Embarrass or Embarass: Which One Is Correct? 

If you have ever hesitated between “embarrass” and “embarass,” you are not alone. This is one of those English spelling questions that can cause confusion even for people who use the word regularly. The two forms look almost identical, and when spoken aloud, the difference is impossible to hear. However, only one spelling is correct in standard English.

The correct spelling is “embarrass,” with two r’s and two s’s.

“Embarass” is an incorrect spelling. It is a common misspelling that occurs because English pronunciation does not clearly reveal how many letters should appear in the written word.

This guide explains the difference between embarrass and embarass, including their meanings, pronunciation, grammatical forms, common mistakes, spelling patterns, examples, and related words such as embarrassing, embarrassed, embarrassment, and embarrassing-related misspellings. It also explains why people frequently leave out one of the repeated consonants and provides practical ways to remember the correct spelling.

Whether you are a student, professional writer, English learner, editor, or someone checking a sentence before submitting it, understanding this distinction can help you write more accurately and confidently.

Embarrass or Embarass: Which Is Correct?

The correct spelling is:

“Embarrass”

The incorrect spelling is:

“Embarass”

The key difference is the number of r’s.

Correct: embarrass

Incorrect: embarass

The correct word contains two r’s and two s’s:

e-m-b-a-r-r-a-s-s

The incorrect form “embarass” contains only one r:

e-m-b-a-r-a-s-s

Although “embarass” may appear in informal writing, search queries, social media posts, messages, and user-generated content, it is not the standard English spelling.

For formal writing, academic work, business communication, professional documents, and edited content, use “embarrass.”

What Does Embarrass Mean?

“Embarrass” is a verb that means to make someone feel self-conscious, uncomfortable, ashamed, awkward, or worried about how other people perceive them.

It can also mean to place someone in a difficult or awkward situation.

For example:

• I did not mean to embarrass you.
• His mistake embarrassed him in front of his coworkers.
• Please do not embarrass your friend at the party.
• The unexpected question embarrassed the speaker.
• She felt embarrassed when everyone looked at her.

The word usually describes an emotional or social reaction. Someone may feel embarrassed because of something they said, did, forgot, misunderstood, or experienced publicly.

“Embarrass” can also describe a situation in which someone or something creates difficulty for another person or organization.

For example:

• The financial problems could embarrass the company.
• The public disagreement embarrassed the organization.
• The investigation may embarrass several officials.

The exact meaning depends on context, but the central idea involves creating discomfort, awkwardness, shame, or difficulty.

How Do You Pronounce Embarrass?

“Embarrass” is pronounced with the stress generally falling on the second syllable.

The important point for spelling is that pronunciation does not tell you whether the word has one or two r’s or one or two s’s.

You hear the word as a sequence of sounds, but English spelling preserves letter patterns that may not be obvious from pronunciation alone.

That is why someone may correctly pronounce “embarrass” while accidentally writing “embarass.”

The same problem appears in related words:

• embarrassing
• embarrassed
• embarrassment

All of these forms retain the double r from “embarrass.”

Why Is Embarrass Spelled With Two R’s?

The spelling “embarrass” comes through French, ultimately from a word related to the idea of obstructing, confusing, or putting someone in difficulty.

English has retained the double-r spelling in the modern word.

There is also a useful spelling pattern to notice. The base word is:

embarrass

When you add certain suffixes, the spelling develops from this base rather than being rebuilt according to pronunciation.

For example:

embarrass + ing = embarrassing

embarrass + ed = embarrassed

embarrass + ment = embarrassment

The double r remains an important part of the spelling.

This means that learning the base word “embarrass” correctly makes many related words easier to spell.

Why Do People Write Embarass?

“Embarass” is a very common spelling mistake because the correct word contains repeated consonants that are not obvious when the word is pronounced.

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There are several reasons for this confusion.

Pronunciation Does Not Show the Double R

When people hear “embarrass,” they do not hear two separate r sounds. English pronunciation does not pronounce the spelling as though the speaker were saying “r-r.”

As a result, a writer may remember the sound but not the spelling.

This is a classic example of why English spelling cannot always be predicted from pronunciation.

