Spelt / Spelled

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feeb

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Am a bit miffed

got into a mini Facebook disagreement with someone (nothing major) over the use of the word spelled

in this context

'Phoenix is spelled with the O before the E'

some guy replied

'its not spelled, its spelt'

now i have Always been taught that spelt is a type of wheat

and spelled is the past tense for spell

Seems though, in the long years since i recieved my Oxford Dictionary from my dad before starting secondary school, they they have removed the word Spelled and decided that Spelt is the past tense for spell

How can they just do that? I know they also put in the word Minger earlier this year and a few other 'words' too

but to just remove a word like that... seems a bit strange
 
Either is correct unless you are American. In the US they prefer the ed ending.

feeb said:
Seems though, in the long years since i recieved my Oxford Dictionary
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As we are talking about spelling, it's received, not received and I not i.

Steve.
 
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I once had a post deleted for quoting from Fowler's Modern English Usage, but here goes:

"Throughout this book and in my other work I have used spelt as the pa.t. and pa.pple of this verb, but the variant form spelled is widespread, esp. in AmE, and also when the meaning is 'explained in detail'.

Examples:
(spelt) men who not only rhymed Moon with June but also thought they were spelt the same way - Sunday Times, 1987;
(spelled) She was handsome, but she spelled trouble S.Bellow, 1987;
Bech tried to ... inscribe the names, spelled letter by letter - New Yorker, 1987;
This is spelled out by Langland in two passages - English, 1988;
Lil took it as an omen, sure that such an occurrence spelled bad luck - S.Mackay, 1992."
 
-Rob- said:
I don't care what any dictionary tells me, according to my grammar school education it's spelt not spelled.
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That was the way I was taught too. Just out of curiosity, I dug out my Oxford English dictionary (which was published in 1990), and spelled is not even in it. The word is listed as spelt. It does however also mention that spelt is a species of wheat. :thumbs:
 
My 1969 OED treats both versions equally.

We should now discuss the relative merits of learned and learnt.



Steve.
 
firstly - i am a Woman :)

Secondly i wasnt really angry or upset about it just thought it was an interesting topic of discussion.

what i find more interesting, is this

If you freeze something, you froze it. Yes?

So surely if you squeeze something, you squoze it!

This is where i feel the English language is really missing out, Squoze is clearly a superior word to squeezed.

i dunno much 'bout da enlish language, so when i do know something i tend to get a bit excited... and in this case have found out what i though was true is actually only half true and Spelt is actually an acceptable word...

Oh the pain :D :D
 
Another word that has been deleted from the OED is "gullible"
LOL C
 
Talking of freezing things :D
If heat rises why does water freeze on the top first :shrug:
 
because Ice is lighter than water :) so it floats

and if it didnt, life on earth would have had quite a different battle :)
 
feeb said:
because Ice is lighter than water :) so it floats

and if it didnt, life on earth would have had quite a different battle :)
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Ice is not lighter than water - it is less dense.

Denser water sinks rather than the ice floating

FYI water is most dense at 4 degress C
 
feeb said:
firstly - i am a Woman :)

Secondly i wasnt really angry or upset about it just thought it was an interesting topic of discussion.

what i find more interesting, is this

If you freeze something, you froze it. Yes?

So surely if you squeeze something, you squoze it!

This is where i feel the English language is really missing out, Squoze is clearly a superior word to squeezed.

i dunno much 'bout da enlish language, so when i do know something i tend to get a bit excited... and in this case have found out what i though was true is actually only half true and Spelt is actually an acceptable word...

Oh the pain :D :D
Click to expand...

Squoze - yes I like it...you'd get on well with my GF - as a German her English (which is nearly perfect) occasionally lapses into pure comedy...

Needless to say I get hit a lot whenever I roll around howling with laughter...
 
you think this is bad for the grammer police , try digitalspy :eek: , it truly is an education in itself :lol:
 
Arkady said:
Squoze - yes I like it...you'd get on well with my GF - as a German her English (which is nearly perfect) occasionally lapses into pure comedy...

Needless to say I get hit a lot whenever I roll around howling with laughter...
Click to expand...

My parents lived in Germany for a while, they were both in the RAF and had some hilarious moments whilst trying to meet the locals with only an english/german dictionary to work with!
 
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