noun

spell

spehl

noun

Words believed to have magical power, or the magical effect they produce.

"The witch cast a spell to turn the prince into a frog."

A short period of time doing a particular activity, or a stretch of a certain kind of weather.

"We had a dry spell that lasted almost a month."

"He took a short spell at the wheel while she rested."

verb

To write or say the letters that make up a word, in the correct order.

"Can you spell your last name for me?"

"She always struggled to spell "necessary" correctly."

To indicate or signal that something is likely to happen.

"The dark clouds spelled trouble for the outdoor wedding."

How to Use Spell

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishA magic charm, the act of writing out a word's letters correctly, or a short stretch of time/activity.

Common mistake

Don't confuse the "cast a spell" sense with "spell a word" — same word, unrelated modern meanings.

Common pairings

cast a spell spell a word correctly a dry spell a spell of bad weather

Word Forms

spelled past tense, spelled past tense, spelt past tense, spelled past tense, spelt past tense, spells plural, spells plural, spells plural, Spells plural, spells singular, spells singular, spells singular

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Fill the Gap

Can you complete this real example?

The witch cast a _____ to turn the prince into a frog.

Etymology

From Old English spell ("story, news, tale"), from Proto-Germanic *spellą. The "magic words" sense and the "write out letters" sense both branched from this old idea of telling or reciting something.

Rhymes for spell

ell hell fell bell cell sell tell well dell yell pell kell

See all rhymes for spell →