هَجَّى
hajjā
To spell in Arabic is هَجَّى (hajjā). Wiktionary also lists تَهَجَّى (tahajjā).
Meaning: to write or say the letters that form a word (verb)
Ways to say it
| Arabic | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| هَجَّى | hajjā |
| تَهَجَّى | tahajjā |
The verb refers to the action of writing or saying the letters that form a word. You may also encounter the related noun تهجئة, which is a formal term used for the act of spelling or spell-checking.
Which one should you use?
While هَجَّى can mean to spell, تَهَجَّى is the more common form used when referring to the act of spelling out letters or decoding a word.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The present tense form of the verb for 'he spells' is يَتَهَجَّى (yatahajjā).
How do you pronounce it?
hajjā
Did you know?
- The root of the verb هَجَّى is shared with a word meaning 'to satirize' or 'to mock' in poetry. In classical Arabic literature, الهِجاء refers to a specific genre of poetry used to insult opponents.
- While English speakers often 'spell out' a word to be clear, in Arabic, over-spelling a word can sometimes imply that the listener is slow to understand or lacks literacy.
- Because Arabic is an abjad, where short vowels are usually not written, تَهَجَّى often implies a process of decoding or guessing the vowels of a word based on context.
Examples in context
- لدي تعويذة قديمة تحميني من الشر.I have an old spell that protects me from evil.
- يجب أن تتأكد من تهجئة كلمات النص بشكل صحيح.You should make sure to spell the words in the text correctly.
- من المعروف أن المشعوذين يستخدمون السحر للتأثير على الناس.It is known that sorcerers use magic to influence people.
- هَجَّى الكَلِمَةَ بِبُطْءٍ.hajjā al-kalimata bi-buṭʾ.He spelled the word slowly.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “spell” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
