student asking question

What does "spell something out" mean?

teacher

Native speaker’s answer

Rebecca

'Spell something out' means 'to say or write out the word, letter-by-letter in the correct arrangement.' It's normally used when someone isn't understanding what the other person is saying, so the speaker will spell out the words to make himself clear. Ex: The child is spelling out the words. Ex: Can you spell it out for me? Ex: Do you understand? Do you want me to spell it out for you?

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