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
The word is unrelated to the animal gopher, though the similar spelling often causes confusion.
—
Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 24 July 2025
That’s not a typo: The brand, which is owned by Brown-Forman (parent company of Jack Daniel’s and Woodford Reserve) uses the Scottish style of spelling to pay tribute to founder George Garvin Brown’s family roots.
—Jonah Flicker, Robb Report, 22 July 2025
Students in these grades learn more complex subjects than letter sounds and spelling patterns such as learning prefixes and suffixes of words, root words and origin of language from Latin, Greek and Anglo-Saxon sources.
—Julie Gallant, San Diego Union-Tribune, 16 July 2025
My fingers pushed through the dirt, bare and desperate, searching for the roots, any tiny tendrils spelling life.
—Literary Hub, 10 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for spelling
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 24 July 2025
That’s not a typo: The brand, which is owned by Brown-Forman (parent company of Jack Daniel’s and Woodford Reserve) uses the Scottish style of spelling to pay tribute to founder George Garvin Brown’s family roots.
—Jonah Flicker, Robb Report, 22 July 2025
Students in these grades learn more complex subjects than letter sounds and spelling patterns such as learning prefixes and suffixes of words, root words and origin of language from Latin, Greek and Anglo-Saxon sources.
—Julie Gallant, San Diego Union-Tribune, 16 July 2025
My fingers pushed through the dirt, bare and desperate, searching for the roots, any tiny tendrils spelling life.
—Literary Hub, 10 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for spelling
Cite this Entry
“Spelling.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/spelling. Accessed 3 Aug. 2025.
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