Dreamed or Dreamt? Verbs With Two Correct Past Forms
Quick Answer
Some verbs have two past forms and both are correct: I dreamed or I dreamt. The -ed form is standard in American English; the -t form is common in British English. Nobody will mark either one wrong.
See the Pattern First
Each line shows the same meaning, twice.
- I dreamed about the sea. / I dreamt about the sea.
- She learned Spanish. / She learnt Spanish.
- He spilled the milk. / He spilt the milk.
- The food spoiled. / The food spoilt.
Both columns are real English. This is one of the few places where you genuinely cannot be wrong — so relax and pick one.
The Full List
Choose a column and stay in it within one piece of writing.
| Verb | Past | With have/has/had |
|---|---|---|
| dream | dreamed / dreamt | dreamed / dreamt |
| learn | learned / learnt | learned / learnt |
| spill | spilled / spilt | spilled / spilt |
| spoil | spoiled / spoilt | spoiled / spoilt |
| sneak | sneaked / snuck | sneaked / snuck |
| leap | leaped / leapt | leaped / leapt |
| smell | smelled / smelt | smelled / smelt |
These come up often, so they have their own full lesson with more practice: the past tense of leap and the past tense of smell.
Which One Should You Use?
If you are learning American English, or taking TOEFL, use the -ed forms: dreamed, learned, spilled. If you are learning British English, or taking IELTS or Cambridge exams, either works, but -t forms sound natural: dreamt, learnt, spilt.
The one real rule is consistency. Do not write “I learnt Spanish and dreamed in it” — pick one style for the whole piece of writing. Examiners notice mixing far more than they notice which form you chose.
Both are correct. Just stay consistent.
One Special Case: Spoilt
Spoilt and spoiled split apart when used as adjectives:
- A spoilt child — badly behaved because of too much attention (British).
- Spoiled food — food that has gone bad. Both varieties use “spoiled” here.
So for food, “spoiled” is the safer choice everywhere.
More Verbs With Two Past Forms
Four more verbs where British English often uses both past forms. Take them one at a time.
Step 1: Lean: Leaned or Leant
The past tense of lean is leaned or leant. Both are correct. Americans say leaned. Many British people say leant (it sounds like “lent”).
Every day: I lean on the desk.
Yesterday: I leaned on the desk. (US) or I leant on the desk. (UK)
Examples:
- I lean on the wall when I am tired. (now — it happens often)
- She leaned her bike against the fence. (past — American English)
- She leant her bike against the fence. (past — British English)
Common mistake
Using the base form “lean” for the past
✗ Yesterday I lean on the wall.
✓ Yesterday I leaned on the wall.
✓ Yesterday I leant on the wall.
Step 2: Shine: Shone or Shined
Both shined and shone are correct past tense forms of shine. Use shined when someone does something to an object (like polishing shoes). Use shone when something gives light by itself (like the sun or stars).
Examples:
- He shined his shoes before the meeting. (He did something to the shoes.)
- The sun shone brightly all morning. (The sun gave light by itself.)
- She shined the flashlight on the map. (She pointed the light at something.)
Common mistake
✗ Wrong: He shone his shoes before the interview.
✓ Correct: He shined his shoes before the interview.
(There is an object — “his shoes” — so we use shined.)
How to remember: Think of it this way — if you can ask “shined what?” and get an answer (shined the shoes, shined the flashlight), then shined is correct. If you cannot ask “shined what?” because there is no object, use shone.
Step 3: Spell: Spelled or Spelt
Both spelled and spelt are correct. In American English, use spelled. In British English, you can use spelled or spelt. Neither one is wrong.
Examples:
- Yesterday, she spelled every word on the test. (American English)
- He spelt his name wrong on the form. (British English)
- The teacher has spelled out the rules for us. (American English)
Common mistake
✗ “Spelt” is always wrong — only use “spelled.”
✓ Both are correct. Use “spelled” in American English. Use “spelled” or “spelt” in British English.
How to remember: Spelt and Britain both have a t. British English often uses spelt; American English almost always uses spelled.
Step 4: Burn: Burned or Burnt
The past tense of burn is burned or burnt. Both are correct. “Burned” is more common in American English. “Burnt” is more common in British English.
Every day: The candle burns slowly.
Yesterday: She burned the toast.
Yesterday (British): She burnt the toast.
Examples:
- The fire burns every evening. (now — it happens often)
- She burned the old letters yesterday. (past — American English)
- She burnt the old letters yesterday. (past — British English)
Common mistake
Saying “burnted”
✗ She burnted the dinner.
✓ She burned the dinner.
✓ She burnt the dinner.
How to remember: “Burned” keeps the full word “burn” and adds -ed. “Burnt” keeps the full word “burn” and adds -t. Never drop letters or add extra ones.
Mistakes Learners Make (You Are Not Alone)
The mistakes here are about consistency, not correctness:
- ✗ I learnt and then I dreamed → ✓ I learnt and then I dreamt (do not mix styles in one text)
- ✗ sneaked is wrong → ✓ sneaked is correct (“snuck” is also correct and now very common)
- ✗ spilt milk in a US exam → ✓ spilled milk (use -ed forms for American English tests)
Notice the middle one — some people insist “snuck” is not real English. It is. Both “sneaked” and “snuck” appear in every major dictionary.
Your Turn — Quick Quiz
Five questions. Take your time — the table above is still there if you need it.
1. Which of these is CORRECT?
2. For an American English exam, the better choice is:
3. Which describes a badly behaved child (British English)?
4. Is “snuck” acceptable English?
5. What is the MAIN rule when a verb has two forms?
Keep Going
A group where you cannot lose. Enjoy it.
Now the patterns get interesting. Drink, drank, drunk. Sing, sang, sung. Three forms, three vowels, always in the same order. Once you hear it, you can guess verbs you have never studied.
Next lesson: The i-a-u pattern: drink, drank, drunk
Sources
I’m Khamis Maiouf. I’m studying Health and Social Care and have completed Functional Skills Level 2 in English and Level 3 Hairdressing. I have taught ESOL in my community and helped students with GCSE English. I run English Teacher Site to help people learn and practise English.