Is It Spelt or Spelled? | Spelling, Difference & Examples
Spelt and spelled are two ways of spelling the past tense of the verb “spell,” which means “forming words with the letters in the correct order.” The spelling depends on the type of English you use.
- In British English, “spelled” and “spelt” are both used, but “spelt” is a bit more common.
- In American English, “spelled” is standard.
It’s important to choose one spelling and use it consistently. The QuillBot Grammar Checker can help you with this.
Abdullah spelt/spelled “synecdoche” with ease during the spelling bee competition.
Kimberley accidentally spelt/spelled the author’s name wrong in her essay.
Misspelled or misspelt
Misspelled and misspelt are the negative forms of “spelled” and “spelt” and refer to the act of spelling a word incorrectly. It can also be used as an adjective to describe a word that is spelled incorrectly. The spelling again depends on whether you’re using American or British English.
- In British English, “misspelled” and “misspelt” are both used, but “misspelt” is a bit more common.
- In American English, “misspelled” is standard
I have never misspelt/misspelled “onomatopoeia” before!
Cassandra was embarrassed when she realized she had misspelt/misspelled her friend’s name on a birthday card.
Spell as a regular or irregular verb
Spell can be considered either an irregular verb or a regular verb, depending on the chosen spelling of the past tense verb.
- Verbs that form their past tense by adding “-ed” are regular verbs.
- Verbs that form their past tense in some other way are irregular verbs.
In British English, it’s more common to use the irregular form of verbs that can be either regular or irregular. Other examples of verbs that are both irregular and regular are dreamed or dreamt, kneeled or knelt, burnt or burned, and learnt or learned.
Main differences between American and British English
American and British English are very similar, but there are a few main differences in spelling. Some differences are:
| Difference | Rule | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| -or vs -our | In American English, many Latin-derived words end in -or. | Behavior or behaviour Color or colour Favor or favour Flavor or flavour Favorite or favourite Honor or honour Humor or humour Labor or labour Neighbor or neighbour |
| In British English, these same words end in -our. | ||
| -er vs -re | In American English, some French, Latin, or Greek words end in -er. | Center or centre Fiber or fibre Theater or theatre |
| In British English, these same words end in -re. | ||
| -ize vs -ise | In American English, many Greek-derived words end in -yze or -ize. | Analyze or analyse Organization or organisation Realize or realise Recognize or recognise |
| In British English, these words end in -yse or -ise. | ||
| -ed vs -t | In American English, most verbs are regular and form their past tense with the suffix -ed. | Burned or burnt Dreamed or dreamt Kneeled or knelt Learned or learnt Smelled or smelt Spelled or spelt Spilled or spilt |
| In British English, some of these verbs are irregular and form their past tense with the suffix -t. | ||
| Single vs double consonant | In American English, many words are spelled with a single consonant. | Buses or busses Canceled or cancelled Counselor or counsellor Focused or focussed Labeled or labelled Modeling or modelling Traveling or travelling |
| In British English, these same words are often spelled with a double consonant. | ||
| Dropping vs retaining the “e” | In American English, “e” is often dropped when forming a noun from a verb | Acknowledgment or acknowledgement Aging or ageing Judgment or judgement |
| In British English, the “e” is often retained. | ||
| Different verb and noun spellings | In American English, most words have identical verb and noun spellings. | License or licence Practice or practise |
| In British English, some words have different spellings for the verb and noun forms. | ||
| Other spelling differences | There are many other spelling differences between the two English variants. | Airplane or aeroplane Aluminum or aluminium Check or cheque Cozy or cosy Defense or defence Dependent or dependant Enrollment or enrolment Fulfil or fulfill Gray or grey Jewelry or jewellery Karat or carat Mold or mould Offense or offence Pajamas or pyjamas Program or programme Skeptical or sceptical Tire or tyre |
Other interesting articles
If you want to know more about job applications, research, or idioms, make sure to check out some of our other articles with explanations and examples.
Job applications
Research
Frequently asked questions about spelt or spelled
