learned
/ˈlɝnɪd/adjective, verb
learned is spelled L-E-A-R-N-E-D: 7 letters and one syllable. It appears 71 times per million words in written English, the 1,486th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, learned means “Having much learning, knowledgeable, erudite; highly educated” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in learned?
| Letters | 7: L-E-A-R-N-E-D |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 1 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 71 times per million words; the 1,486th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Pairs people search | |
| Rhymes with |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); Bing searches in the United States: the average month from September 2025 to August 2026 (Microsoft Advertising keyword data through DataForSEO, read September 30, 2026); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is learned?
Learned appears 71 times per million words in written English, the 1,486th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce learned?
- UK /ˈlɜːnɪd/
- UK /ˈlɜːnd/
- US /ˈlɝnɪd/
As an adjective (“Derived from experience; acquired by learning”): /lɜːnd/, /lɝnd/.
Learned has one syllable (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-learned_(adj).wav, En-us-learned.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with learned
Word pairs people search, with the monthly searches for “a vs b” (G: Google, B: Bing, United States).
Sources: Google and Bing searches (September 2025 to August 2026, through DataForSEO); English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
What rhymes with learned?
One word on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as learned from its last stressed vowel (/ɜɹnɪd/):
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of learned
- more learned comparative
- most learned superlative
- learnèd
- learnéd
- learnt
- more learnèd comparative
- most learnèd superlative
- more learnéd comparative
- most learnéd superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does learned mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Having much learning, knowledgeable, erudite; highly educated.
My learned Brother Cresswell directed the jury to make the calculation […]
- 2
A courteous description used in various ways to refer to lawyers or judges.
- 3
Scholarly, exhibiting scholarship.
- 4
Derived from experience; acquired by learning.
Everyday behavior is an overlay of learned behavior over instinct.
verb
- 1
CanadaUSsimple past and past participle of learn
adjective
- 1
Alternative spelling of learned.
adjective
- 1
Alternative spelling of learned.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
How do you abbreviate learned?
Wiktionary records one abbreviation of learned: lrnd..
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Learned in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | érudit, savant, instruit , appris |
| German | gelehrt, gebildet, studiert, gelehrsam, qualifiziert, fachkundig |
| Portuguese | douto, erudito, instruído, sábio, culto |
| Spanish | docto, letrado, ilustrado, instruido |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does learned come from?
From Middle English lerned, lernd, lernyd, equivalent to learn + -ed, which replaced the earlier lered (“taught”), from Old English (ġe)lǣred, past participle of lǣran (“to teach”). Learn formerly had the meaning “to teach”, which is now found only in nonstandard speech, as well as its standard meaning of “to learn”.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).