Learnt or Learned | Difference & Example Sentences

Learnt and learned are two different spellings of the past tense of the verb ‘learn’, which means ‘gain knowledge or skill’ or ‘come to be able to do something’. The spelling tends to vary based on the version of English:

  • In UK English, ‘learnt’ is standard.
  • In US English, ‘learned’  is more common.
Examples: ‘Learnt’ and ‘learned’ in a sentence
Kayla recently learnt/learned how to drive a car.

In school, I learnt/learned how to speak French.

Jamie hasn’t learnt/learned how to dance yet.

The students learnt/learned about the Great Depression.

Note
In UK English, ‘learn’ is an irregular verb, meaning that the past tense is not formed by adding the standard ‘-ed’ suffix. In US English, ‘learn’ is a regular verb (i.e., the past tense is formed by adding ‘-ed’).

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‘Learned’: Adjective

Learned can be used as an adjective meaning ‘knowledgeable’ or ‘scholarly’. When learned is used in this way, it’s pronounced with two syllables, with emphasis placed on the first: [lur-nid]. For this meaning, the spelling is always learned, even in UK English.

Examples: ‘Learned’ as an adjective
Amia is a learned scholar who is an expert in multiple ancient languages.

You cannot become learned if you don’t study a lot.

Note
When learned/learnt is used as an adjective simply meaning ‘acquired by learning’ (e.g., in the phrase ‘learned/learnt helplessness’), it can be spelled either way and is pronounced as one syllable.

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Other interesting language articles

If you want to know more about commonly confused words, definitions, and differences between US and UK spellings, make sure to check out some of our other language articles with explanations, examples, and quizzes.

 

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Ryan, E. (2023, September 25). Learnt or Learned | Difference & Example Sentences. Scribbr. Retrieved 25 March 2024, from https://www.scribbr.co.uk/uk-vs-us/learnt-or-learned/

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Eoghan Ryan

Eoghan has a lot of experience with theses and dissertations at bachelor's, MA, and PhD level. He has taught university English courses, helping students to improve their research and writing.