Is spelt a word in american english

Asked by: Miss Brigitte Luettgen IV

Score: 4.3/5
(75 votes)

It’s true; the American English past tense form is spelled. In other varieties of English, both spelled and spelt are common. … The past tense of the verb “spell” can be spelled in two ways.

Is it spelt or spelled in UK?

No need to argue; they’re both allowed! Spelled is by far the most common past tense form in America, and spelt used to be the most common past tense form in Britain and still gives spelled a run for its money. (See how the use of spelled and spelt has changed over time in British books.)

When did spelt become a word?

Both spelled and spelt are old, and examples of each are easily found in historical Google Books searches covering the 17th and 18th centuries. It is true, however, that spelt was ascendant everywhere through most of the 19th century. This ended when Americans permanently settled on spelled around 1900.

Is it spelt correctly or spelled correctly?

Spelt has been the preferred choice in British English for many years, where spelled is also acceptable. Spelled is the preferred choice in American English, where spelt is viewed as a misspelling.

What word is spelled wrong?

Riddle: What word is spelled wrong in the dictionary? Answer: Wrong.

16 related questions found

The English language has a lot of irregular verbs. Irregular verbs are verbs that don’t take on the typical past tense spelling pattern.

Talk is an example of a regular verb. It changes from present to past by adding an “ed” to the end of the word.

• I talk.
• I talked.

Speak is an example of an irregular verb. It completely changes when it forms the past tense.

• I speak.
• I spoke.

Well, the verb to spell is actually an English verb that has both a regular and an irregular form.

• I spell. (Present)
• I spelt. (Past)
• I spelled. (Past)

Both of these forms are correct, but they’re not always interchangeable. Sound confusing? Don’t worry. I’ll explain everything you need to know about spelt vs. spelled below.

What is the Difference Between Spelt and Spelled?

In this post, I will outline the different uses of spelled vs. spelt and when it is correct to use each spelling.

Plus, at the end, I will give you a helpful trick for remembering their different uses.

When to Use Spelt

When should I use spelt? Spelt has been, historically speaking, the preferred past tense spelling of to spell in British English.

• The investigation revealed that Bradbourn’s name was spelt incorrectly on paperwork. –The Guardian

Over the 19th and 20th centuries, spelt was much more commonly seen in British writing than spelled. It wasn’t necessarily considered a mistake to use spelled in Britain, spelt just happened to be the preferred, more common spelling.

This preference seems to be waning, however, as spelled has grown in popularity in Britain in recent years (see below).

This chart is not scientific or exhaustive by any means (it only covers English books), but it is helpful in identifying trends, and the trend is clear. Whether or not spelled is actually used more frequently in British English than the once more popular spelt, we can’t be sure.

But it is clear that the frequency of spelled is on the rise in Great Britain.

Spelt as a noun. Spelt can also be used as a noun. It refers to a type of wheat that was widely cultivated in southwest Asia, the Near East, and Europe during the Bronze Age. In modern day, it is grown chiefly in Europe.

• The spelt buns need little time to rise because spelt grain reacts so swiftly with yeast, so they can be made–unusually for bread–alongside the soup. –The Telegraph

Spelt or Spelled in British English

All of this is to say that both forms (spelt and spelled) are accepted in British English. Most British, Irish, and Australian writers don’t seem to make a distinction between them.

This trend is almost certainly a result of American influence spreading (see below).

When to Use Spelled

When should I use spelled? Spelled is the preferred past tense spelling of to spell in American English.

• Icelanders’ pronunciation of place-names is confounding even when you have the words spelled out on paper. –The New Yorker

This preference in American English has been clear for quite some time.

As you can see, spelled has been the preferred spelling in American English for some time and the gap between the two is quite large.

In fact, spelt is generally considered a misspelling in American English.

If you are a student in America, or ever find yourself writing to an American audience, spelled is the correct choice.

Spelt out or Spelled out?

The most common use of to spell is, of course, to name or write in order the letters constituting a word.

• My name is spelled J-O-H-N.

And, as we learned, spelt is more common in British English, spelled is more common in American English.

What about other meanings or phrases using the word?

The phrase to spell out, to make clear or explicit, usually employs spelled.

• He spelled out the details of his plan.

You can find publications that use spelt out, but they are less frequent.

