spell
Base form
spell
/spel/
Past simple
spelt / spelled
/spelt/ /speld/
Past participle
spelt / spelled
/spelt/ /speld/
MeaningA1
to say or write the letters of a word in the right order
a spelling bee
In use
- Question · Form 1How do you spell your surname?
- Imperative · Form 1Spell the word out loud, letter by letter.
- Past simple · Form 2Yesterday the teacher spelt my name wrong on the certificate.
- Past simple · Form 2Last week Priya spelt ‘necessary’ correctly for the first time.
- Present perfect · Form 3You’ve spelt my name with two n’s again!
- Passive · Form 3Her name was spelt wrong on the plane ticket.
Watch out
Spelt and spelled are both right; spelt is mostly British. Speled loses an l, and spelted is wrong.
Same pattern
A — B — BForms two and three are the same
Irregular VerbsLearn all three forms for good
Short lessons by frequency or by pattern, audio for every form and daily reviews that bring back exactly the verbs you are about to forget.
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