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When to Use Lead or Led
There is some persistent confusion about lead and led. Or, we should say, there is confusion about the leads and led. Lead is both a noun and a verb, as most people know. 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"). The verb lead is pronounced /LEED/, with a long e; the noun that refers to a position or advantage is also pronounced /LEED/, with a long e; the noun that refers to the metal, however, is pronounced /LED/, with a short e. To this moderately convoluted situation, add the past tense and past participle of the verb lead, which is led and pronounced like the metal noun lead with a short e. The homophonic confusion leads to homographic confusion, and you will therefore occasionally see lead in constructions where led is called for (as in, “She lead the ducklings to safety” instead of “She led the ducklings to safety”). The correct past and past participle of lead is spelled led. If you aren’t sure whether to use led or lead as the verb in your sentence, try reading it aloud to yourself. If the verb is pronounced /LED/, use led.
Examples of led in a Sentence
Ariana Yaptangco, Glamour, 21 Feb. 2025
Replace standard bulbs with light-emitting diodes (LED).
—Evan Moore, Charlotte Observer, 20 Feb. 2025
Practical functions such as smartphone connectivity, radio signal time syncing, and bright LED backlight are useful for daily work life and travel.
—Bhanu Chopra, Forbes, 20 Feb. 2025
Tim Jackson, owner of Urban Lighting, is a big fan of LED technology and believes an Edison base, or screw-in LED lamp is preferable, especially in a warmer color range (2700k to 3000k).
—Caron Golden, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for led
Articles Related to led
Cite this Entry
“Led.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/led. Accessed 28 Feb. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
led
1 of 2past and past participle of lead
LED
2 of 2 nounNoun
light-emitting diode
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