding one ‘r’ or one ‘s,’ as in – embarass or embarras. A simple tip is this: Spell the word embarrass with two ‘r’ and two ‘s.’ Any other spelling asides from this is incorrect and will make your writing look clumsy.

What Part of Speech Is ‘Embarrass?’

Embarrass functions as a verb. It means to make someone feel uncomfortable, shy, or ashamed in a social situation. Synonyms of the word include: humiliate and shame. Embarrass is commonly used in these forms; embarrassed, embarrasses, and embarrassing.

Embarrassing is an adjective that means making one feel nervous, uncomfortable, or ashamed. Synonyms of the word are humiliating and painful. Embarrassed is an adjective – it describes how someone feels.

Examples

• I’m sorry; I didn’t intend to embarrass you.
• I’d advise you to withdraw from the competition before you embarrass yourself.
• You can come with me, but you better not embarrass me.
• David was embarrassed; he had to leave the event.
• The team’s performance was embarrassing.
• It was really embarrassing trying to make the governor notice you.
• Ron was embarrassed when the teacher caught him stealing.
• Dave embarrassed his friend by announcing his age to the class.
• The youths severely embarrassed the politician by exposing his past failures and money laundering activities.
• April was embarrassed to tell her friends about her cheating husband.

To Wrap Up

Some English words can be challenging to spell. One such word is embarrass – often spelled as embarass. How to spell embarrass?

Remember, the word must be spelled with double ‘r’ and double ‘s’. This article has provided you with the proper spelling of the word and examples to help you practice.