spelt

¹ American  

[spelt] / spɛlt /

verb

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

---

spelt ² American  

[spelt] / spɛlt /

noun

spelts plural

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 British  

/ spɛlt /

verb

1. a past tense and past participle of spell 1

---

spelt ² British  

/ spɛlt /

noun

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

---

Usage

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. 

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• spelts
  plural

Etymology

Origin of spelt

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

Explanation

Some people who are sensitive to wheat can eat baked goods made from spelt flour. Spelt is a grain that's closely related to wheat. Most bagels and breads are made from wheat flour, but some bakers use spelt, a similar, nutty-flavored grain. The word spelt is as ancient as the grain itself, going back to Proto-Indo-European language and the word spel, meaning "to split or break off," possibly because of the way spelt husks split during threshing. Spelt is also the past tense of spell in British English, while in the United States, people tend to go with spelled, unless they're talking about non-wheat bagels.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

spelt

The King spelt out the cornerstones: there had to be support for Nato, "keeping North Americans and Europeans safe from our common adversaries".

From BBC ● Apr. 28, 2026

Although not spelt out precisely during the interview, the implication of Block’s trade rationale is that higher unemployment means economic weakness and this would in turn lead to deteriorating corporate financials.

From MarketWatch ● Apr. 1, 2026

A truck carrying Hatton's yellow three-wheeler car was at the head of the funeral procession, with the name "Ricky" spelt out in flowers.

From Barron's ● Oct. 10, 2025

Absent from the stamps is original member Brian McFadden, who spelt his name Bryan during his time with the band.

From BBC ● Sep. 11, 2025

“Your last letter was not interesting, but very well spelt, which I care more about,” Emma wrote to Lenny.

From "Charles and Emma: The Darwins' Leap of Faith" by Deborah Heiligman

Related Words

• cereal
• grass