different between alphabet vs spelling

English

Etymology

Doublet of alfabeto.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?æl.f?.b?t/
• (uncommon) IPA^(key): /?æl.f?.b?t/
• Hyphenation: al?pha?bet

Noun

alphabet (plural alphabets)

1. The set of letters used when writing in a language.

2. A writing system in which letters represent phonemes. (Contrast e.g. logography, a writing system in which each character represents a word, and syllabary, in which each character represents a syllable.)
   1. A writing system in which there are letters for the consonant and vowel phonemes. (Contrast e.g. abjad.)
3. (computer science) A typically finite set of distinguishable symbols.

4. (India, Hong Kong, Singapore) An individual letter of an alphabet; an alphabetic character.
5. The simplest rudiments; elements.

Synonyms

• ABC, absey

Hypernyms

• (linguistics): signary

Derived terms

Translations

See also

Verb

alphabet (third-person singular simple present alphabets, present participle alphabeting, simple past and past participle alphabeted)

1. (rare) To designate by the letters of the alphabet; to arrange alphabetically.

Synonyms

• alphabetize

Further reading

• alphabet on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

French

Etymology

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /al.fa.b?/
• Rhymes: -?
• Homophone: alphabets

Noun

alphabet m (plural alphabets)

1. alphabet (set of letters considered as a group)

Derived terms

• alphabet latin
• alphabet phonétique international

Related terms

• alphabète
• alphabétique
• alphabétiquement
• inalphabète

Further reading

• “alphabet” in Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).

Middle French

Etymology

Noun

alphabet m (plural alphabets)

1. alphabet (set of letters considered as a group)

English

Etymology

1400s, from spell (verb) +? -ing.

Pronunciation

• (Canada, General American, Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /?sp?l??/
• Rhymes: -?l??
• Hyphenation: spell?ing

Verb

spelling

1. present participle of spell
   • 2006, Wm. Shakespeare, Ann Thompson and Neil Taylor, eds., Hamlet, London: Arden Shakespeare:

     [p 88] A persuasive theory about the authority of the quarto or Folio texts might shed light on how Shakespeare actually spelt these names in a particular manuscript, but, since Shakespeare seemed capable of spelling his own name differently on different occasions, how reliable a guide would such evidence be?

Noun

spelling (countable and uncountable, plural spellings)

1. (uncountable) The act, practice, ability, or subject of forming words with letters, or of reading the letters of words; orthography.
   • 1904, Andrew Dickson White, Autobiography of Andrew Dickson White, p 43:

     For the practical use of spelling comes in writing.

   • 1920, Henry Gallup Paine, Handbook of Simplified Spelling, New York: Simplified Spelling Board, p 1:

     Spelling was invented by man and, like other human inventions, is capable of development and improvement by man in the direction of simplicity, economy, and efficiency.

   • 2001, w: Stephen White, The Program, New York: Dell, p 66:

     I knew that Kriciak, the inspector who was supervising me for the Marshals Service, was going to go nuts when I told him that I wanted to allow Landon to participate in soccer and spelling.

2. (uncountable) The manner of spelling of words; correct spelling.
   • 2006, Wm. Shakespeare, Ann Thompson and Neil Taylor, eds., Hamlet, London: Arden Shakespeare:

     [p 88] Because Elizabethan spelling was fluid, editors feel free to ‘modernize’ (correct) the spelling in the quartos and the Folio. But how is one to spell Rosencratz or Guildenstern, where the spelling varies, not only from text to text, but even within texts?

3. (countable) A specific spelling of a word.
   • 2006, Wm. Shakespeare, Ann Thompson and Neil Taylor, eds., Hamlet, London: Arden Shakespeare:

     [p 253] *excellent  Q2’s ‘extent’ is generally dismissed as an error, probably a mis-reading of ‘exlent’, a common spelling at this time.

     [p 269] reverend  The spellings ‘reuerent’ (Q2) and ‘Reuerend’ (F) were interchangeable at this time.

     [p 466] Guildensterne and Rosincrance are F’s consistent spellings.

4. (US, rare, dated, countable or uncountable) A spelling test or spelling bee.
   • 1860, Oscar Lawrence Jackson, The Colonel's Diary: Journals Kept Before and During the Civil War [1922], Sharon, Penn., p 23:

     The boys were anxious for a spelling in the evening but I said no.

   • 1889, James Whitcomb Riley, “A’ Old Played-Out Song”, in Pipes O' Pan at Zekesbury, Indianapolis, Ind.: Bowen-Merrill, p 45:

     How her face ust to look, in the twilight, / As I tuck her to spellin’; and she / Kep’ a-hummin’ that song ’tel I ast her, / Pine-blank, ef she ever missed me!

   • 2004, Carl Lindahl, ed., American Folktales: From the Collections of the Library of Congress, v 1, Armonk, N.Y.: M.E. Sharpe, p 416:

     So we'd sit with these girls during school hours, and we told them, if they'd slip off, that we'd get away, and we'd go to [the school] to a spelling.

Usage notes

• Adjectives often used with "spelling": correct, incorrect, right, wrong, usual, unusual, standard, alternative, nonstandard, customary, common, rare.

Synonyms

• (subject): orthography

Translations

Derived terms

Afrikaans

Etymology

From Dutch spelling, from Middle Dutch spellinge. Equivalent to spel +? -ing.

Noun

spelling (plural spellings or spellinge)

1. spelling

Dutch

Etymology

From Middle Dutch spellinge. Equivalent to spellen +? -ing.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?sp?.l??/
• Hyphenation: spel?ling
• Rhymes: -?l??

Noun

spelling f (plural spellingen, diminutive spellinkje n)

1. spelling

Derived terms

• groene spelling
• spellinghervorming
• spellingvariant
• spellingvereenvoudiging
• witte spelling

Descendants

• Afrikaans: spelling