Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Synonyms

spelling

American  
[spel-ing] / ˈspɛl ɪŋ /

noun

  • spellings
    plural
  1. An image of the word spelling as defined by the manner in which words are spelled; orthography.

    the manner in which words are spelled; orthography.

  2. a group of letters representing a word.

  3. the act of a speller.


spelling British  
/ ˈspɛlɪŋ /

noun

  1. the act or process of writing words by using the letters conventionally accepted for their formation; orthography

  2. the art or study of orthography

  3. the actual way in which a word is spelt

  4. the ability of a person to spell

    John's spelling is good

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms


Etymology

Origin of spelling

1400–50; late Middle English (gerund); see spell 1, -ing 1


Vocabulary lists containing spelling

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

The 90-second video, uploaded to Instagram by content creator Ed Choi, was shot Sunday at Los Angeles Trade-Technical College, where Raman held a rally spelling out her plan for her first 100 days as mayor.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 6, 2026

Giles Mason, who runs the Take 5 to Stop Fraud campaign at UK Finance which represents the banking and finance industry, said scam emails used to be "riddled with spelling mistakes, poor grammar".

From BBC ● Sep. 18, 2026

A trust gives you more control by spelling out your wishes in detail.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 10, 2026

What remains unclear is whether superstars such as Rahm and Bryson DeChambeau will find that palatable or seek a path back to the PGA Tour—potentially spelling the end for LIV.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 8, 2026

I add, hoping to win a smile for using a spelling word.

From "Muffled" by Jennifer Gennari

Noah Webster, the creator of the first American dictionary of English, championed the spellings “opake,” “soop” and “spunge”—all of which now look like howlers waiting for a red pen.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 14, 2025

His clips use various spellings of his name.

From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2025

The so-called invading force of my generation assimilated to the point where our kids are named Brandon and Ashley in all sorts of spellings.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 13, 2025

And because Jefferson's original moniker was spelled as Megalonyx, any other subsequent spellings of the name, like some that utilize the -onix suffix, are incorrect.

From Science Daily ● Mar. 26, 2024

I have occasionally used modern spellings to clarify the meaning of these personal accounts and recollections.

From "In the Shadow of Liberty" by Kenneth C. Davis

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

Get a word

Vocabulary.com logo
by dictionary.com

Look it up. Learn it forever.

Remember new words for good with VocabTrainer. Expand your vocabulary effortlessly with personalized learning tools that adapt to your goals.

Take me to Vocabulary.com