Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

spell

/spɛl/

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.37 in modern English

Syllables
spell
IPA
/spɛl/
7
Scrabble Score
5
Letters
1
Syllables
4
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

Words or a formula supposed to have magical powers.

noun

A magical effect or influence induced by an incantation or formula.

noun

Speech, discourse.

Obsolete

verb

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

verb

To hanker or yearn (for something).

British usage; Obsolete; Slang

verb

To write or say the letters that form a word or part of a word.

Intransitive verb; Transitive verb

verb

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

Obsolete; Transitive verb

verb

Of letters: to compose (a word).

Transitive verb

Example Sentences

Etymology

From Middle English spell, spel, from Old English spell (“news, story”), from Proto-Germanic *spellą (“speech, account, tale”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)pel- (“to tell”) or from Proto-Indo-European *bʰel- (“to speak, to sound”) with the s-mobile prefix. Cognate with dialectal German Spill, Icelandic spjall (“discussion, talk”), spjalla (“to discuss, to talk”), guðspjall (“gospel”) and Albanian fjalë (“word”).

Origin

Word Breakdown

  • Root: *(s)pel-, spell, *spellą, *bʰel-, spellen, espeler

Usage

Subject

Wiktionary places this term in Music.

Inflected Forms

spells (plural) spells (present, singular) spelling (participle, present) spelled (participle, past) spelled (past) spelt (UK, participle) spelt (UK, past) spelt (participle, past) spelt (past)

Derived Forms

bespell byspel counterspell enspell Gospel spellbinder spellbinding spellbind spellbound spellbook spellcaster spellcasting

Phrases

binding spell bind spell magic spell money spell staring spell tet spell under a spell how do you spell this word

Synonyms

cantrip incantation chantment charm conjuration craft dwimmer enchantment hex magic magic spell makutu

Rhymes With

well tell hell sell hotel cell fell bell el personnel nfl smell

Questions

How do you pronounce spell?
The recorded pronunciation is /spɛl/.
What does spell mean?
Words or a formula supposed to have magical powers.
Where does spell come from?
It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce spell

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “spell”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/spɛl/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “spell”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “spell” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.