to say, write, or give the letters of a word in their correct order.
"How do you spell your last name?"
The teacher asked Tom to spell the word “elephant” on the board.
✦ Old English “spellian” meaning “tell” or “relate,” later narrowing to “put letters together.”
to mean or have something, often something bad, as a result.
For many small businesses, rising costs could spell disaster.
The sudden drop in sales may spell trouble for the company.
✦ Figurative extension of the ordinary verb sense; first recorded in the 19th century.
to take someone’s place doing a job for a short time so they can rest.
I’ll spell you at the wheel while you grab some sleep.
Could you spell me on the cash register during my break?
✦ Developed in 19th-century American English from the sense ‘turn of work’.
to write or mark the letters that form a word in the wrong order.
I always misspell 'accommodation' on my first try.
The app automatically corrects commonly misspelled words.
✦ From the prefix mis- (“wrongly”) + spell ("to form words with letters").
