/spel ||; spɛl/verb (
past tense past participle spelled /speld
||; spɛld/
or spelt /spelt
||; spɛlt/)
1 [I,T] to write or say the letters of a word in the correct order 拼写: I could never spell very well at school. 我在学校时拼写总不是很好。 How do you spell your surname? 你的姓氏怎样拼？His name is spelt P-H-I-L-I-P. 他的名字的拼法是P-H-I-L-I-P。
2 [T] (used about a set of letters) to form a particular word （指一组字母）构成某个词: If you add an ‘e’ to ‘car’ it spells ‘care’. car加个e就成了care。
3 [T] to mean sth; to have sth as a result 意味着，带来（某种结果）: Another poor harvest would spell disaster for the region. 如果再次歉收，就会给这个地区带来灾祸。
spell sth out 1 to write or say the letters of a word or name in the correct order 正确写出或说出某个词的拼法: I have an unusual name, so I always have to spell it out to people. 我的名字很特别，我总是得拼给人家听。
2 to express sth in a very clear and direct way 讲清楚（某事）