Leant › Leant or leaned: which is right?
Leant or leaned: which is right?
If you have ever written "she leant against the wall" and then doubted yourself, you were not wrong. Both leant and leaned are correct in British English.
The answer
The verb lean has two accepted past forms in the UK: leaned and leant. Oxford Learner's Dictionaries lists leaned as the past simple and past participle, and gives leant as an additional British form. So both are fine, and a British reader will not notice either.
In the United States, leaned is the normal form. Leant is regarded as a British spelling, so American readers may think it looks odd.
How they are pronounced
- Leaned is pronounced "leend", with a long "ee" sound.
- Leant is pronounced "lent", with a short "e", like the word "lent" in "I lent him a pen".
The short sound is why leant is spelt with a "t". The spelling follows how it sounds.
Which should you use?
- If you are writing for an international audience, use leaned. It is understood everywhere.
- If you are writing for a British audience, either works. Pick what fits your tone: leant can sound a little more traditional.
- If you are writing a school essay or a work document, stay consistent. Do not write "leaned" in one sentence and "leant" in the next.
Examples
- She leant on the gate and watched the sheep. (British)
- She leaned on the gate and watched the sheep. (British or American)
- He has leaned towards the second option all along.
- The ladder was leant against the shed.
Lean as an adjective
Lean can also be an adjective, as in "lean meat" or "a lean year". The past tense does not apply to it, so there is no leant or leaned in those uses.
Lean on, lean in, lean towards
Phrasal uses follow the same rule. You can say "leant over", "leaned in", "leant on him for support". Note the British preference for towards over toward, though both are used. See the UK vs US spelling table for similar pairs.
A shared pattern
Leant belongs to a small group of verbs that can end in "-t" or "-ed" in British English: learnt and learned, spelt and spelled, dreamt and dreamed, burnt and burned, spoilt and spoiled, smelt and smelled. The "-t" ones usually match a shorter vowel sound. Read more in learnt, spelt, dreamt and burnt.
Common mistakes
- Writing "lent" for leant. Lent is the past of lend, or the Christian season. It is a different word.
- Writing "leaned" and "leant" together. Be consistent.
- Thinking leant is wrong. It is not. It is a standard British form.
Leant in books and everyday speech
You will find leant in older novels and in much modern British fiction, usually in descriptions of posture: "he leant back in the chair". Newspapers and websites tend to prefer leaned, partly because it is the form that reaches readers in other countries. Neither is a mistake. If your editor or teacher has a house style, follow that, otherwise follow your ear.
Quick test
Say the sentence aloud. If you naturally say "lent", write leant. If you say "leend", write leaned. Either way you are writing a correct word.