spelling

noun spell·ing \ ˈspe-liŋ \

Definition of spelling

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

See spelling defined for English-language learners

See spelling defined for kids

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 of spelling from the Web

CITY OF MEQUON – Show off your knowledge or admire that of others from the crowd as the Adult Literacy Center (ALC) of Ozaukee County hosts an adult spelling bee.

— geoff bruce, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Adult spelling bee at Rotary Park in Mequon," 25 Aug. 2017
The curriculum also includes a digital writing coach that is much like the spelling and grammar check in Microsoft (msft, -0.49%) Word.

— jonathan vanian, Fortune, "Here’s Amazon’s Plan to Make Students Better Writers," 23 Aug. 2017
Some of those spellings include Shakespear, Shakspere and Shakespeare.

— veronica rocha, latimes.com, "Shakespeare or Shakespear? That is the question surrounding USC's new statue in $700-million USC Village," 23 Aug. 2017
That could mean having a student use their hands when breaking down the phonetic spelling of a word -- using their fingers to form the shape of the word while sounding it out.

— lori higgins, Detroit Free Press, "Vitti: I see myself in Detroit's struggling students," 11 Aug. 2017
Open to all ages with groupings from pre-kindegarten to adult, this year's spelling bee, which was held at the fair on Thursday, July 27, drew a record number of participants, according to organizers.

— aegis staff report, The Aegis, "Library's Literary Spelling Bee winners announced," 3 Aug. 2017
American and British English differ on many levels: spelling, pronunciation, vocabulary, style and grammar.

— The Economist, "Fears of British English’s disappearance are overblown," 20 July 2017
Spelling Bee follows the trajectory of six middle-school spelling champs, vying for the coveted crown that will take them to the national championship in Washington, D.C.

— janice steinhagen, Courant Community, "ECPAA To Present "Spelling Bee" Musical," 19 July 2017
Most cities have snow cones, or snowballs, or snoballs; for some reason shaved ice and poor spelling and grammar seem entwined.

— rick bragg, Southern Living, "From the Magazine's Pages: Summer Snow," 11 July 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'spelling.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of spelling

15th century

Other Grammar and Linguistics Terms

ablaut, allusion, anacoluthon, diacritic, gerund, idiom, infinitive, metaphor, semiotics, simile

SPELLING Defined for Kids

spelling

noun spell·ing \ ˈspe-liŋ \

Definition of spelling for Students

1 :an exercise or the practice of forming words from letters

2 :the letters composing a word

What is the correct spelling of your name?

Learn More about spelling

See words that rhyme with spelling Spanish Central: Translation of spelling Nglish: Translation of spelling for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of spelling for Arabic speakers

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spelling

Definition of spelling

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SPELLING Defined for Kids

spelling

Definition of spelling for Students

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