"Burned" is the standard past tense in American English; "burnt" is preferred in British English and works as an adjective in both varieties.
Simple past and past participle of "burn" in American English (AmE). Can also be used as an adjective, though "burnt" is more common in that role. In AmE, "burned" dominates in verb contexts.
She burned the letters she had received from her ex and never looked back.
The campfire burned for hours while they told stories under the stars.
He burned his hand on the stove and had to go to the emergency room.
Simple past and past participle of "burn" in British English (BrE). In both varieties, "burnt" is the preferred adjective for describing the state of something burned: burnt toast, burnt smell, burnt sienna.
The smell of burnt toast filled the kitchen before she even got out of bed.
They swept away the burnt remains of the building after the fire was extinguished.
He burnt the midnight oil studying for the exam. (British English)
Common mistake
There is no real grammatical error here: both forms are correct. The distinction is mainly regional (AmE vs BrE) and functional (verb vs adjective). For English exams: "burned" for AmE as a verb. "Burnt" for BrE and for both varieties as an adjective (burnt smell, burnt toast). Never "brant" or "burnd".
Trick to remember it
Practical rule: as a VERB in American English, use "burned". As an ADJECTIVE in any variety (describing the state of something burned), use "burnt". The same pattern applies to: learned/learnt, dreamed/dreamt, spelled/spelt, spoiled/spoilt, kneeled/knelt. In all of them, the -t form is preferred as an adjective and in BrE.
Quick rule
Burned = preferred verb past tense in AmE. Burnt = preferred adjective in both varieties (burnt toast) and verb past tense in BrE.
Did you know?
English has a group of "mixed" irregular verbs that can take both -ed and -t as past/participle: burn/burned/burnt, learn/learned/learnt, dream/dreamed/dreamt, spell/spelled/spelt, spill/spilled/spilt, spoil/spoiled/spoilt. All follow the same pattern: AmE prefers -ed for the verb, BrE prefers -t, and the -t form tends to specialize as an adjective in both varieties.
Exercise 1 · Pick the right one
She _____ the candles all evening and forgot to blow them out before going to bed. (American English)
Exercise 2 · Pick the right one
The _____ smell coming from the kitchen told him the dinner had been left on the stove too long.
Exercise 3 · Form the word
Burned = preferred verb past tense in AmE. Burnt = preferred adjective in both varieties (burnt toast) and verb past tense in BrE.
There is no real grammatical error here: both forms are correct. The distinction is mainly regional (AmE vs BrE) and functional (verb vs adjective). For English exams: "burned" for AmE as a verb. "Burnt" for BrE and for both varieties as an adjective (burnt smell, burnt toast). Never "brant" or "burnd".
Practical rule: as a VERB in American English, use "burned". As an ADJECTIVE in any variety (describing the state of something burned), use "burnt". The same pattern applies to: learned/learnt, dreamed/dreamt, spelled/spelt, spoiled/spoilt, kneeled/knelt. In all of them, the -t form is preferred as an adjective and in BrE.
Bryan López
Founder of SpeakUP Academy