Spelled or Spelt?
There’s nothing to get wrong when it comes to the past tense of the verb spell. Spelled and spelt are both correct—it’s just that spelled is the preferred spelling in the United States. In other English-speaking countries, both spellings are used.
Are you a fan of irony? If so, you might find a bit of amusement in the following scenario:
A public speaker lectures on the importance of good pronunciation. However, throughout his lecture he says “pro-NOUN-ciation.” Despite providing the audience with a good chuckle, such a gaff might seriously jeopardize his credibility and detract from the main points of his lesson. If you use writing to communicate, you must be careful about spelling. You don’t want to damage your reputation or diminish the impact of your words. Let’s avoid the irony today and decide which is the proper spelling of the past tense form of spell—spelled or spelt.
Spelled or Spelt—Which Is Correct?
An obvious place to start is the dictionary. You will find a few definitions for the verb spell. It can mean “to signify” or “to explain explicitly.” The definition in question is the one that deals with naming, writing, or signing the letters of a word in order. Searching spelled and spelt will yield invaluable information: both of these variants are used as the past tense of the verb to spell. Is this one of those British English versus American English spelling differences?
It’s true; the American English past tense form is spelled. In other varieties of English, both spelled and spelt are common. So, if you’re in the United States, you would probably write it like this:
If you’re anywhere else, you might also write it like that, but you can also do it like this:
Spelled in Phrases
Where you live dictates which form you use for the past tense of the verb spell. But remember, spell has other definitions besides the most common one, and it’s frequently used idiomatically to say that something “spells doom,” “spells trouble,” or “spells ruin.” It’s not the happiest bunch of expressions, but they can be useful. When it comes to using them, spelled may be the preferred choice throughout the world.