In this article, I will make it very easy for you to understand the difference between the two and know exactly which form to use in what circumstances.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You\u2019ll also find plenty of examples that help you recognize the usage differences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Let’s dive in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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Key Takeaways<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n Both learnt <\/em>and learned<\/em> are grammatically accurate and valid past tense forms of the base verb \u2018learn.\u2019 <\/p>\n\n\n\n The difference in the usage of the two words is purely geographical. You see, the English language has many recorded differences in the way it is spoken in different parts of the world. <\/p>\n\n\n\n British English and American English, in particular, seem to have a lot of beef (I mean to say there are way too many differences between the two).<\/p>\n\n\n\n Learned <\/em>is the standard spelling in American and Canadian English, while learnt <\/em>is more commonly used in British, Australian, and New Zealand English.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In most cases, British English would use \u2018learnt<\/em>\u2019 to signify the simple past and past participle forms of the verb learn<\/em>. Americans use learned for the same. <\/p>\n\n\n\n However, in instances where the word learned <\/em>(pronounced as two syllables, LER-NED) is used as an adjective<\/a> to talk about someone knowledgeable, British English also uses the word learned.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n You can not say \u201cMy Physics professor is a learnt researcher.\u201d It would be grammatically incorrect. The correct way to convey the same would be \u201cMy Physics professor is a learned<\/em> researcher.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The use of learned <\/em>as an adjective is outdated, though. We rarely see it in modern pieces of writing simply because there are a lot of other, better adjectives for the same context.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You will, however, encounter it quite often if you read classic literature.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Honestly speaking, no one knows why. There are hundreds of differences in American and British English that just exist, without any concrete reasoning. <\/p>\n\n\n\n I like to believe that Americans want to keep their life easy. Generally, we can turn a verb into its past form by adding -ed to the base form of the verb.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A good chunk of the verbs in English follow this rule, for which they are termed regular verbs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n That is exactly what the Americans do with learn<\/em>, and with many other verbs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n In contrast, learnt <\/em>is an irregular verb, i.e., it does not follow the -ed rule to make its past tense and past participle form. Irregular verbs are not predictable. You must know by heart how to use them accurately in different verb forms<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The same happens with learnt<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This difference exists with a lot of other verbs, and here are some of these examples: <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
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\n\n\n\nWhat\u2019s the Difference Between Learnt or Learned<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
The Only Exception<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Why Two Spellings Exist<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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