Similarly, phrases like spelled trouble, spelled disaster, spelled ruin, etc., all use spelled more frequently than spelt—in British and American English.

Trick to Remember the Difference

Still not sure when to use spelled or spelt? Here’s a helpful trick to help you remember.

Spelt is commonly used in British English. Spelt and British both have a letter “T” in them.

Summary

Should I use spelt or spelled? This depends on who your audience is.

Spelt has been the preferred choice in British English for many years, where spelled is also acceptable.

Spelled is the preferred choice in American English, where spelt is viewed as a misspelling.

Британский английский и американский английский: Различия в написании слов

British and American variants of spelling are widely used in various fields. However, language learners should stick to the spelling variant that corresponds to the variant of English that they are studying. Be consistent in your choice: if you write «centre» in one sentence and «center» in another, it might be regarded as a mistake, especially in examination papers. There are certain spelling patterns behind the differences, for example, «our» in British English (colour, humour) and «or» in American English (color, humor). Study the patterns together with the examples; it will help you to avoid mixing British and American spelling forms in your writing.

But the patterns of spelling differences do not apply to all cases. In some cases, they apply only to a few words. For example: BrE defence, licence (noun), pretence; AmE defense, license, pretense. But a lot of such words have the same spelling in BrE and AmE: absence, essence, presence, sentence, fence, hence, pence, since, wince, etc. Also the same spelling in BrE and AmE: suspense, nonsense, immense, intense, dispense, dense, sense, tense, cleanse, rinse, etc.

The chart below provides examples of spelling differences between BrE and AmE. Some derivative words are also given in the chart; some of them are the same in British and American English, others are not. But British spelling variants often exist as secondary spelling variants in American English. You can check and compare British and American spelling and pronunciation in online dictionaries, for example, in Cambridge Advanced Learner’s Dictionary and Merriam-Webster Online.

Британский и американский варианты написания широко используются в различных областях. Однако изучающим английский язык следует придерживаться того варианта написания, который соответствует варианту английского языка, который они изучают. Будьте последовательны в своем выборе: если вы напишете «centre» в одном предложении и «center» в другом, это может рассматриваться как ошибка, особенно в экзаменационных работах. За различиями стоят определенные модели написания, например, «our» в BrE (colour, humour) и «or» в AmE (color, humor). Изучите модели вместе с примерами; это поможет вам избежать смешения британских и американских форм написания в вашей письменной речи.

Но модели различий в написании применимы не ко всем случаям. В некоторых случаях, они применимы только к нескольким словам. Например: BrE defence, licence (сущ.), pretence; AmE defense, license, pretense. Но очень много таких слов имеют одинаковое написание в BrE и AmE: absence, essence, presence, sentence, fence, hence, pence, since, wince и др. Также одинаковое написание в BrE и AmE: suspense, nonsense, immense, intense, dispense, dense, sense, tense, cleanse, rinse и др.

Таблица ниже дает примеры различий между BrE и AmE в написании слов. Некоторые производные слова также даны в таблице; некоторые из них одинаковы в британском и американском английском, другие нет. Но британские варианты написания часто существуют как вторые (не основные) варианты написания в американском английском. Вы можете проверить и сравнить британское и американское написание и произношение в онлайн-словарях, например, Cambridge Advanced Learner’s Dictionary и Merriam-Webster Online.

Note: Differences between BrE and AmE in the use of double consonants before suffixes are described in Double Consonants in the section Writing.

Примечание: Различия между BrE и AmE в употреблении двойных согласных перед суффиксами описаны в статье Double Consonants в разделе Writing.

Note: The following verbs can be regular or irregular in BrE and AmE: burn, dream, kneel, lean, leap, learn, misspell, smell, spell, spill, spoil. Usually, they are regular in American English, i.e., they form the simple past and the past participle by adding the ending ED. (See Note 1 at the end of Irregular Verbs in the section Writing.)

Примечание: Следующие глаголы могут быть правильными или неправильными в британском и американском английском: burn, dream, kneel, lean, leap, learn, misspell, smell, spell, spill, spoil. Обычно, это правильные глаголы в американском английском, т.е. они образуют простое прошедшее время и причастие прошедшего времени, присоединяя окончание ED. (См. Note 1 в конце материала Irregular Verbs в разделе Writing.)