spilt

Spilt is the past tense and past participle of the verb spill in some varieties of English, most notably British English. In American English, the corresponding forms are spilled for both the past tense and the past participle. Both spellings are widely understood, and the choice often reflects regional preference or style guidelines rather than strict grammar.

Origin and usage notes: Spill comes from older Germanic roots and entered Middle English with variable past tense spellings. Over time, American usage standardized on spilled, while spilt remained common in British English, where it is still considered standard in many contexts. In today’s writing, many editors treat spilt and spilled as interchangeable past forms, with preference depending on the chosen style guide or authorial voice.

Grammar and examples: The verb is transitive, typically describing accidental pouring or leakage. Simple past tense: “I spilt coffee on the rug.” American usage would normally say “I spilled coffee on the rug.” Past participle forms appear in perfect tenses and passives: “The rug has spilt coffee stains” (British) or “The rug has spilled coffee stains” (American). The fixed expression don’t cry over spilt milk is common in British English, while don’t cry over spilled milk is common in American English.

Related terms: Spillage refers to the act or amount of liquid that has spilled, and spillage can be used as a noun in both varieties. The verb spill also forms phrasal verbs such as spill over, spill out, and spill onto, which retain the same past tense forms.