spelling

noun

spell·​ing ˈspe-liŋ 

1

: the forming of words from letters according to accepted usage : orthography

2

a

: a sequence of letters composing a word

b

: the way in which a word is spelled

Examples of spelling in a Sentence

The American spelling is “color” while the British spelling is “colour.”

The words “made” and “maid” sound alike but have different spellings.

Recent Examples on the Web

Google pitched the model as one that can solve complex science and math problems, and address nagging issues — such as generating images and overlaid text with incorrect spelling — that might deter enterprise customers from adopting AI services more widely. —Mark Bergen, Fortune, 25 Nov. 2025

The tweets nailed the voice of this workshop menace, who was full of references, ideas for novels, takes on feminism, new Moleskines, spelling opinions, musings on writing women, and so much more. —Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 21 Nov. 2025

Her research, more broadly, concerns how craftworkers communicated using irregular spellings, mixed alphabets, and unconventional inscriptions. —Maria Mocerino, Interesting Engineering, 16 Nov. 2025

Those lessons can be tough for a person at any age to learn, especially young kids under intense pressure who have tied their entire self-worth to winning a regional spelling contest. —Lauren Giella, MSNBC Newsweek, 15 Nov. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing spelling

• finger spelling
• reformed spelling
• spelling bee
• spelling pronunciation

Rhymes for spelling

• belling
• celling
• dwelling
• fehling
• felling
• gelling
• pelling
• quelling
• selling
• shelling
• smelling
• swelling

Kids Definition

spelling

noun

spell·​ing

ˈspel-iŋ

: the forming of words from letters

also : the letters composing a word