spill
Base form
spill
/spɪl/
Past simple
spilled / spiltspilled
/spɪld/ /spɪlt//spɪld/
Past participle
spilled / spiltspilled
/spɪld/ /spɪlt//spɪld/
MeaningB2
to let liquid flow out of a container by accident
to spill the beans
In use
- Negative · Form 1Careful, don’t spill your coffee on the laptop!
- Question · Form 1Did you spill something on the stairs?
- Past simple · Form 2Yesterday I spilt orange juice all over my homework.Yesterday I spilled orange juice all over my homework.
- Past simple · Form 2Last night the waiter spilt soup on my jacket.Last night the waiter spilled soup on my jacket.
- Present perfect · Form 3Oh no, someone has spilt paint on the new carpet!Oh no, someone has spilled paint on the new carpet!
- Passive · Form 3Thousands of litres of oil were spilt into the sea.Thousands of litres of oil were spilled into the sea.
Watch out
Spilled and spilt are both right; spilt is more British: don’t cry over spilt milk. Spiled and spillt are wrong.
Same pattern
A — B — BForms two and three are the same
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