Spell or spelt?
spelt is the simple past and past participle of spell. spell is also a noun: “Words or a formula supposed to have magical powers”. In written English (wordfreq, 2021 data) spell is about 15 times as common as spelt.
What is the difference between spell and spelt?
| spell | spelt | |
|---|---|---|
| Part of speech | noun, verb | noun, adjective, verb |
| Meaning | To write or say the letters that form a word or part of a word To put under the influence of a spell; to affect by a spell; to bewitch; to fascinate; to charm Of letters: to compose (a word) To work in place of (someone) | simple past and past participle of spell A grain, considered either a subspecies of wheat, Triticum aestivum subsp. spelta, or a separate species Triticum spelta or Triticum dicoccon ScotlandA thin piece of wood or metal; a splinter Spelter |
| Example | He cast a spell to cure warts | none recorded |
| Forms | spells, spelling, spelled, spelt | none |
| Pronunciation | /spɛl/ | /ˈspɛlt/ |
| In writing | 23 times per million words | 1.5 times per million words |
Sources: spell and spelt in the English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0); written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
Every current meaning of spell and spelt
spell
- 1
Words or a formula supposed to have magical powers
He cast a spell to cure warts
- 2
To put under the influence of a spell; to affect by a spell; to bewitch; to fascinate; to charm
- 3
To write or say the letters that form a word or part of a word
I find it difficult to spell because I'm dyslexic
- 4
To work in place of (someone)
to spell the helmsman
- 5
A shift (of work); (rare) a set of workers responsible for a specific turn of labour
- 6
A splinter, usually of wood; a spelk
- 7
A magical effect or influence induced by an incantation or formula
under a spell
- 8
Of letters: to compose (a word)
The letters “a”, “n” and “d” spell “and”
spelt
- 1
A grain, considered either a subspecies of wheat, Triticum aestivum subsp. spelta, or a separate species Triticum spelta or Triticum dicoccon
- 2
ScotlandA thin piece of wood or metal; a splinter
- 3
Spelter
Source: the English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0); obsolete, archaic, dialect and rare senses left out.
Which is more common, spell or spelt?
spell appears 23 times per million words; spelt 1.5 times per million words.
spell 23 times per million wordsspelt 1.5 times per million words
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).