diff --git a/nova/compute/api.py b/nova/compute/api.py
index f898acda802c..93696892f1bb 100644
--- a/nova/compute/api.py
+++ b/nova/compute/api.py
@@ -695,10 +695,10 @@ class API(base.Base):
 
         return flavor_defined_bdms
 
-    def _merge_bdms_lists(self, overrideable_mappings, overrider_mappings):
+    def _merge_bdms_lists(self, overridable_mappings, overrider_mappings):
         """Override any block devices from the first list by device name
 
-        :param overridable_mappings: list which items are overriden
+        :param overridable_mappings: list which items are overridden
         :param overrider_mappings: list which items override
 
         :returns: A merged list of bdms
@@ -706,7 +706,7 @@ class API(base.Base):
         device_names = set(bdm['device_name'] for bdm in overrider_mappings
                            if bdm['device_name'])
         return (overrider_mappings +
-                [bdm for bdm in overrideable_mappings
+                [bdm for bdm in overridable_mappings
                  if bdm['device_name'] not in device_names])
 
     def _check_and_transform_bdm(self, context, base_options, instance_type,
diff --git a/nova/compute/resource_tracker.py b/nova/compute/resource_tracker.py
index 4f3ac541e225..eab9215fcebb 100644
--- a/nova/compute/resource_tracker.py
+++ b/nova/compute/resource_tracker.py
@@ -392,7 +392,7 @@ class ResourceTracker(object):
         return self.compute_node is None
 
     def _init_compute_node(self, context, resources):
-        """Initialise the compute node if it does not already exist.
+        """Initialize the compute node if it does not already exist.
 
         The resource tracker will be inoperable if compute_node
         is not defined. The compute_node will remain undefined if
@@ -423,7 +423,7 @@ class ResourceTracker(object):
 
         # there was no local copy and none in the database
         # so we need to create a new compute node. This needs
-        # to be initialised with resource values.
+        # to be initialized with resource values.
         self.compute_node = objects.ComputeNode(context)
         self.compute_node.host = self.host
         self._copy_resources(resources)
@@ -447,7 +447,7 @@ class ResourceTracker(object):
             self.compute_node.pci_device_pools = dev_pools_obj
 
     def _copy_resources(self, resources):
-        """Copy resource values to initialise compute_node and related
+        """Copy resource values to initialize compute_node and related
         data structures.
         """
         # purge old stats and init with anything passed in by the driver
@@ -477,7 +477,7 @@ class ResourceTracker(object):
                                 "error: %(exc)s"),
                             {'mon': monitor, 'exc': exc})
         # TODO(jaypipes): Remove this when compute_node.metrics doesn't need
-        # to be populated as a JSON-ified string.
+        # to be populated as a JSONified string.
         metrics = metrics.to_list()
         if len(metrics):
             metrics_info['nodename'] = nodename
@@ -531,7 +531,7 @@ class ResourceTracker(object):
     @utils.synchronized(COMPUTE_RESOURCE_SEMAPHORE)
     def _update_available_resource(self, context, resources):
 
-        # initialise the compute node object, creating it
+        # initialize the compute node object, creating it
         # if it does not already exist.
         self._init_compute_node(context, resources)
 
diff --git a/nova/conf/compute.py b/nova/conf/compute.py
index 1bb4b25c55d2..3af834941323 100644
--- a/nova/conf/compute.py
+++ b/nova/conf/compute.py
@@ -108,7 +108,7 @@ Possible values:
                help="""
 Amount of memory in MB to reserve for the host so that it is always available
 to host processes. The host resources usage is reported back to the scheduler
-continously from nova-compute running on the compute node. To prevent the host
+continuously from nova-compute running on the compute node. To prevent the host
 memory from being considered as available, this option is used to reserve
 memory for the host.
 
diff --git a/nova/conf/image_file_url.py b/nova/conf/image_file_url.py
index 8dc6a70cad32..76bea929f97c 100644
--- a/nova/conf/image_file_url.py
+++ b/nova/conf/image_file_url.py
@@ -41,7 +41,7 @@ filesystems = cfg.ListOpt(
            'sections'))
 
 # NOTE(jbresnah) because the group under which these options are added is
-# dyncamically determined these options need to stay out of global space
+# dynamically determined these options need to stay out of global space
 # or they will confuse generate_sample.sh
 filesystem_opts = [
      cfg.StrOpt('id',
@@ -78,6 +78,6 @@ def list_opts():
     # list the "filesystem_opts" for the "nova.conf.sample" file here. A
     # follow up patch will deprecate those. Due to their dynamic creation
     # they never got shown in "nova.conf.sample" nor the config reference
-    # manual. I see no need to change this here with a dummy group or somehing
+    # manual. I see no need to change this here with a dummy group or something
     # like that.
     return {image_file_url_group: ALL_OPTS}
diff --git a/nova/conf/network.py b/nova/conf/network.py
index 5e651e7e479a..93bbec5ac6fa 100644
--- a/nova/conf/network.py
+++ b/nova/conf/network.py
@@ -394,7 +394,7 @@ and will be used as DNS servers, too.
 
 Possible values:
 
-    A list of strings, where each string is etiher an IP address or a FQDN.
+    A list of strings, where each string is either an IP address or a FQDN.
 
 * Services that use this:
 
diff --git a/nova/conf/workarounds.py b/nova/conf/workarounds.py
index 44f6792097a1..34f1a4bbeee4 100644
--- a/nova/conf/workarounds.py
+++ b/nova/conf/workarounds.py
@@ -150,7 +150,7 @@ Interdependencies to other options:
 
 * If ``sync_power_state_interval`` is negative and this feature is disabled,
   then instances that get out of sync between the hypervisor and the Nova
-  database will have to be synchonized manually.
+  database will have to be synchronized manually.
 """)
 
 ALL_OPTS = [disable_rootwrap,
diff --git a/nova/console/fake.py b/nova/console/fake.py
index 3c9e998a3aad..c2dd8443740e 100644
--- a/nova/console/fake.py
+++ b/nova/console/fake.py
@@ -44,9 +44,9 @@ class FakeConsoleProxy(object):
         return 5999
 
     def fix_pool_password(self, password):
-        """Trim password to length, and any other massaging."""
+        """Trim password to length, and any other messaging."""
         return password
 
     def fix_console_password(self, password):
-        """Trim password to length, and any other massaging."""
+        """Trim password to length, and any other messaging."""
         return password
diff --git a/nova/console/serial.py b/nova/console/serial.py
index af3abe080184..28a3c7a0c985 100644
--- a/nova/console/serial.py
+++ b/nova/console/serial.py
@@ -31,7 +31,7 @@ SERIAL_LOCK = 'serial-lock'
 
 CONF = nova.conf.CONF
 
-# TODO(sahid): Add a method to initialize ALOCATED_PORTS with the
+# TODO(sahid): Add a method to initialize ALLOCATED_PORTS with the
 # already binded TPC port(s). (cf from danpb: list all running guests and
 # query the XML in libvirt driver to find out the TCP port(s) it uses).