Learn or learned?
learned is the simple past and past participle of learn. learn is also a noun: “The act of learning something”. In written English (wordfreq, 2021 data) learn is about 2.1 times as common as learned.
What is the difference between learn and learned?
| learn | learned | |
|---|---|---|
| Part of speech | verb, noun | adjective, verb |
| Meaning | To acquire, or attempt to acquire knowledge or an ability to do something To attend a course or other educational activity The act of learning something | simple past and past participle of learn Having much learning, knowledgeable, erudite; highly educated A courteous description used in various ways to refer to lawyers or judges Derived from experience; acquired by learning |
| Example | It's time Dad learned (how) to change the oil in the car | My learned Brother Cresswell directed the jury to make the calculation […] |
| Forms | learns, learning, learned, learnt | none |
| Pronunciation | /lɜːn/ /lɝn/ /lɑː(ɹ)n/ | /ˈlɜːnɪd/ /ˈlɜːnd/ /ˈlɝnɪd/ |
| In writing | 148 times per million words | 71 times per million words |
Sources: learn and learned in the English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0); written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
Every current meaning of learn and learned
learn
- 1
To acquire, or attempt to acquire knowledge or an ability to do something
It's time Dad learned (how) to change the oil in the car
- 2
The act of learning something
- 3
To attend a course or other educational activity
- 4
To gain knowledge from a bad experience so as to improve
learn from one's mistakes
- 5
To study
I learn medicine
- 6
To come to know; to become informed of; to find out
He just learned that he will be sacked
- 7
To teach
Give him a clip round the ear. That'll learn him!
learned
- 1
Having much learning, knowledgeable, erudite; highly educated
My learned Brother Cresswell directed the jury to make the calculation […]
- 2
Derived from experience; acquired by learning
Everyday behavior is an overlay of learned behavior over instinct
- 3
Alternative spelling of learned
- 4
Alternative spelling of learned
- 5
A courteous description used in various ways to refer to lawyers or judges
- 6
Scholarly, exhibiting scholarship
Source: the English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0); obsolete, archaic, dialect and rare senses left out.
Which is more common, learn or learned?
learn appears 148 times per million words; learned 71 times per million words.
learn 148 times per million wordslearned 71 times per million words
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).