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Learned or Learnt?
What Is the Difference between "Learned" and "Learnt"?
"Learned" and "learnt" are both acceptable past forms of "to learn". However, here is some guidance to help you decided whether to write "learned" or "learnt":- If you're following US writing conventions, use "learned."
- If you're following UK writing conventions, use "learnt."


More about "Learned" and "Learnt"
The verb "to learn" means to acquire knowledge of, or skill in, something through study or experience."To learn" is one of those verbs with both an irregular form and a regular form.
Verb | Past Simple | Past Participle |
---|---|---|
learn | learned OR learnt | learned OR learnt |
Americans Demand "Learned"
In America, "learned" dominates. The use of "learnt" as the past tense or past participle of "to learn" is considered a spelling mistake by many. It will certainly annoy a fair proportion of your readers.Brits Prefer "Learnt"
Outside America, "learnt" is more common, but "learned" is generally accepted. (This is almost certainly a result of American influence spreading.)Verbs with Irregular and Regular Forms
The following verbs (like "to learn") can be regular or irregular:Verb | Past Simple | Past Participle |
---|---|---|
burn | burned OR burnt | burned OR burnt |
dream | dreamed OR dreamt | dreamed OR dreamt |
hang | hung also hanged | hung also hanged |
smell | smelled OR smelt | smelled OR smelt |
spell | spelled OR spelt | spelled OR spelt |
If You Mean "Educated," Use "Learned"
The word "learned" is used as an adjective meaning knowledgeable, wise, or well-educated. It has two syllables and is stressed on the first one (i.e., LEARN + ed).A Video Summary
Here's a quick video summarizing this lesson on "learned" and "learnt":Ready for the Test?
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See Also
adverse or averse? affect or effect? appraise or apprise? avenge or revenge? bare or bear? complement or compliment? dependant or dependent? discreet or discrete? disinterested or uninterested? dived and dove e.g. or i.e.? envy or jealousy? hanged and hung imply or infer? its or it's? material or materiel? poisonous or venomous? practice or practise? principal or principle? spelled and spelt tenant or tenet? who's or whose? What are verbs? What are regular verbs? What are regular verbs? What is the past tense? What are past participles? What are nouns? List of easily confused wordsPage URL