The Word Looks Unusual

The sequence “rr” followed later by “ss” can look visually complicated.

A writer who remembers the general appearance of the word may accidentally simplify it to:

embarass

instead of:

embarrass

English Has Many Inconsistent Spelling Patterns

English contains words with doubled consonants, silent letters, historical spellings, and irregular relationships between sounds and letters.

Because of this, writers often rely on memory rather than pronunciation.

“Embarrass” is particularly easy to misspell because the repeated letters do not create an obvious difference when the word is spoken.

Related Words Can Cause Additional Confusion

People sometimes learn “embarrassed” or “embarrassing” before they fully understand the base verb “embarrass.”

That can lead to forms such as:

• embarassed
• embarrased
• embarrasing
• embarrasment

These errors are understandable, but they are still incorrect in standard English.

Embarrass vs. Embarass at a Glance

The distinction is simple:

Spelling	Correct?	Explanation
embarrass	Yes	Standard English spelling
embarass	No	Missing one r
embarrassed	Yes	Correct past-tense form
embarassed	No	Missing one r
embarrassed	Yes	Correct spelling
embarrasing	No	Missing one s
embarrassing	Yes	Correct spelling
embarrasment	No	Missing one s
embarrassment	Yes	Correct noun form

The most important rule is this:

Remember “embarrass” with double r and double s.

The Correct Spelling: Embarrass

The correct spelling contains:

• e
• m
• b
• a
• r
• r
• a
• s
• s

Written together:

embarrass

A useful visual memory pattern is:

EM + B + ARR + ASS

The middle has “rr,” and the ending has “ss.”

You can think of it as:

embarr + ass

Although breaking the word into meaningful linguistic parts is not necessary, visually grouping the repeated letters can help you remember them.

The Incorrect Spelling: Embarass

“Embarass” contains only one r.

That makes it incorrect:

e-m-b-a-r-a-s-s

The missing r is the main spelling problem.

If you are writing an important email, essay, article, report, application, or professional document, avoid this form.

A spell-checker may catch it, but relying entirely on automated correction is not ideal. Learning the correct spelling allows you to recognize the mistake before a tool points it out.

Embarrass in a Sentence

The verb “embarrass” can be used in several different sentence structures.

Here are some examples:

1. I did not want to embarrass my brother.
2. Please do not embarrass me in front of my friends.
3. The mistake could embarrass the entire team.
4. She tried not to embarrass her colleague.
5. His unexpected comment embarrassed everyone.
6. The teacher did not intend to embarrass the student.
7. That story always seems to embarrass him.
8. The incident may embarrass the company.
9. I would never intentionally embarrass someone.
10. The question embarrassed the candidate.

In each example, “embarrass” or its grammatical form refers to causing discomfort, awkwardness, shame, or difficulty.

Embarrass as a Verb

“Embarrass” is primarily a transitive verb when it means to cause someone to feel embarrassed.

For example:

“She embarrassed him.”

Here:

• “she” is the subject,
• “embarrassed” is the verb,
• “him” is the object.

Another example:

“The joke embarrassed the speaker.”

The joke caused the speaker to feel uncomfortable or self-conscious.

The verb can also appear after auxiliary verbs:

• I might embarrass him.
• You could embarrass yourself.
• They may embarrass the organization.
• We should not embarrass our guests.

Embarrassed: The Past-Tense Form

“Embarrassed” is the correct past-tense and past-participle form of “embarrass.”

Correct:

“I embarrassed myself during the presentation.”

Incorrect:

“I embarassed myself during the presentation.”

The incorrect version removes one of the r’s.

The spelling pattern is:

embarrass → embarrassed

The final “s” changes as part of the normal suffixing process, but the double r remains.

The word “embarrassed” is also frequently used as an adjective.

For example:

• I felt embarrassed.
• She looked embarrassed.
• He was embarrassed by the mistake.
• They were embarrassed when they realized what happened.

Embarrassing: The Present-Participle Form

The correct spelling is “embarrassing.”

It contains two r’s and two s’s before the “ing” ending:

embarrassing

A common mistake is:

embarrasing

The incorrect version has only one s.

