Burned or Burnt?

Differences Between US and UK Grammar #2 - Burned vs. Burnt?

"Burned" or "burnt"? Which is the correct spelling?

Burned and burnt are both past tense for the verb burn.

In the 🇺🇸US (American English):

Burned is the only past tense of the verb burn.
Either burned or burnt can be used as an adjective.

In the 🇬🇧UK (British English):

Either burnt or burned can be used as the past tense of the verb burn.
Either burned or burnt can be used as an adjective.

In both American and British English, both burned and burnt can be used as adjectives, but burnt is generally more common, especially when the adjective directly precedes the noun it is describing as so: burnt toast, burnt eggs, and burnt orange color.

As a verb

🇺🇸US: I burned my tongue.

🇬🇧UK: I burnt/burned my tongue.

As an adjective

🇺🇸US: I like my toast burnt/burned.

🇬🇧UK: I like my toast burnt/burned.

Example sentences

The building was burnt to the ground, only leaving behind ashes.

I burned my hand when I placed it on the hot stove.

She wore a burnt orange-colored sweater to her first day of school.

Watson burned metal and glass in his workshop and sold his products online.

The candle burned all day and night, giving off a subtle honey scent.

Santiago had burnt the eggs because he was too absorbed in watching the football match.

Violet’s books were already burned to ashes and were unsalvageable.

Other similar verbs

There are other past tense verbs in the English language that have both -t and -ed variants. British English tends to lean toward the -t variant of verbs while American English always uses the -ed version of the verbs.

dreamt, dreamed (see "Dreamt or Dreamed?" for more)
dwelt, dwelled
knelt, kneeled
leapt, leaped
learnt, learned
smelt, smelled
spelt, spelled
spilt, spilled

Practice questions

Because burned and burnt can be used as both a past tense verb and adjective in British English, let us see if you can distinguish which to use in American English. The answer to some questions will be both burnt and burned.

I burned/burnt my foot on a George Foreman grill in the morning.
Natalie loves her meat burned/burnt and crispy.
Where did you buy that burned/burnt yellow beanie?
The campfire burned/burnt fiercely in the night.
The toxic gas made her cough and burned/burnt her eyes.
Can you please throw away the burned/burnt matches before we start eating the birthday cake?
His face burned/burnt with embarrassment when he got caught staring at the new employee.
The HR manager’s eyes burned/burnt with passion as he made his announcement about the new bidet toilets that were being installed in the company’s bathrooms.
Did you know burned/burnt hair has a distinct and unique smell that may cause cancer when inhaled?