

The main problem here is that ‘led’ (the past tense verb) is pronounced the same as ‘lead’ (the metal). However, be careful not to mix it up with the initialism LED (pronounced ‘ell-ee-dee’), which is short for light-emitting diode (a small light used in some electronic products). In all cases, it is the past tense of the verb forms of ‘lead’: Thankfully, the word ‘led’ (also pronounced to rhyme with ‘bed’) is much easier to understand. According to Word Origins by John Ayto, the verb comes from a Germanic word meaning journey, while the noun is probably derived from an Indo-European. A kind of metal, or the graphite core of a pencil. This use of ‘lead’ is pronounced differently and rhymes with ‘bed’. To clarify: Lead (rhymes with bead): verb. She kept drawing until the lead in her pencil broke.
LEAD OR LEAD PAST TENSE PLUS
Your position, plus the years you worked for in parentheses. The name of the city where the business is located. This is what you should include in an entry that has both present and past tense: The name of the business you are working for. Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter!ĭespite the difference, this term is also pronounced to rhyme with ‘seed’.įinally, ‘lead’ is also a soft, heavy metal (or the graphite in a pencil): This would make the most sense if you received a promotion. My laptop died after I lost the lead I needed to charge it. This use of ‘lead’ also rhymes with ‘seed’ when spoken.Ī slightly different use of ‘lead’ is to mean ‘electrical cable’:

She is leading the field with her research.Īfter three laps, he was still in the lead. being in an advanced or winning position) or a noun (i.e. As above, this can either be a verb (i.e. Bella would like you to know that she considers the lead unnecessary and undignified.īoth verb and noun forms here are pronounced to rhyme with ‘seed’.Īnother use of ‘lead’ is related to winning and success.

We need to walk the dog, but I can’t find his lead. Without a lead to follow, Holmes would never solve the case. the act of guiding), but it can also be a noun (i.e. Perhaps the most common use of ‘lead’ is to mean ‘guide’ or ‘show the way’: We can break down the uses of ‘lead’ into four main categories: Lead (Guidance, Winning, Cables and Metal) So, to help you avoid errors in your work, we’ve prepared a quick guide to the various uses of ‘lead’, along with some advice about not mixing up the words ‘lead’ and ‘led’. But they didn’t, and now we have to live with it. It is the past tense and past participle of lead as a verb when the pronunciation of lead rhymes with bead. In fact, somebody should have put a stop to this nonsense a long time ago.

Lead rhymes with “deed” whereas led rhymes with “bed.The word ‘lead’ has many definitions.Lead is the present tense of the verb, while led is the past tense (as well as past participle) for lead.Both words mean to guide someone or something. 2)She has led us through the year of difficulties. 1)You have led your group carefully and skilfully. Both lead and led are different forms of the same word. We will see some examples of the use of past participle of lead.But another object called lead (pronounced 'leeeed') is often attached to a dog to take it for a walk Many people also use the word lead to mean the past tense of 'to lead', as in leading something away from or towards. In this case its pronounced 'led' to rhyme with bed. In the second example, the past participle of lead, led, is used to describe an individual’s leading over a period of time. Lead as a noun can be a dark metal which is actually quite poisonous. In the first example, the past tense of lead, led, is used to describe an instance of leading in the past. She led the witness to believe differently. In both examples, lead is used in the present tense to describe an individual guiding others. Here are some definitions and examples to help clarify the tricky difference between these words. Lead rhymes with “deed” whereas led rhymes with “bed.” Lead is the present tense of the verb, while led is the past tense (as well as past participle) for lead. Aside from the similar spellings, people might get confused because. Both are different forms of the same word. Led (which rhymes with head) is the past tense of the verb lead (which rhymes with need). Lead and led may look and sound similar, but they have different meanings and uses.