Correct:

“That was an embarrassing mistake.”

Incorrect:

“That was an embarrasing mistake.”

The reason this mistake occurs is that writers may remember the double r but forget that “embarrass” also ends in double s.

A useful strategy is to start with the base word:

embarrass

Then add “-ing”:

embarrassing

This makes the spelling easier to remember.

Embarrassment: The Noun Form

The correct noun is “embarrassment.”

It means the feeling or state of being embarrassed, or an experience that causes embarrassment.

For example:

• She could not hide her embarrassment.
• His embarrassment was obvious.
• The situation caused considerable embarrassment.
• I tried to save him from further embarrassment.
• Everyone could see her embarrassment.

A common misspelling is “embarrasment.”

Correct:

embarrassment

Incorrect:

embarrasment

The incorrect form has only one s before “ment.”

Again, starting from the base word helps:

embarrass → embarrassment

The double r and the relevant double-s spelling are retained in the standard form.

Common Misspellings of Embarrass

“Embarrass” has several common misspelled forms. Some are caused by removing one r, while others involve changing the number of s’s.

Common examples include:

• embarass
• embarres
• embarras
• embarrase
• embarrasss
• embarrassd
• embarrased
• embarassed
• embarrasing
• embarrasment
• embarrasssed
• embarrasess

These forms may appear in informal writing, search queries, comments, messages, or user-generated content. Their appearance does not make them standard spellings.

When checking whether a word is correct, it is important to distinguish between a search term that people use and the spelling accepted in standard English.

Embarras vs. Embarrass

“Embarras” is not the standard spelling of the English verb “embarrass.”

The final double s matters.

Correct:

embarrass

Incorrect:

embarras

For example:

Correct: “I did not mean to embarrass her.”

Incorrect: “I did not mean to embarras her.”

The missing final s changes the spelling of the word.

Embarrase vs. Embarrass

“Embarrase” is another common misspelling.

Correct:

embarrass

Incorrect:

embarrase

The incorrect version ends with a single s and an e.

This may happen because English has many verbs that end in “-e,” such as:

Also Read: Until or Untill: Which Spelling Is Correct?

• advise
• surprise
• release
• organize

However, “embarrass” does not follow that pattern.

It ends in “-ass.”

Embarrasss: Too Many S’s

Another possible mistake is “embarrasss.”

This spelling contains three s’s at the end.

Correct:

embarrass

Incorrect:

embarrasss

The correct word has exactly two s’s at the end.

This type of error is less common than “embarass,” but it can happen when someone knows that the word contains repeated letters but is unsure exactly how many.

The safest approach is to memorize the base spelling rather than trying to reconstruct it every time.

Embarrased vs. Embarrassed

One of the most common related spelling mistakes is:

embarrased

The correct spelling is:

embarrassed

The incorrect form is missing one r.

Compare them:

Incorrect: embarrased

Correct: embarrassed

The pronunciation is almost identical, so this mistake is easy to make.

The same principle applies to the base verb:

Incorrect: embarass

Correct: embarrass

If you remember the double r in the base word, you are much less likely to omit it in “embarrassed.”

Embarassed vs. Embarrassed

“Embarassed” is another common misspelling.

It has only one r in the middle.

Incorrect:

embarassed

Correct:

embarrassed

The correct word contains two r’s.

A quick spelling check is to look at the first part:

embarr…

If you see only “embar…,” you know that one r is missing.

Embarrasing vs. Embarrassing

The difference here is the number of s’s.

Incorrect:

embarrasing

Correct:

embarrassing

The correct form contains “ss” before “ing.”

Compare:

embarra + sing

versus:

embarra + ssing

The second is correct.

Because the two s’s are not pronounced as two separate sounds, writers frequently leave one out.

Embarrasment vs. Embarrassment

The correct spelling is:

embarrassment

The common incorrect form is:

embarrasment

The difference is another missing s.

Correct:

embarrassment

Incorrect:

embarrasment

When spelling the noun, it helps to remember that it comes from “embarrass.”

embarrass → embarrassment

Embarrasssed: An Extra-Letter Mistake

“Embarrasssed” contains too many s’s.

