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Glite Dictionary
to respell

to respell

1 5.8
To write a word again in a different way to show how to say it
  • verb
  • /rɪˈspɛl/
: volver a deletrear
  • Mariel spelled and respelled the family's name.

Examples

  • The teacher asked us to respell the difficult words for the exam.

  • Plus, French scribes from the Norman invasion respelled English words to match French spelling rules.

  • When he couldn't pronounce the name correctly, she suggested he respell it to clarify the pronunciation.

  • To help the children read better, the librarian respelled the tricky words on the board.

Synonyms

to spell out
vsto respell
39 3.0

To say each letter of a word so others can hear the spelling

gives an alternate written form to show how a word sounds

Surface Forms

respell infinitive
respelled past
respelled past participle
respelling present participle
respells third person singular

Morphology

respell = spell (transparent) = re + spell

This is a standard use of 're-' with the verb 'spell', meaning to spell again or anew in another form.

Etymology

Respell combines re- meaning 'again' and spell meaning 'to write the letters of a word', so to respell is to 'spell again' or to write a word in a different way to show how it sounds.