spelt

¹

[spelt]

verb

1. a simple past tense and past participle of spell.

spelt

²

[spelt]

noun

1. one of the earliest cultivated forms of wheat, Triticum aestivum spelta, native to southern Europe and western Asia, used for livestock feed and as a grain for human consumption.

spelt

¹

/ spɛlt /

verb

1. a past tense and past participle of spell 1

spelt

²

/ spɛlt /

noun

1. a species of wheat, Triticum spelta, that was formerly much cultivated and was used to develop present-day cultivated wheats

Word History and Origins

Origin of spelt¹

before 1000; Middle English, Old English from Late Latin spelta, probably from Germanic; compare Old High German spelza ( German Spelt )

Word History and Origins

Origin of spelt¹

Old English; related to Old Saxon spelta, Old High German spelza

Example Sentences

So far, the protesters have not spelt out their demands apart from rallying under the broader anti-corruption call.

From BBC

Wilband presented him with a forged document which contained obvious errors, including the word "father" spelt "farther".

From BBC

A second operation in May last year could have spelt the end of Cilic's career.

From BBC

His team later spelt out explicitly their endorsement and insisted she was staying put in her job.

From BBC

On the wall of the League of Social Democrats office, the Chinese characters for freedom are spelt out with court admission slips.

From BBC

Related Words

• cereal 
• grass 

When To Use

And is spelt in the dictionary?

Spelt is a word. It is the simple past tense and past participle of the verb spell, as in She spelt all the words correctly on the spelling test. Spelt causes some confusion because spelled is also a valid form of the past tense and past participle of spell, as in They spelled the science terms with care to avoid mistakes. Spelled is the more common past tense form of spell.

What's the past tense of spell?

The past tense of spell can be either spelt or spelled, but spelled is much more commonly used.