verb
spell
SPEL/spel/
To write or say the letters of a word in their correct order.
The man spells cat beneath a picture of the animal.
Etymology
Most etymologies trace this verb to French espelir, which covered explaining and reciting as well as spelling out letters. The English sense focuses on stating or writing a word letter by letter.
In context
What are the two ways to spell Jeff, sir? The short way with the J and the stupid way with the G.
More examples
- She spelled her last name slowly.
- He has spelled the address incorrectly.
- They are spelling each word aloud.
Forms
spell · spells · spelled · spelling
spelling noun — The arrangement of letters in a word.
Similar words
- write
- Does not specifically concern the correct letter sequence.
- transcribe
- Means to copy speech or text into written form.