Which is correct, spilled or spilt? Both are actually accepted spellings! But if you are using American English, spilled is preferred, whereas in British English, spilt is more commonly used.
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What Is Spilled?
Spilled is the simple past tense of the word spill. “To spill” is to allow or cause liquid to flow over the edge of something containing.
Spill comes from the Old English spillan, which meant to “destroy, kill, shed, or waste.” If that sounds odd, think of the term “blood spilled” in reference to war.
Fun Fact: Did you know that the word spill can also be a noun? As a noun, it can mean three different things – the strip of paper or slender piece of wood for lighting candles, fire, or lamps, quantity of spills that spilled over, or a fall from a horse or bicycle.
Spilled doesn’t always refer to spilling of liquid. For example, you can spill a secret by divulging it to someone else, or a complicated work project can spill over into additional days or even weeks. It even has a sailing connection. If you spilled, you let the air out of a sail by loosening the sheets.
Tip: In most cases, if you want to make a verb in past tense or past participle form, you’ll have to add the suffix -ed. For the present participle of spill, it’s spilling.
Examples:
- My brother spilled his juice all over the table.
- The temporary occupants spilled beans all over the carpet.
- I have spilled drinks so many times that I now use cups with closable lids.
- The passengers inserted a small pin
- If you don’t clean up spilled soda immediately, you’ll have a sticky mess.
- Tthe pipes spilled sewer water at an area of a stage.
- The spilled milkshake attracted dozens of ants.
- The floodwaters spilled over the banks of the river, threatening nearby homes and people.
What Is Spilt?
Spilt is the preferred spelling of the past tense of spill in British English. Countries that use British English as an official language:
- United Kingdom
- Ireland
- Malta
- Canada
- Australia
- New Zealand
- South Africa
- Jamaica
- Barbados
- Trinidad and Tobago
- The Bahamas
- India
- Singapore
How to Use Spilled Or Spilt
Either spilled or spilt can be used as a past tense and past participle of the word “spill.” The word choice really just depends on where you are or who your audience is.
As an Adjective
Both spilled and spilt can be adjectives. Usually, they go before the word modified, but you can fit them in after, though it might sound awkward.
Examples:
- Our dog eagerly (and conveniently) laps up spilled milk.
- The spilt beer on the pub flour created a sour odour. (British spellings)
- From across the room, the drink definitely looked spilled.
Tip: If you heard of spill light, that just means unwanted light over an area outside that you want to be lit.
As a Verb
Both words can also be verbs. Often, they’re in the past tense, but they can be in others, such as past perfect and future perfect.
- While proposing to his girlfriend, Joe somehow spilled wine on her.
- The toddler had spilled her entire cup on the floor by the time her mother noticed.
- By the time he gets back from the concession stand, he’ll probably have spilt half the pitcher.
Which One Should You Use?
In the United States, spilled is preferred and is more common. In nations that use British English, though, you’re much more likely to hear spilt.
Fun Fact: If you check the Google Ngram Viewer (an online tool that lets you check language trends in graph form), the word spilled is becoming more common in British English than spilt.
Tip: If you’re worried about saying the wrong thing, you needn’t worry too much. Because there’s so much overlap, many people consider the two words interchangeable. So, while you might annoy some purists, most others aren’t likely to care too much.
Final Thoughts
Spilled is the preferred spelling in American English, while British English users prefer spilt. However, choosing spilled or spilt, which can be a noun or adjective, doesn’t have to cause stress. That’s because they’re widely seen as interchangeable, so no matter where you are, people will know what you mean.
