Learned or Learnt?

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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 decide whether to write "learned" or "learnt":

• If you're following US writing conventions, use "learned."
• If you're following UK writing conventions, use "learnt."

If you're describing someone as educated, you must use "learned." In this meaning, "learned" is a two-syllable word.

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

As shown in the table, the past tense and the past participle can be written as either "learned" or "learnt." However, they are not interchangeable, especially in the US.

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

As with "learnt," the second form (e.g. "spelt," "dreamt") is more common in British English.

A Video Summary

Here's a quick video summarizing this lesson on "learned" and "learnt":

Ready for the Test?