Which is correct: “learned” or “learnt”?

Which is correct: “learned” or “learnt”? Both!

In British English, the verb “to learn” is irregular. The past participle is “learnt”.

So, we might say:

• I learnt French at school.
• They should have learnt to behave themselves better.
• She learnt to play guitar.

Similar irregular verbs include:

• Spell – spelt
• Spoiled – spoilt
• Burn – burnt
• Dream – dreamt
• Leap – leapt
• Smell – smelt
• Leap – leapt
• Kneel – knelt
• Spill – spilt

In American English, many irregular verbs have become regular so American English speakers are more likely to use:

• Learned
• Spoiled
• Burned
• Dreamed
• Leaped
• Smelled
• Leaped
• Kneeled
• Spilled

The good news is that, nowadays, both forms are usually acceptable in British English, so it doesn’t really matter which form you use – learnt or learned.

BUT: We have been talking about verbs. There’s also an adjective that we can get from “learn”. When we’re talking about something acquired through leaning we can, again, use either “learnt” or “learned”:

• This is learnt behaviour.
• This is learned behaviour.

Again, “learnt” is more common in British English but both versions are acceptable.

Just to make things more complicated, there are another meaning of the adjective from “learn”. We use this to talk about someone who has studied something at great depth and become very knowledgeable about it.

• He was a learned historian.
• She is a learned lawyer.
• A conference of learned professors.

In this case we pronounce “learned” using two syllables: usually, learn-id in British English, learn-ed in American English.

Similar adjectives include:

• Aged
• Beloved
• Crooked
• Ragged
• Wicked

Posted by Graham