The standard spelling is:

embarrassed

The incorrect form:

embarrasssed

has three s’s in the relevant sequence.

This demonstrates why counting repeated letters can be difficult in English.

A good proofreading habit is to learn the complete spelling visually instead of counting letters each time.

Why Double Letters Cause So Many Spelling Errors

Repeated letters are a major source of English spelling mistakes.

Words such as:

• accommodate
• necessary
• occurrence
• recommend
• embarrass

can be difficult because their pronunciation does not always clearly indicate how many consonants are written.

In “embarrass,” both the r and s are doubled.

That creates a memorable pattern:

RR + SS

The word therefore has two sets of repeated consonants.

This is one reason it is useful to memorize “embarrass” as a spelling unit rather than relying entirely on pronunciation.

A Simple Memory Trick for Embarrass

One of the easiest ways to remember the spelling is:

“Embarrass has two r’s and two s’s.”

Think:

RR + SS

You can also remember:

“I am embarrassed by two R’s and two S’s.”

This sentence creates a mental association between the word and its spelling.

Another technique is to write the base word several times:

embarrass
embarrass
embarrass

Then write its related forms:

embarrassed
embarrassing
embarrassment

Seeing the common spelling pattern makes it easier to reproduce correctly later.

Embarrass and Its Word Family

Learning related words together is often more effective than memorizing isolated spellings.

The main word family includes:

• embarrass
• embarrasses
• embarrassed
• embarrassing
• embarrassment

These words share the same spelling foundation.

Embarrass

The base verb:

“I do not want to embarrass you.”

Embarrasses

The third-person singular present form:

“He embarrasses his sister whenever they meet.”

Notice that the base word already ends in “ss,” and the grammatical ending creates another s.

Embarrassed

The past tense:

“She embarrassed herself during the interview.”

Embarrassing

The present participle or adjective:

“That was an embarrassing moment.”

Embarrassment

The noun:

“He tried to hide his embarrassment.”

Learning the family together makes spelling patterns easier to recognize.

Common Spelling Differences to Watch For

The “embarrass” problem belongs to a broader category of English spelling mistakes involving repeated letters.

Double Consonants

Some words require double consonants:

• address
• necessary
• occasion
• successful
• embarrass

Writers may accidentally remove one letter.

Single vs. Double S

Words can also be confused because of repeated s’s.

For “embarrass,” remember:

embarrass

not:

embaras

not:

embaras

and not:

embarrasss

The standard spelling uses two final s’s.

Single vs. Double R

The most important difference between “embarrass” and “embarass” is the r.

Correct:

embarrass

Incorrect:

embarass

When proofreading, look specifically at the middle of the word.

Embarrass in American English

“Embarrass” is the standard spelling used in American English.

The word is also standard in other major varieties of English, including British English. Unlike some words that have different American and British spellings, “embarrass” does not normally change spelling based on the variety of English.

For a US audience, therefore, “embarrass” is the appropriate standard spelling.

The same applies to its major related forms:

• embarrassed
• embarrassing
• embarrassment

American writers should use these forms in school assignments, professional documents, business writing, websites, reports, and formal correspondence.

Embarrass vs. Embarass in Formal Writing

If you are writing for a professional audience, spelling accuracy matters.

A single spelling error rarely changes the meaning of a sentence, but repeated errors can affect how readers perceive the quality and credibility of a piece of writing.

For example:

“I did not mean to embarass you.”

should be corrected to:

“I did not mean to embarrass you.”

Similarly:

“That was an embarrasing situation.”

should be:

“That was an embarrassing situation.”

And:

“She tried to hide her embarrasment.”

should be:

“She tried to hide her embarrassment.”

Correct spelling makes writing easier to read and demonstrates attention to detail.

Examples of Correct Usage

Here are additional examples showing different grammatical uses.

Everyday Conversation

“I hope I did not embarrass you.”

“She gets embarrassed very easily.”

“His joke was embarrassing.”

“I could feel my embarrassment growing.”

School and Education

“The student was embarrassed after giving the wrong answer.”

“The teacher did not intend to embarrass anyone.”

