When is spelt used

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The most common use of to spell is, of course, to name or write in order the letters constituting a word. And, as we learned, spelt is more common in British English, spelled is more common in American English.

The phrase to spell out , to make clear or explicit , usually employs spelled. Similarly, phrases like spelled trouble, spelled disaster, spelled ruin , etc. Spelt is commonly used in British English. Spelt has been the preferred choice in British English for many years, where spelled is also acceptable.

In what way is this a better answer? It seems to contradict other, less prescriptive, answers. Perhaps it's over-prescriptive and 'worse'.

Diana Berman Diana Berman 31 2 2 bronze badges. Hello, Diana. Sadly, if one checks, one finds that these Google 1-grams show a raw 'spelled' v 'spelt' comparison, making no allowance for past simple v past participle usages, or for occurrences of the noun 'spelt'.

And the corresponding admittedly equally unrefined ngrams when one selects Google's 'British English' corpus shows that here too 'spelt' seems on the decline, taking second place after about Mainly a correct British variant.

Marius Hancu Marius Hancu 7, 1 1 gold badge 12 12 silver badges 13 13 bronze badges. Whose votes? Not mine! I was brought up in both England and Australia and during my schooling years it was 'spelt' and should remain as such ie I'm not about to change.

Other such modern variances should remain. I thought of the grain too. Who on Earth are h2g2? I hope you realize 10 votes to 8 cannot be called a decisive victory. Although it adds the nice touch of prefacing its arrogations-disguised-as-recommendations with 'please'. In the United States, stick with spelled. Elsewhere, spelt is an acceptable option. Here are some examples from publications from different English-speaking countries:. Spare a thought for Katerina Johnson-Thompson, who when competing at the highest level of her respected field found her name spelt wrong on her official Rio racing bib.

The US sub-prime mortgage crisis that spelled ruin for thousands and left many homeless is not exactly a catchy subject for a Hollywood movie. Real-time suggestions, wherever you write.