learnt
B1Standard British and Commonwealth English; formal/literary in American English.
Definition
Meaning
Past tense and past participle of the verb 'learn', meaning to have gained knowledge or skill through study or experience.
Also implies having become aware of information, or having memorized something.
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
A regular verb form for the irregular verb 'learn'. Strictly a past tense/past participle; not used for present tense.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
'Learnt' is standard in British English alongside 'learned'. 'Learned' is almost exclusively used in American English, where 'learnt' is rare and often considered a spelling error or archaic.
Connotations
In the UK, 'learnt' is neutral, common in speech and informal writing. In the US, it may carry a literary, old-fashioned, or affected British connotation.
Frequency
In British corpora, 'learnt' is less frequent than 'learned' but standard. In American corpora, 'learnt' is extremely rare (<1% of occurrences).
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
Subject + learnt + NP (I learnt French)Subject + learnt + to-infinitive (She learnt to drive)Subject + learnt + (that)-clause (We learnt that he was leaving)Subject + learnt + from + NP (He learnt from his mistakes)Vocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “learnt the hard way”
- “learnt by rote”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
Used neutrally in UK business contexts (e.g., 'The team learnt from the market feedback'). In US business, 'learned' is strongly preferred.
Academic
Acceptable in British academic writing, though 'learned' may be slightly more formal. Rare in American academia.
Everyday
Common in everyday British speech ('I learnt that from my mum'). Uncommon in American speech.
Technical
Rare; 'learned' is the standard form in technical/computing contexts (e.g., machine learning) globally.
Examples
By Part of Speech
verb
British English
- I learnt to swim when I was five.
- Have you learnt the results yet?
- She learnt about it from the news.
American English
- I learned to swim when I was five. (American standard)
- Have you learned the results yet? (American standard)
- She learned about it from the news. (American standard)
Examples
By CEFR Level
- I learnt English at school.
- He learnt his friend's name.
- We learnt about different cultures in history class.
- She quickly learnt how to use the new software.
- Having learnt from previous failures, she approached the project differently.
- The committee learnt that the funding had been withdrawn.
- The nation has not yet learnt the lessons of that economic crisis.
- It was a humbling experience, but I learnt a great deal about myself.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think: In BrE, you 'burnt' your finger and 'learnt' a lesson. Both use '-t'.
Conceptual Metaphor
KNOWLEDGE IS A POSSESSION (I've learnt it = I now have it). LEARNING IS A JOURNEY (She has learnt a lot along the way).
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Do not confuse with 'taught' (past of 'teach' - 'преподавал'). 'Learnt' is only for the learner's action.
- The present tense is 'learn' (учиться, изучать), not 'learnt'.
- Avoid using 'learnt' in writing for an American audience.
Common Mistakes
- Using 'learnt' as present tense (e.g., 'I learnt English now' - incorrect).
- American speakers incorrectly using 'learnt' by analogy with 'dreamt' or 'burnt'.
- Overusing 'learnt' in formal British writing where 'learned' might be more appropriate.
Practice
Quiz
In which variety of English is 'learnt' the standard past tense form?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, 'learnt' is a correct and standard past tense/past participle of 'learn' in British and Commonwealth English. It is less common but interchangeable with 'learned' in those varieties.
If you are writing for an American audience, always use 'learned'. If you are writing in British English, both are correct, with 'learnt' being more common in speech and informal writing, and 'learned' possibly preferred in formal writing. Be consistent within a text.
No, 'learnt' is a regular verb form (add -t/-ed), but it belongs to the paradigm of the verb 'learn', which is also regular in its 'learned' form. It follows the pattern of verbs like 'burn' (burnt/burned) and 'dream' (dreamt/dreamed).
It is pronounced /lɜːnt/ in British English (with a long 'er' sound) and /lɝːnt/ in American English (with an r-colored vowel), essentially rhyming with 'burnt'.