“Making a mistake in class is not necessarily embarrassing.”

Workplace Communication

“The presentation was professional, so there was nothing to embarrass the team.”

“The unexpected announcement embarrassed the company.”

“Employees should avoid embarrassing colleagues in public.”

Social Situations

“She was embarrassed when everyone started singing.”

“He did not want to embarrass his friend.”

“The situation became increasingly embarrassing.”

Personal Experiences

“I was embarrassed when I forgot her name.”

“That memory still causes some embarrassment.”

“I never intended to embarrass my parents.”

Incorrect Examples and Corrections

Understanding mistakes can make the correct spelling easier to remember.

Incorrect: “I did not mean to embarass you.”

Correct: “I did not mean to embarrass you.”

Incorrect: “That was an embarasing mistake.”

Correct: “That was an embarrassing mistake.”

Incorrect: “He looked embarrased.”

Correct: “He looked embarrassed.”

Incorrect: “She felt a lot of embarrasment.”

Correct: “She felt a lot of embarrassment.”

Incorrect: “The incident embarrased the company.”

Correct: “The incident embarrassed the company.”

Incorrect: “I hope this does not embarrasss you.”

Correct: “I hope this does not embarrass you.”

Incorrect: “The situation was embarrasssed.”

Correct: “The situation was embarrassing.”

The pattern is consistent: use the established spelling of the word rather than trying to reproduce it from sound.

Is Embarass Ever Correct?

In standard modern English, “embarass” is not the correct spelling of the verb meaning to make someone feel awkward, ashamed, or uncomfortable.

If you are writing an ordinary English sentence, use “embarrass.”

There may be contexts in which unusual spellings appear as names, usernames, quotations, historical forms, or intentional stylizations. Such special cases do not change the standard spelling of the English word.

For normal writing, “embarrass” is the correct choice.

Why Spell-Checkers May Not Be Enough

Modern word processors and browsers often identify “embarass” as a spelling error. That is useful, but writers should not depend entirely on automated correction.

Spell-checkers can miss errors when:

• the incorrect word resembles another valid word,
• autocorrect changes the word incorrectly,
• the error occurs in a specialized context,
• a document contains multiple spelling variants,
• the writer ignores the correction.

Understanding the spelling yourself is more reliable than depending entirely on software.

A useful proofreading habit is to search your draft for “embarass” before publishing or submitting it.

Search Intent Behind Embarrass vs. Embarass

People who search for “embarrass or embarass” are usually trying to answer a straightforward spelling question.

Their intent may include:

• finding the correct spelling,
• checking a school assignment,
• proofreading an email,
• improving English vocabulary,
• understanding why the word has double letters,
• checking “embarrassed” or “embarrassing,”
• learning the pronunciation,
• distinguishing similar-looking forms.

The best answer should therefore be direct first and explanatory second.

The key answer is simple:

“Embarrass” is correct. “Embarass” is incorrect.

The rest of the explanation helps readers understand and remember why.

How to Avoid the Mistake in the Future

The easiest method is to memorize the word as:

embarrass

with:

two R’s + two S’s.

When using related forms, keep the base spelling in mind:

embarrass
embarrassed
embarrassing
embarrassment

If you are unsure while writing, pause and inspect the word visually.

Ask yourself:

“Does embarrass have two r’s?”

Yes.

“Does embarrass have two s’s?”

Yes.

That quick check is usually enough.

A Quick Proofreading Strategy

When proofreading, focus on the repeated-letter portion rather than reading the entire word as one unit.

For example:

em-b-a-rr-a-ss

The important sequence is:

rr

and:

ss

Then compare related forms:

embarrass
embarrassed
embarrassing
embarrassment

This approach is especially useful for English learners because it transforms an apparently complicated word into a predictable visual pattern.

Embarrass vs. Embarrassed vs. Embarrassing

These three forms are related but have different grammatical functions.

“Embarrass” is the base verb.

Example:

“Do not embarrass your friend.”

“Embarrassed” usually describes someone who has experienced embarrassment.

Example:

“She felt embarrassed.”

“Embarrassing” usually describes something that causes embarrassment.

Example:

“That was an embarrassing mistake.”

