spell

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spell^¹

/spɛl/

Rhymes with -ɛl

Where it comes from

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”).

noun spells

Words or a formula supposed to have magical powers. He cast a spell to cure warts.
Similar: cantrip, incantation, chantment, charm, conjuration, craft, dwimmer, enchantment, hex, magic, magic spell, makutu
A magical effect or influence induced by an incantation or formula. under a spell
Similar: cantrip, curse
obsolete Speech, discourse.

verb spells · spelling · spelled

To put under the influence of a spell; to affect by a spell; to bewitch; to fascinate; to charm. Vnchaine your spirits now with spelling Charmes,
Similar: bespell, enspell, spellbind, bechat, becry, beglammer, bewitch, conjure, enchant, englamour, ensorcell, forspeak
UK, obsolete, slang To hanker or yearn (for something). "I have not got a coal ticket with me." "I am sorry you should think I was 'spelling' for a coal ticket," he interrupted; "if such an idea had occurred to me, I should have asked for it straightforwardly."

spell^²

/spɛl/

Rhymes with -ɛl

Where it comes from

From Middle English spellen, from Anglo-Norman espeler, espeleir, Old French espeller, espeler (compare Modern French épeler), from Frankish *spelōn, merged with native Old English spellian (“to tell, speak”), both eventually from Proto-Germanic *spellōną (“to speak”). Related with etymology 1. The sense “indicate a future event” probably in part a backformation from forespell (literally “to tell in advance”).

verb spells · spelling · spelled · spelt

intransitive, sometimes, transitive, with “out” To write or say the letters that form a word or part of a word. I find it difficult to spell because I'm dyslexic.
obsolete, transitive To read (something) as though letter by letter; to peruse slowly or with effort. "He'll do," said Bildad, eyeing me, and then went on spelling away at his book in a mumbling tone quite audible.
transitive Of letters: to compose (a word). The letters “a”, “n” and “d” spell “and”.
Similar: comprise
figuratively, transitive, with “out” To clarify; to explain in detail. Please spell it out for me.
transitive To indicate that (some event) will occur; typically followed by a single-word noun. This spells trouble.
Similar: forebode, mean, signify
To constitute; to measure. the Saxon heptarchy, when seven kings put together did spell but one in effect
obsolete To speak, to declaim. O who can tell / The hidden power of herbes, and might of Magicke spell?
obsolete To tell; to relate; to teach. 1770, Thomas Warton, “Ode on the Approach of Summer” in A Collection of Poems in Four Volumes, London: G. Pearch, Volume 1, p. 278, As thro’ the caverns dim I wind, Might I that legend find, By fairies spelt in mystic rhymes,
To notate or indicate a pitch, interval, or chord using a particular enharmonic spelling. The note D♭ is spelled differently from C♯, even though they sound equivalent.

spell^³

/spɛl/

Rhymes with -ɛl

Where it comes from

From Middle English spelen, from Old English spelian (“to represent, take or stand in the place of another, act as a representative of another”), akin to Middle English spale (“a rest or break”), Old English spala (“representative, substitute”).

verb spells · spelling · spelled · spelt

transitive To work in place of (someone). to spell the helmsman
transitive To rest (someone or something), to give someone or something a rest or break. They spelled the horses and rested in the shade of some trees near a brook.
colloquial, intransitive To rest from work for a time.

noun spells

A shift (of work); (rare) a set of workers responsible for a specific turn of labour.
informal A definite period (of work or other activity). A chap named Eleazir Kendrick and I had chummed in together the summer afore and built a fish-weir and shanty at Setuckit Point, down Orham way. For a spell we done pretty well. Then there came a reg'lar terror of a sou'wester same as you don't get one summer in a thousand, and blowed the shanty fla
colloquial An indefinite period of time (usually with a qualifier); by extension, a relatively short distance. Even Mrs. Harker seems to lose sight of her trouble for whole spells. [...] When he had spoken, Mina's long spell of silence made me look at her.
A period of rest; time off.
US, colloquial A period of illness, or sudden interval of bad spirits, disease etc.
An uninterrupted series of alternate overs bowled by a single bowler.

spell^⁴

/spɛl/

Rhymes with -ɛl

Where it comes from

From Middle English spel (“a thin piece of wood”), from Old Norse [Term?].

noun spells

Northern England A splinter, usually of wood; a spelk. To swadle a bowe much about wyth bandes, verye seldome dothe anye good, excepte it be to kepe downe a spel in the backe.
The wooden bat in the game of trap ball, or knurr and spell.

Spell^⁵

Where it comes from

From the German surname, perhaps related to Speller.

proper noun Spells

A surname.

