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Contraversial or controversial?

Did you mean controversial? Here's the right spelling and how to remember it.

Incorrect

contraversial

Correct

controversial

Letter by letter
CorrectWrong

Correct spelling: controversial. Misspelling: contraversial.

letters the misspelling gets wrong or leaves out letters that shouldn't be there

Memory tip

Built on controversy: contro-VER-sial, with an I before the AL.

Why people write “contraversial”

The misspelling “contraversial” is only one letter off: it writes A where controversial has O, an easy slip because in an unstressed syllable both vowels can sound like the same soft "uh".

Spell-checkers catch the mistake in a document, but not in a handwritten note, a text message or a word game. Writing the word out a few times while saying the tricky part aloud is the quickest way to make controversial automatic.

What does “controversial” mean?

controversial adjective

  1. marked by or capable of arousing controversy

    “the issue of the death penalty is highly controversial”

Definitions from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Full dictionary entry

“Controversial” in a sentence

  • The decision was highly controversial.
  • The issue of the death penalty is highly controversial.

Is “controversial” a playable word?

c 3o 1n 1t 1r 1o 1v 4e 1r 1s 1i 1a 1l 1

18 points in Scrabble · 22 in Words With Friends

  • Scrabble (US)
  • Scrabble (UK)
  • Words With Friends

“contraversial” is not accepted in any of these games. See every word you can make from CONTROVERSIAL.

Controversial: quick answers

Is it contraversial or controversial?
The correct spelling is controversial. “contraversial” is a misspelling: it does not appear in standard dictionaries or in the Scrabble and Words With Friends word lists.
How can I remember how to spell controversial?
Built on controversy: contro-VER-sial, with an I before the AL.
What does controversial mean?
Controversial means: marked by or capable of arousing controversy.