Meaning & use
jelly
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Meanings
nouncountable or uncountable
A soft, semi-solid food made by setting fruit juice or another liquid with gelatin or pectin.
Grammar: Can be countable (a jelly) or uncountable (some jelly). In American English, jelly is a smooth fruit spread.
Patterns
- a jar of jelly
- jelly and peanut butter
She made a strawberry jelly for dessert.
Would you like some jelly on your toast?
noununcountableAmerican
A smooth, seedless fruit spread made from fruit juice and sugar, often eaten on bread.
Grammar: In American English, jelly is uncountable in this sense; in British English, this is called jam.
Patterns
- peanut butter and jelly
- a jelly sandwich
He packed a peanut butter and jelly sandwich for lunch.
Grape jelly is a popular spread for breakfast.
nouncountable or uncountableBritish
A clear, sweet food made from fruit juice and sugar, often served as a dessert.
Grammar: In British English, jelly is a dessert made with gelatin; in American English, this is often called Jell-O (a trademark).
Patterns
- jelly and ice cream
- a bowl of jelly
The children had jelly and ice cream at the party.
She made a lemon jelly for the buffet.
Word forms
| plural | jellies |
|---|
Common combinations
- peanut butter and jelly
- A peanut butter and jelly sandwich is a classic American lunch.
- jelly beans
- The kids filled their bags with colorful jelly beans.
- jellyfish
- We saw a jellyfish floating near the shore.
- set like jelly
- The mixture will set like jelly once it cools.
Synonyms and how they differ
- jam
- Jam contains pieces of fruit, while jelly is smooth and made only from juice; in British English, jam is the usual term for the spread.
- preserve
- Preserve is a more general term for fruit cooked with sugar, often with whole pieces; jelly is specifically smooth and clear.
- gelatin
- Gelatin is the setting agent itself, not the finished food.
Word family
Commonly confused: jelly or jam? jelly or Jell-O?
jelly vs jam
In British English, jam is the fruit spread, while jelly is the dessert. In American English, jelly is the smooth spread and jam has fruit pieces.
jelly vs Jell-O
Jell-O is a brand name for a gelatin dessert; in American English it is often used generically, while in British English the word is jelly.
Practice
In American English, which sentence uses 'jelly' correctly?
Choose one answer.
In American English, jelly is a smooth fruit spread for bread, so spreading it on toast is correct. The other options describe a meat dish, a drink, or a hard substance, which do not fit the meaning.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “jelly”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.