This distinction is important because learners sometimes confuse the meanings as well as the spellings.

A useful rule is:

A person is usually embarrassed.

A situation or event is usually embarrassing.

For example:

“I was embarrassed by the mistake.”

“The mistake was embarrassing.”

Embarrassment as a Feeling or Experience

“Embarrassment” is a noun describing the emotional state or the experience itself.

Compare:

“I felt embarrassed.”

This describes a person’s emotional condition.

“She experienced embarrassment.”

This uses the noun form.

“The situation caused embarrassment.”

Again, the noun describes the resulting feeling or difficult social experience.

Understanding these grammatical differences makes it easier to choose the correct form when writing.

Common Questions About the Spelling

Is “embarrass” spelled with one r or two?

It is spelled with two r’s.

Correct: embarrass.

Incorrect: embarass.

Does embarrass have two s’s?

Yes. The correct spelling ends with two s’s.

embarrass

Is “embarass” a word?

“Embarass” is a common misspelling, but it is not the standard spelling of the English verb “embarrass.”

How do you spell embarrassed?

The correct spelling is:

embarrassed

It contains two r’s and the standard double-s pattern from the base word.

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How do you spell embarrassing?

The correct spelling is:

embarrassing

It retains the double r and double s from the base word.

Is embarrassment spelled with one or two s’s?

The standard spelling is “embarrassment,” with the relevant double-s spelling retained from “embarrass.”

Five Useful FAQs

FAQ 1: Can “embarrass” be used for things as well as people?

Yes. Although “embarrass” is commonly used when a person causes another person to feel uncomfortable or ashamed, it can also describe an event, action, decision, or circumstance that creates difficulty or reputational discomfort for an organization or group.

For example:

“The controversy embarrassed the organization.”

FAQ 2: What is the opposite of embarrass?

Depending on the context, possible opposites include reassure, comfort, encourage, praise, support, or reassure someone.

The exact opposite depends on what “embarrass” means in the sentence. If it means making someone feel ashamed, comforting or reassuring that person may provide the opposite effect.

FAQ 3: Is embarrass a regular English verb?

Yes. It follows ordinary English verb patterns in its major forms:

embarrass
embarrasses
embarrassed
embarrassing

The spelling of the base word is especially important because the repeated consonants carry through several related forms.

FAQ 4: Can embarrassment be used in a positive context?

Usually, “embarrassment” describes an uncomfortable or unpleasant experience, so it is generally negative. However, people sometimes use the word humorously when discussing harmless awkward moments.

For example:

“My childhood embarrassment is now one of my favorite memories.”

The word still refers to an uncomfortable feeling, but the speaker’s attitude toward the experience can be positive or humorous.

FAQ 5: Why does English keep spellings that are difficult to pronounce from the spelling?

English spelling developed from several linguistic influences, including Old English, French, Latin, Greek, and other languages. Historical spelling conventions can remain even when pronunciation changes over time.

As a result, English often cannot be spelled accurately simply by writing down the sounds you hear. Words such as “embarrass” demonstrate why visual spelling patterns and word families are useful for learners.

Final Verdict: Embarrass Is Correct

The answer is straightforward:

“Embarrass” is the correct spelling.

“Embarass” is incorrect.

The correct word contains two r’s and two s’s:

embarrass

The same spelling foundation appears in related forms such as:

• embarrassed
• embarrassing
• embarrassment
• embarrasses

Common misspellings include “embarass,” “embarrased,” “embarassed,” “embarrasing,” and “embarrasment.”

The reason these mistakes are so common is understandable: pronunciation does not clearly reveal the repeated letters. English spelling also contains many historical and irregular patterns, so writers often have to memorize certain spellings rather than derive them entirely from sound.

The most useful memory rule is simple:

Embarrass = double R + double S.

Once you remember that pattern, the entire word family becomes much easier to spell correctly.

For US English writing, professional communication, academic work, and everyday standard usage, choose “embarrass” whenever you mean to make someone feel awkward, self-conscious, ashamed, or uncomfortable.

If you remember only one thing from this guide, remember this:

Correct: embarrass

Incorrect: embarass