ESEN
Which one to use?Intermediateverbverb
BurnedvsBurnt
'Burned' is the standard past tense in American English; 'burnt' is preferred in British English and as an adjective.
Side-by-side comparison
Burned
verbSimple 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.
Burnt
verbSimple 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
- •No grammar error: both forms are correct.
- •"Burned" is the preferred verb past tense in American English; "burnt" works better as an adjective in either variety: "burnt toast", "burnt smell".
Trick to remember it
- •As a verb in American English: "burned" (with -ed).
- •As an adjective in either variety: "burnt" (with -t).
- •The same pattern applies to: learned/learnt, dreamed/dreamt, spelled/spelt.
Quick rule
- •"Burned" = preferred verb past in American English.
- •"Burnt" = adjective in both varieties and verb past in British English.
Did you know?
English has a group of "mixed" irregular verbs that can take both -ed and -t: burn/burned/burnt, learn/learned/learnt, dream/dreamed/dreamt, spell/spelled/spelt, spill/spilled/spilt, spoil/spoiled/spoilt. All follow the same pattern: American English prefers -ed for the verb, British English prefers -t, and the -t form tends to specialise as an adjective in both varieties. It perfectly illustrates how American and British English continue to diverge.
Practise what you learned
Exercise 1 · Pick the right one
The toast was completely _____ . She had forgotten it in the toaster.
Exercise 2 · Pick the right one
He _____ the letters in the fireplace so nobody could read them. (American English)
Exercise 3 · Form the word
Related word pairs
GottenvsGot
'Gotten' is the American past participle of 'get'; 'got' is the British past participle and the simple past in both varieties.
HangedvsHung
"Hanged" is used only for executions by hanging; "hung" is the past tense for everything else.
AbovevsOver
"Above" is at a higher level without contact; "over" implies covering, movement, or crossing.
ActuallyvsReally
"Actually" corrects or contrasts an assumption; "really" intensifies or confirms.
Bryan López
Founder of SpeakUP Academy