Curse vs. Spell — What's the Difference?

A curse (also called an imprecation, malediction, hex, execration, malison, anathema, or commination) is any expressed wish that some form of adversity or misfortune will befall or attach to one or more persons, a place, or an object. In particular, "curse" may refer to such a wish or pronouncement made effective by a supernatural or spiritual power, such as a god or gods, a spirit, or a natural force, or else as a kind of spell by magic or witchcraft; in the latter sense, a curse can also be called a hex or a jinx.

To name or write in order the letters constituting (a word).

An appeal or prayer for evil or misfortune to befall someone or something.

To constitute the letters of (a word)

Evil or misfortune viewed as resulting from such an appeal

To add up to; signify

A source or cause of evil; a scourge

To name or write in order the letters of a word or words

A profane word or phrase; a swearword.

To put (someone) under a spell; bewitch.

(Ecclesiastical) A censure, ban, or anathema.

To relieve (someone) from work temporarily by taking a turn.

(Offensive) Menstruation. Used with the.

To allow (someone) to rest a while.

To invoke evil or misfortune upon; damn.

To take turns working.

To swear at

(Australian) To rest for a time from an activity.

To bring evil upon; afflict

A word or formula believed to have magic power.

(Ecclesiastical) To put under a ban or anathema; excommunicate.

A bewitched state or trance

To utter curses; swear.

A compelling attraction; charm or fascination

A supernatural detriment or hindrance; a bane.

A short, indefinite period of time.

A prayer or imprecation that harm may befall someone.

(Informal) A period of weather of a particular kind

The cause of great harm, evil, or misfortune; that which brings evil or severe affliction; torment.

One's turn at work.

A vulgar epithet.

A period of work; a shift.

A woman's menses.

(Australian) A period of rest.

(transitive) To place a curse upon (a person or object).

(Informal) A period of physical or mental disorder or distress

To call upon divine or supernatural power to send injury upon; to imprecate evil upon; to execrate.

(Informal) A short distance.

(transitive) To speak or shout a vulgar curse or epithet.

Words or a formula supposed to have magical powers.

(intransitive) To use offensive or morally inappropriate language.

A magical effect or influence induced by an incantation or formula.

To bring great evil upon; to be the cause of serious harm or unhappiness to; to furnish with that which will be a cause of deep trouble; to afflict or injure grievously; to harass or torment.

(obsolete) Speech, discourse.

To call upon divine or supernatural power to send injury upon; to imprecate evil upon; to execrate.

A shift (of work); (rare) a set of workers responsible for a specific turn of labour.

To bring great evil upon; to be the cause of serious harm or unhappiness to; to furnish with that which will be a cause of deep trouble; to afflict or injure grievously; to harass or torment.

(informal) A definite period (of work or other activity).

To utter imprecations or curses; to affirm or deny with imprecations; to swear.

(colloquial) An indefinite period of time (usually with a qualifier); by extension, a relatively short distance.

An invocation of, or prayer for, harm or injury; malediction.

A period of rest; time off.

Evil pronounced or invoked upon another, solemnly, or in passion; subjection to, or sentence of, divine condemnation.

A period of illness, or sudden interval of bad spirits, disease etc.

The cause of great harm, evil, or misfortune; that which brings evil or severe affliction; torment.

(cricket) An uninterrupted series of alternate overs bowled by a single bowler.

Profane or obscene expression usually of surprise or anger;

(dialectal) A splinter, usually of wood; a spelk.

An appeal to some supernatural power to inflict evil on someone or some group

The wooden bat in the game of trap ball, or knurr and spell.

An evil spell;

To put under the influence of a spell; to affect by a spell; to bewitch; to fascinate; to charm.

Something causes misery or death;

To read (something) as though letter by letter; to peruse slowly or with effort.

A severe affliction

To write or say the letters that form a word or part of a word.

Utter obscenities or profanities;

(intransitive) To be able to write or say the letters that form words.

Heap obscenities upon;

(transitive) Of letters: to compose (a word).

Wish harm upon; invoke evil upon;

To clarify; to explain in detail.

Exclude from a church or a religious community;

(transitive) To indicate that (some event) will occur.

To constitute; to measure.

(obsolete) To speak, to declaim.

(obsolete) To tell; to relate; to teach.

(transitive) To work in place of (someone).

(transitive) To rest (someone or something), to give someone or something a rest or break.

To rest from work for a time.

A spelk, or splinter.

The relief of one person by another in any piece of work or watching; also, a turn at work which is carried on by one person or gang relieving another; as, a spell at the pumps; a spell at the masthead.

The time during which one person or gang works until relieved; hence, any relatively short period of time, whether a few hours, days, or weeks.

One of two or more persons or gangs who work by spells.

A gratuitous helping forward of another's work; as, a logging spell.

A story; a tale.

A stanza, verse, or phrase supposed to be endowed with magical power; an incantation; hence, any charm.

To supply the place of for a time; to take the turn of, at work; to relieve; as, to spell the helmsman.

To tell; to relate; to teach.

To put under the influence of a spell; to affect by a spell; to bewitch; to fascinate; to charm.

To constitute; to measure.

To tell or name in their proper order letters of, as a word; to write or print in order the letters of, esp. the proper letters; to form, as words, by correct orthography.

To discover by characters or marks; to read with difficulty; - usually with out; as, to spell out the sense of an author; to spell out a verse in the Bible.

To form words with letters, esp. with the proper letters, either orally or in writing.

To study by noting characters; to gain knowledge or learn the meaning of anything, by study.

A psychological state induced by (or as if induced by) a magical incantation

A time for working (after which you will be relieved by someone else);

A period of indeterminate length (usually short) marked by some action or condition;

A verbal formula believed to have magical force;

Recite the letters of or give the spelling of;

Indicate or signify;

Write or name the letters that comprise the conventionally accepted form of (a word or part of a word);

Place under a spell