Spell Very Common

Spell has 17 different meanings across 3 categories:

Noun · Verb · Proper Noun

Definitions

Noun

a psychological state induced by (or as if induced by) a magical incantation

"The ancient witch cast a spell that left everyone in the room under a trance, unable to move or speak."

enchantment spell trance

a time period for working (after which you will be relieved by someone else)

"it's my go"

"a spell of work"

go spell tour turn

a period of indeterminate length (usually short) marked by some action or condition

"he was here for a little while"

"I need to rest for a piece"

"a spell of good weather"

"a patch of bad weather"

while piece spell patch

a verbal formula believed to have magical force

"he whispered a spell as he moved his hands"

"inscribed around its base is a charm in Balinese"

spell magic spell magical spell charm

Words or a formula supposed to have magical powers.

"The carpenter carefully removed the sharp spell from his finger before bandaging the wound."

A shift (of work); (rare) a set of workers responsible for a specific turn of labour.

A splinter, usually of wood; a spelk.

In plain English: A spell is magic that someone casts to make something happen, but it can also mean a short period of time when you do just one thing without stopping.

"The long summer spell finally ended with heavy rain last night."

Verb

orally recite the letters of or give the spelling of

"How do you spell this word?"

"We had to spell out our names for the police officer"

spell spell out

indicate or signify

"I'm afraid this spells trouble!"

spell import

write or name the letters that comprise the conventionally accepted form of (a word or part of a word)

"He spelled the word wrong in this letter"

spell write

relieve (someone) from work by taking a turn

"She spelled her husband at the wheel"

spell

place under a spell

"The witch cast a dark curse that placed the prince under a powerful sleep-inducing spell until he could be broken free by true love's kiss."

spell

take turns working

"the workers spell every four hours"

spell

To put under the influence of a spell; to affect by a spell; to bewitch; to fascinate; to charm.

"The teacher asked me to spell during her lunch break so she could take a walk outside."

To read (something) as though letter by letter; to peruse slowly or with effort.

To work in place of (someone).

In plain English: To spell is to say each letter of a word out loud, one by one.

"She likes to spend her evenings reading books and learning how to spell difficult words correctly."

Usage: Use "spell" when referring to the act of reading letters aloud one by one, such as spelling out a name for someone who cannot read it. Do not confuse this verb with its noun form meaning magic charms; instead, use synonyms like enchant or bewitch if you intend to describe casting a magical influence on someone.

Proper Noun

A surname.

"The local legend says that Mr. Spell inherited his family fortune from a distant relative who bore the same name."

Example Sentences

"The long summer spell finally ended with heavy rain last night." noun

"She likes to spend her evenings reading books and learning how to spell difficult words correctly." verb

"She likes to spell out her instructions so everyone understands clearly." verb

"The teacher asked each student to spell the difficult word correctly." verb

"I need some time alone to spell out my thoughts before making a decision." verb

Origin

The word "spell" comes from Old English, where it originally meant "news" or "story." Its roots trace back to Proto-Indo-European languages, relating to the act of telling or speaking.

Rhyming Words

ell dell well fell jell pell zell yell nell mell rell cell sell hell kell tell odell adell dwell quell

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