stencil

UK: /ˈstɛns^əl/ US: /ˈstɛnsəl/ ,(sten′səl)

Inflections of 'stencil' (v): (⇒ conjugate)

When both "l" and "ll" forms exist, spellings with a double "l" are correct, but rare, in US English, while those with a single "l" are not correct in UK English.

stencils

v 3rd person singular

stencilling

v pres p (Mainly UK)

stenciling

v past (US)

stencilled

v past (Mainly UK)

stenciled

v past (US)

stencilled

v past p (Mainly UK)

stenciled

v past p (US)

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025

sten•cil /ˈstɛnsəl/   n., v., -ciled, -cil•ing or (esp. Brit.) -cilled, -cil•ling. 
n. [countable]

1. Printing a thin sheet of material in which letters, numbers, etc., have been cut out so that they can be reproduced on another surface when ink, paint, or the like is applied over the cutout areas.

v. [~ + object]

2. Printing to mark or paint (a surface) by means of a stencil:
   to stencil the window with Christmas decorations.
3. Printing to mark, print, or copy (letters, designs, etc.) on a surface by means of a stencil:
   She stenciled her name on the poster.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

sten•cil  (sten′səl), n., v., -ciled, -cil•ing or (esp. Brit.) -cilled, -cil•ling. 
n. 

1. Printing a device for applying a pattern, design, words, etc., to a surface, consisting of a thin sheet of cardboard, metal, or other material from which figures or letters have been cut out, a coloring substance, ink, etc., being rubbed, brushed, or pressed over the sheet, passing through the perforations and onto the surface.
2. Printing the letters, designs, etc., produced on a surface by this method.

v.t. 

3. Printing to mark or paint (a surface) by means of a stencil.
4. Printing to produce (letters, figures, designs, etc.) by means of a stencil.

• Vulgar Latin *stincilla, metathetic variant of Latin scintilla scintilla
• Middle French estanceler, derivative of estencele a spark, ornamental spangle
• earlier stanesile, late Middle English stansele to ornament with diverse colors or spangles 1375–1425

sten′cil•er*  [esp. Brit.,] sten′cil•ler, n. 

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

stencil / ˈstɛns^əl/ noun

1. a device for applying a design, characters, etc, to a surface, consisting of a thin sheet of plastic, metal, cardboard, etc, in which the design or characters have been cut so that ink or paint can be applied through the incisions onto the surface
2. a decoration, design, or characters produced in this way

verb ( -cils, -cilling, -cilled) ( -cils, -ciling, -ciled)(transitive)

1. to mark (a surface) with a stencil
2. to produce (characters or a design) with a stencil

Etymology: 14th Century stanselen to decorate with bright colours, from Old French estenceler, from estencele a spark, from Latin scintilla