Learn is either learned or learned; both spellings are correct as past-tense forms of the verbs. Their usage varies, with known being preferred among American English speakers while learned is chosen among British English and some other varieties.
Most verbs form their past tense by adding “-ed” to the root word; however, there are exceptions to this rule.
Definition
Learn is a verb that refers to acquiring knowledge or skill through study, experience, or instruction. It may also mean the acquisition of talent through practice, such as playing an instrument or speaking another language, and also knowledge or ideas gained through exposure or discovery.
Learn is typically written as learned; however, learning is more commonly used. Most verbs that end in -ed or -ing have an easy past tense/past participle form by adding “-t” to their roots; however, some exceptions exist, like catch changing to caught; these irregular verbs should be noted.
Related words with similar meanings include discover, ascertain, determine, unearth, and uncover. Discover refers to finding something previously unknown or hidden, while confirm and determine to emphasize establishing facts firmly and precisely, while unearth and uncover emphasize bringing something out from hiding that had once been forgotten or hidden away.
Synonyms
Synonyms are words with similar meanings, which can be found across every part of speech: nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, and prepositions. When writing, using synonyms is essential in keeping the text interesting and avoiding repetition; using multiple synonyms could even prevent plagiarism charges against you!
The most widely used synonyms for learning are know, understand, and appreciate. All three terms mean the same thing and can be used interchangeably; however, it is essential to keep in mind that some synonyms have different connotations and meanings than others; some are more formal, while others are informal. Furthermore, some synonyms have their antonyms, which mean just the opposite!
Learning something involves gaining knowledge or skills through study, experience, or instruction. Learning doesn’t only refer to formal education; it can include gathering knowledge through activities like reading or listening to music.
Speaking informally, it is often acceptable to use know and understand as synonyms of learn, though their meaning differs slightly from learn. When used this way, being “eager to learn” implies being open and accepting of new ideas and information while listening and taking guidance from others.
In writing, it is best to employ formal synonyms of learn and know as these have more precise definitions than their informal equivalents. A thesaurus can also help when writing as it allows you to identify words with similar meanings and connotations; there are various free online thesauruses available, with some even offering features allowing users to type a term and suggest synonyms instantly!
At one point in time, learning would typically be written as “learned,” though this usage has since become less common. Learned is simply the simple past tense and past participle form of learning – making it the more frequent spelling in English.
Examples
American English tends to use learning as the past tense of a verb, while British and other varieties of English tend to use learned as its preferred past tense; however, due to American influence spreading worldwide via the -ed variant, learned may eventually overtake learned as its standard past tense for all verbs worldwide.
Most verbs in English end with “-ed” when used in the past tense or part of an action from the past. Verbs that deviate from this rule are known as irregular verbs, such as catch, which changes to “caught” when used in its past tense form. Simply adding an extra “t” changes its spelling more subtly than other methods like spell and leap do.
Usage
The simple past tense of most verbs is formed by adding the suffix -ed to its root form; however, some irregular verbs deviate from this general rule and end with an ending such as -t, creating irregular verbs. For example, when creating past tense and past participle forms for learning, its spelling changes to learn.
The -ed variation of English is becoming more frequent than its t version, partly as a result of American English’s influence worldwide. Over time, this may become standard across all English-speaking nations.
Your choice of learned or learned will depend on where you come from; both forms are acceptable and can be used interchangeably; however, for consistency within writing or conversation, it is best to stick with one form consistently; using both may cause confusion to readers/listeners as well as reveal your region/country of origin; it is, therefore, wise to use whatever form your region prefers for such verbs as past tense/passive form/past participle usage – for instance, British speakers should opt for learned; this applies similarly for other verbs that may differ spelled differently depending on their language region – in this instance learned should be used consistently throughout – such as past tense/passive form/verbs, etc.
