spelling

1 of 2

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

spelling

2 of 2

present participle of spell entry 1, spell entry 3, spell entry 5

Examples of spelling in a Sentence

Noun

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

Noun

The Corona Centennial High football team has an interesting blend of players spelling their similar first names differently, leaving coach Matt Logan to be the referee as to which parents got the spelling correct. — Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 4 Oct. 2026

If nothing appears, widen the date range and try former names, a spouse's name or another spelling used on older documents. — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 3 Oct. 2026

Correction This story has been updated to correct the spellings of Jeremiah Floyd and Elijah Redmond. — Chip Saye, AJC.com, 26 Sep. 2026

Ettore is named after Italian-American chef Ettore Boiardi, who used the Americanized phonetic spelling of his last name to create the Chef Boyardee empire. — Angel Saunders, PEOPLE, 23 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

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