Thesaurus

Closest in meaning: charm, enchantment, piece, write, while, trance, import, tour, turn, go, magic spell, incantation, magic, mojo, charisma, ritual

Translations

Every language

noun magical incantation

Español	hechizo, conjuro, ensalmo, payé, gualicho
한국어	주문 jumun, 마력 maryeok
日本語	呪文 jumon
中文	咒語 /咒语 zhòuyǔ, 咒文 zhòuwén
Português	encantamento, feitiço
Français	charme, maléfice, sort, formule magique
Deutsch	Zauberspruch, Zauberformel, Zauberwort
Italiano	incantesimo, formula magica, fattura, maledizione, maleficio, sortilegio
Ελληνικά	ξόρκι xórki
Română	vrajă, farmec, descântec, descântătură
Русский	заклина́ние zaklinánije, за́говор zágovor
Tiếng Việt	thần chú
العربية	تَعْوِيذَة taʕwīḏa
עברית	כִּשּׁוּף kishúf, לַחַשׁ láẖash

noun magical effect of such incantation

Español	hechizo
Português	encanto, encantamento, feitiço
Français	charme, maléfice, sort
Deutsch	Zauber
Italiano	fattura, maleficio
Română	farmec

verb put under the influence of a spell

Deutsch	verzaubern

verb to write or say the letters that form a word

Español	deletrear, U.S.: espelear, espeletear, grafiar
한국어	철자하다 cheoljahada
日本語	綴る tsuzuru
中文	拼 pīn, 拼寫 /拼写 pīnxiě, 拼字 pīnzì
Kiswahili	endeleza
Português	soletrar
Français	épeler
Deutsch	schreiben, buchstabieren
Italiano	scandire, sillabare, compitare, scrivere
Ελληνικά	γράφω ορθογραφημένα gráfo orthografiména, συλλαβίζω syllavízo
Română	litera, rosti
Русский	произноси́ть по бу́квам proiznosítʹ po búkvam
العربية	هَجَّى hajjā, تَهَجَّى tahajjā
עברית	איית iyét

verb to compose a word

Español	deletrear, U.S.: espelear, espeletear, grafiar
한국어	철자하다 cheoljahada
日本語	綴る tsuzuru
中文	拼 pīn, 拼字 pīnzǐ
Português	soletrar
Français	épeler
Deutsch	bilden, ergeben
Italiano	compitare, fare lo spelling, sillabare
Ελληνικά	γράφω ορθογραφημένα gráfo orthografiména
Română	se scrie
Русский	писа́ть по бу́квам pisátʹ po búkvam
Tiếng Việt	đánh vần
العربية	هَجَّى hajjā, تَهَجَّى tahajjā
עברית	איית iyét

verb figuratively, to clarify

Deutsch	klarmachen, entziffern, auf gut Deutsch gesagt
Română	clarifica

verb to indicate that some future event will occur

한국어	의미하다 uimihada
Português	prever, pressagiar, vaticinar
Deutsch	bedeuten, vorhersagen
Italiano	presagire, vaticinare
Ελληνικά	συνεπάγομαι synepágomai
Română	indica

verb to work in place of someone

Português	render
Deutsch	abwechseln, vertreten
Italiano	rimpiazzare, sostituire, dare il cambio, rilevare
Română	înlocui

noun indefinite period of time

한국어	한참 hancham, 한동안 handong'an
中文	陣 /阵 zhèn
Português	breve período, intervalo
Français	moment, épisode
Deutsch	kurze Periode, Weile, Weilchen, Zeitdauer
Ελληνικά	περίοδος períodos
Română	interval
Русский	пери́од períod, вре́мя vrémja, интерва́л intɛrvál, промежу́ток вре́мени promežútok vrémeni

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MLA

"spell." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/spell. Accessed 5 Nov. 2026.

APA

spell. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/spell

Chicago

"spell." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 5, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/spell.

BibTeX

@misc{spell_2026,
  title = {spell},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/spell},
  urldate = {2026-11-05}
}

spell

AI In plain words

spell¹

Where it comes from

noun spells

verb spells · spelling · spelled

spell²

Where it comes from

verb spells · spelling · spelled · spelt

spell³

Where it comes from

verb spells · spelling · spelled · spelt

noun spells

spell⁴

Where it comes from

noun spells

Spell⁵

Where it comes from

proper noun Spells

Thesaurus

Translations

noun magical incantation

noun magical effect of such incantation

verb put under the influence of a spell

verb to write or say the letters that form a word

verb to compose a word

verb figuratively, to clarify

verb to indicate that some future event will occur

verb to work in place of someone

noun indefinite period of time

spell^¹

spell^²

spell^³

spell^⁴

Spell^⁵