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Pleaded Guilty or Pled Guilty?
Should I write "pleaded guilty" or "pled guilty"?
"Pleaded guilty" and "pled guilty" are both acceptable because "pleaded" and "pled" are both used as the past tense of "to plead." The most acceptable past tense is "pleaded," but, over time, "pled" has also become acceptable.- He pleaded guilty to the charge.
- He pled guilty to the charge.

More about the Past Tense of "To Plead"
The most acceptable past tense of "to plead" is "pleaded," but, through common usage since the mid-20th century (especially in the US), "pled" has also become acceptable in both the UK and US conventions. [evidence]If you're looking for the version that will aggravate the least, use "pleaded."
"To Plead" Was a Weak, Regular Verb
"To Plead" was originally a weak, regular verb, meaning its past forms were only "pleaded" (past tense) and "has pleaded" (past participle).However, over time, "to plead" has been treated like a weak, irregular verb, probably because it sounds a lot like "to bleed," the past forms of which are "bled" and "has bled."
Here is "to plead" with some other weak, regular verbs:
Weak Verb | Simple Past Tense | Past Participle | Comment |
---|---|---|---|
love | loved | has loved | regular verb |
play | played | has played | regular verb |
plead | pleaded | has pleaded | regular verb |
Weak Verb | Simple Past Tense | Past Participle | Comment |
---|---|---|---|
tell | told | has told | irregular verb |
bleed | bled | has bled | irregular verb |
plead | pled | has pled | irregular verb |
"Plea" Is the Noun
Of note, the noun is "plea." For example:- He pleads guilty by submitting a guilty plea.
What Is a Weak Verb?
A weak verb is one that has a "-d" or "-t" ending for its simple past tense and past participle.What Is a Regular Verb?
A regular verb is one that typically adds "-ed" or "-d" to the base form to create the past forms. Read more about regular verbs.Read more about irregular verbs.
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