How to Spell "Appointment" and Related Words Correctly

The correct spelling is A-P-P-O-I-N-T-M-E-N-T

Appointment has two P's, one O, and ends in -ment. The word comes from the verb "appoint," meaning to assign someone to a job or to arrange a meeting at a set time. The most common misspelling is "appointement" (with an E before the final -ment), which is incorrect in English, though it is the correct French spelling.

The double P is easy to miss because you say the word with one clear P sound. But English spelling does not always match pronunciation. The pattern holds for related words: appointment, appoint, appointed, appointing. All keep both P's.

If you are writing about a scheduled meeting or a job assignment, use the two-P spelling. Spell-check will catch "appointement," but it will not catch "appointement" if you are using a French keyboard or autocorrect.

Key Takeaways

• Appointment is spelled with two P's: A-P-P-O-I-N-T-M-E-N-T, not appointement.
• The double P comes from the verb appoint, which also has two P's.
• Related words like appointed, appointing, and appointee all keep both P's.
• The most common error is adding an E before -ment, which is French spelling, not English.
• Spell-check will flag appointement, but may not catch context errors like "I have an appointment" typed as "I have an appointement."

Words that sound similar but are spelled differently

Appoint (the verb) is spelled A-P-P-O-I-N-T. This is the root word. You appoint someone to a role, or you appoint a time for a meeting.

Appointee (a person who is appointed) is spelled A-P-P-O-I-N-T-E-E, with two E's at the end. An appointee is someone who has been chosen for a position.

Appointor (a person who appoints) is spelled A-P-P-O-I-N-T-O-R. This is less common in everyday writing but appears in legal and formal documents.

None of these words use the French spelling with E before the final consonant. English keeps the double P throughout the word family.

Why the double P matters in writing

Spelling errors in appointment-related words stand out because they appear in professional contexts: emails to doctors, confirmation messages from salons, calendar invitations, and business correspondence. A misspelled appointment word can make a message look careless, even if the meaning is clear.

In formal writing—cover letters, business proposals, official requests—correct spelling is expected. Appointment is one of those words that appears often enough that readers notice when it is wrong. If you are booking an appointment by email or filling out a form, use the correct spelling to look professional.

Spell-check tools will flag "appointement," but they may not catch it if your autocorrect is set to a language other than English. If you write in multiple languages, double-check appointment-related words by hand.

How to remember the correct spelling

Think of the word in two parts: ap-point-ment. The first part is "ap," which is a prefix meaning "to" or "toward." The second part is "point," which is a complete word. The third part is "-ment," a suffix that turns verbs into nouns. When you add the prefix "ap" to "point," you get "appoint" with two P's: one from the prefix and one from the root word.

Another way to remember: appointment and disappoint both have double P's. If you can spell disappoint correctly, you can spell appointment the same way—both have the pattern of a prefix plus a root word that starts with P.

Write it out a few times if you are unsure. The double P will become automatic once you have seen it spelled correctly several times in context.

Common contexts where spelling matters

You will see appointment spelled correctly in confirmation emails from medical offices, salons, repair shops, and service providers. These businesses use templates and spell-check, so their spelling is reliable. If you are replying to one of these emails or filling out a booking form, match the spelling you see in their message.

In text messages and casual chat, minor spelling errors are usually forgiven. But in any message to a business, a healthcare provider, or a formal contact, use the correct spelling. It takes one extra second and signals that you are paying attention.

If you are creating a document template—a cancellation policy, a booking confirmation, a calendar invitation—spell appointment correctly from the start. Anyone who copies your template will copy the spelling too.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is appointement ever correct?

No, not in English. Appointement is the correct French spelling, but in English writing, you must use appointment with two P's. If you are writing in French, use appointement. If you are writing in English, use appointment.

What about the word apointment with one P?

That is a misspelling. The correct spelling is appointment with two P's. One P is not correct in any English context. If you see apointment in a document, it is an error.

Do I need to capitalize appointment?

No, unless it starts a sentence or is part of a proper noun (like "Department of Appointments"). In most writing, appointment is lowercase. Capitalize it only by the same rules you would use for any other common noun.

How do I spell appointment in a subject line?

Use the same spelling: A-P-P-O-I-N-T-M-E-N-T. Subject lines follow standard spelling rules. For example: "Appointment Confirmation for Tuesday" or "Reschedule Your Appointment." Capitalize the first letter of the subject line, but spell appointment the same way you would in the body of the email.

What if my phone autocorrect keeps changing appointment?

Add appointment to your phone's dictionary or custom words list. Most phones let you do this by long-pressing the word when autocorrect suggests it, then choosing "Add to Dictionary" or similar. Once it is in your phone's dictionary, autocorrect will stop changing it.