What does spill mean?
Word: Spill
Part of Speech: Verb
Meaning: Spill means to let a liquid, or something loose such as sugar, fall out of its container by accident.
How do you spell spill?
Syllables: spill
Tricky part: The l at the end is doubled. Children who write only what they hear stop at one l.
Watch out for: spil, spille
Memory tip: Many one-beat words end in a double l; bell and doll are two more.
Idioms and Phrases
- spill the beans: to tell a secret, often by mistake. Example: "Rohan spilled the beans about the surprise party."
- cry over spilt milk: to feel sad about something that has gone wrong and cannot be put right. Example: "The match is over, so there is no use crying over spilt milk."
Spill in a sentence
Example 1: Careful, or you will spill the juice on the new tablecloth.
Example 2: Aarav spilled paint on his shirt during art class.
Example 3: Sugar spilled across the kitchen floor when the packet tore.
Fun Fact
British English allows two past forms of this verb, spilled and spilt, and both are correct.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Cookie
Find the extra letter in the word:
sppill
a) s
b) i
c) p
d) l
Show answer
c) p. The s is followed by just one p.
Word Cookie
Find the misspelt word in the sentence:
Hold the cup with both hands so you do not speel the tea.
a) speel
b) tea
c) hands
d) both
Show answer
a) speel. The vowel is short, as in sit.
Word Makeup
Choose the suffix that completes the word:
spill
a) age
b) ege
c) oge
d) ige
Show answer
a) age. Spillage means liquid that has been spilt, and package has the same ending.
Spell-o-Spell
Choose the incorrectly spelt word:
a) spill
b) sprinkel
c) basket
d) bottle
Show answer
b) sprinkel. Sprinkle ends in le, as bottle does.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Which of these is easiest to spill?
a) a brick in a bag
b) water in a full cup
c) a book on a shelf
d) a spoon in a drawer
Show answer
b) water in a full cup
2. Milk has gone over the edge of the glass and onto the table. What is the most useful thing to do?
a) wipe it up with a cloth
b) put away the lunch boxes
c) open a window wide
d) turn on the ceiling fan
Show answer
a) wipe it up with a cloth
