spell out
spell out — phrasal verb
- spell outbase form
- spells out3rd person singular
- spelling out-ing form
- spelled outpast simple
- spelt outpast participle
1. to give a detailed explanation of something so that every part of it is easy to
to give a detailed explanation of something so that every part of it is easy to understand
The lawyer spelled the contract terms out for the new clients during the meeting.
separable: spell + noun phrase + out
Could you please spell out exactly what you expect from our sales team?
spell out + wh-word (what)
Marco spelled out the risks of putting all their savings into one small company.
The instruction manual spells out every step for setting up the office Wi-Fi network.
Before I lend you the car, let me spell out the rules for using it.
The team leader spelled out that all reports must be submitted before Friday.
The mayor's speech spelled out how the city plans to improve public transport by 2026.
- gloss over
to deliberately avoid giving details
文法句型
spell + noun phrase + out
spell out + noun phrase
spell out + wh-clause
spell out + that-clause
用法筆記
This is a separable phrasal verb: the object can go between 'spell' and 'out' (spell the rules out) or after 'out' (spell out the rules). With a pronoun object, the pronoun must go between: spell them out (not spell out them). Also takes a that-clause (spell out that ...) or a wh-clause (spell out what/how/why ...). Frequently used with official documents as the subject (contract, agreement, policy, instructions).
常見錯誤
2. to say each letter of a word one by one, so that the listener knows exactly how
to say each letter of a word one by one, so that the listener knows exactly how it is written
The receptionist spelled the guest's last name out over the phone.
separable: spelled + noun + out
Feng asked the delivery driver to spell out the street name again.
My five-year-old niece can now spell out her full name without any help.
Ava spelled out her email address letter by letter for the customer service agent.
When booking tickets over the phone, the agent asked me to spell out my surname.
文法句型
spell + proper noun + out
spell out + word
用法筆記
Frequently used when giving names, email addresses, or other information over the phone or in noisy environments where the listener might mishear.
spell out — verb
- spell outpresent simple I / you / we / they
- spells out3rd person singular
- spelling out-ing form
- spelled outpast simple
- spelt outpast participle
1. to use the complete form of a word or number when writing, rather than a shorten
to use the complete form of a word or number when writing, rather than a shortened version that might be unclear
On the wedding invitation, please spell out 'December' instead of writing 'Dec.'
formal register: invitations
The academic style guide says to spell out numbers from one to nine in essays.
style guide rule: numbers one to nine
Isabela always spells out the names of countries in her reports to avoid confusion.
In formal letters you should spell out titles like 'Doctor' and 'Professor.'
The bank requires customers to spell out all dollar amounts in words on the check.
- abbreviate
to shorten a word or phrase
- shorten
to make a word shorter by leaving out letters
文法句型
spell out + abbreviation
spell out + number
用法筆記
Common in style guides, academic writing, and formal documents. Different style guides have different rules about when to spell out numbers (e.g., some say spell out one through nine, others say one through ninety-nine).