There are several unrelated nouns spelled lead: one most commonly refers to a metal (as in, "The paint was made with lead"), and the other most commonly refers to a position of advantage (as in, "Our team was in the lead"). Lead is both a noun and a verb, as most people know. Or, we should say, there is confusion about the leads and led. This post contains affiliate links.There is some persistent confusion about lead and led. There you have it! Now go forth and be leaders in the correct use of this finicky verb. The past tense of “lead” is “led,” whereas the homophone “lead” is a physical element. Thus, you can always remember that you make the word “lead” past tense by taking something away from it (namely, the letter “a”) - whereas the word referring to the stuff that isn’t actually in pencils is its whole, own separate concept. Which makes sense, since we lose a bit of immediacy when we’re talking about something that happened in the past. The past tense of “lead” is a word with three letters. But if you can remember this one simple rule, you’ll never accidentally use the wrong one again. So what can you do to remember the difference forever? Here’s an easy way to remember the past tense of leadĪlthough “lead” (like the material) and “led” (like the past tense of the verb lead ) sound the same, they have very different meanings. But any writer who’s been at it for a while knows how easily these simple changes can slip out of our minds. Like we said above, it seems simple enough. Two weeks ago, I led the stand-up meeting… but these days, my intern has been giving it a try. Go figure!īut anyway, that’s the short answer to the question. Rather, the “lead” we refer to when we’re talking about our favorite erasable writing instrument is actually graphite, which Wikipedia informs us is “a crystalline form of the element carbon with its atoms arranged in a hexagonal structure.” Along with leaving marks on paper, it’s also used in batteries, electrodes, solar panels and even lubricants. Okay, okay - to be fair, there actually isn’t any real lead in modern day pencils, because, as we now know, the stuff is pretty darn toxic. The past tense of “lead” is “led,” which is not to be confused with the separate and distinct noun, “lead,” which sounds the same, but refers to the stuff you find inside your pencil. It can also sometimes be used in noun form to refer to the person or entity in the leading position. Lead is, in most cases, a verb meaning to guide, initiate, conduct, or show. In this post, we lead you into a more comprehensive understanding of this tricky tense change - and give you a mnemonic to ensure you never forget the past tense of lead again! Okay, so: What’s the past tense of lead? And you’re also allowed to learn the simple rule that’ll keep you from ever having to type the phrase “past tense of lead” into Google again. If that sounds confusing, it’s because it is! But don’t worry, you’re allowed to be confused. After all, there’s another word that sounds exactly like it in our language…and it’s a noun (✏️) that’s spelled exactly like the present tense of the verb. It may seem like a little thing, but for some of us (ahem, like me), the past tense of “lead” is actually pretty elusive. You may lead a discussion, a writers’ group or a parade - but how do you explain your role when it happened in the past?
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