How to Spell Words

A0–A1 · BeginnerEnglish Basics

Learn how to say letters one by one and spell names and words clearly in English.

What you'll learn

  • What "spell" means
  • How to ask for spelling
  • How to spell names and words
  • Useful spelling phrases for real life

What does "spell" mean?

To spell a word means to say — or write — its letters in the correct order, one at a time. Tap the play button to watch the letters appear one by one.

catC-A-T
bookB-O-O-K
AlexA-L-E-X
ChicagoC-H-I-C-A-G-O

The most useful question

How do you spell that?

Ask this when you hear a word or a name but you don't know how to write it.

A:What's your name?
B:Megan.
A:How do you spell that?
B:M-E-G-A-N.

A second very useful version: How do you spell your last name?

My last name is Miller.
M-I-L-L-E-R.

Polite alternatives

"Could you…" is a polite way to ask someone to do something. You'll hear all of these when someone is asked to spell something:

"How do you spell that?"

"Could you spell that for me?"

"Can you spell your name, please?"

"Could you spell that again, please?"

Double letters

When a word has the same letter twice in a row, you can simply say each letter separately.

Emma: E-M-M-A

or, especially in British English: E-double M-A

coffee: C-O-F-F-E-EAnna: A-N-N-A

Good to know: saying each letter separately (like "coffee" = C-O-F-F-E-E) is always a clear option — it works everywhere, even if you never learn the "double" style.

Real life

You'll spell things out loud more often than you might expect.

Names

"My name is Kate — K-A-T-E."

Addresses

"Pine Street — P-I-N-E."

Email usernames

"alexsmith — A-L-E-X-S-M-I-T-H"

Booking / reservation

"What's the name on the reservation?"

"Jordan — J-O-R-D-A-N."

Phone conversation

"Could you spell that for me?"

Listen carefully

Some letter names sound similar when spoken. These groups are the ones learners mix up most often:

B/D/P/T/V
M/N
A/E
G/J
I/Y

If you're not sure, ask:

"Was that B or D?"

"Could you say that again?"

Practice

Exercise 1 · Spell it

Spell CAT.

Exercise 2 · Which spelling is correct?

Which spelling is correct for "desk"?

Exercise 3 · Complete: a thing you read → B _ _ K

B??K

Exercise 4 · Which question?

Which question asks someone to spell a word?

Exercise 5 · Build the word: what people call you

????

Quick challenge

Five quick questions to check what stuck.

Question 1 / 5

Score: 0/0

Spell DOG.

You learned

  • To spell means to give the letters in the correct order.
  • "How do you spell that?" is a very useful English question.
  • You can spell names, places and unfamiliar words.
  • If you don't understand a letter, ask the person to repeat it.