Separate vs. Seperate: What’s the Difference?

Many English learners — and even native speakers — mix up separate and seperate.
They sound almost the same, but only one is correct.

Let’s clear this up once and for all.

Separate: The Correct Spelling

Meaning

“Separate” (pronounced SEP-uh-rayt as a verb or SEP-er-it as an adjective) means to divide, keep apart, or set something aside.

It can be used as a verb, adjective, or noun, depending on the sentence.

Examples of “Separate” (10 total)

1. Please separate the papers into two piles.
2. They decided to separate after ten years of marriage.
3. The teacher asked us to separate into small groups.
4. The twins have separate bedrooms.
5. Let’s keep business and friendship separate.
6. The border separates the two countries.
7. Store your clothes in separate drawers.
8. The two ideas are completely separate.
9. We live in separate houses now.
10. The fence separates the park from the road.

🧠 Tip:
Use separate whenever you mean to divide or keep things apart.

Seperate: The Incorrect Spelling

Meaning

“Seperate” is a common misspelling of separate.
It does not exist in standard English dictionaries and should never be used in formal writing.

Examples

❌ Please seperate the documents.
✅ Please separate the documents.

❌ We sleep in seperate rooms.
✅ We sleep in separate rooms.

🧠 Tip:
If your spellchecker flags “seperate,” it’s because it’s wrong — always change it to separate.

Quick Comparison Table

How to Remember the Correct Spelling

👉 Separate has A RAT in it: sep-A-RAT-e.
Just remember — there’s a rat in separate! 🐀

💡 Memory Trick:

“A rat” helps you remember separate is spelled with a — not e.

Common Forms of “Separate”

Why Writers (and AI) Mix Them Up

Because “separate” sounds like it could have an “e” in the middle, it’s one of the most frequent spelling mistakes online.
Even AI tools sometimes slip up on subtle spelling errors.
That’s why Humanizey helps rewrite and correct AI-generated text, ensuring grammar, tone, and spelling always sound naturally human.

FAQs

1. Is “seperate” ever correct in British English?

No. Seperate is incorrect in all varieties of English.

2. What part of speech is “separate”?

It can be a verb (to divide), an adjective (distinct), or a noun (division).

3. How do you pronounce “separate”?

• Verb: SEP-uh-rayt (three syllables)
• Adjective: SEP-er-it (shorter, two syllables)

4. What’s the noun form of “separate”?

Separation — e.g., The separation of work and home life is important.

Practice: Choose the Correct Word (“Separate” or “Seperate”)

(Answers are listed at the end.)

1. Please ___ the trash into paper and plastic.
2. We live in ___ apartments.
3. The teacher asked students to ___ into teams.
4. Let’s keep our work and friendship ___.
5. They decided to ___ after the argument.
6. The two buildings are ___ by a walkway.
7. I need to ___ the pages before submitting.
8. We have ___ bathrooms in our house.
9. He wants to ___ personal and business accounts.
10. The twins were born in ___ hospitals.

Answers

1. separate
2. separate
3. separate
4. separate
5. separate
6. separated
7. separate
8. separate
9. separate
10. separate