spell out — explain something very clearly and in detail
phrasal verbC1IELTS 7+neutralcommon
to explain something in a very clear and detailed way, often because it is complicated or because someone has not understood it yet.
Say it like a native
Textbook Allow me to articulate the procedure in explicit detail.
Native Let me spell it out for you.
'Spell out' is the everyday verb for explaining something very plainly, step by step.
Pattern: spell out something | spell something out (to someone)
In use
- Could you spell out exactly what you expect from us in this project?communication
- If the rules are not spelled out clearly, students may become confused about what is expected of them.IELTS speaking
Common mistake
✗ Do I have to spell out it?
✓ Do I have to spell it out?
With a pronoun, the object goes in the middle: 'spell it out'.
Common collocations
spell out + thing— the details, the rules, exactly what, step by step
Don't confuse it
At B1/B2, 'spell out' may be known only in the literal sense of saying each letter of a word. This sense is figurative: it means to explain something thoroughly, not to say letters.