Revised as of
21 Jan 2023
Lead and led can be a confusing word confusion, if only due to pronunciation. Lead itself is a homograph with the same spelling but two different pronunciations:
There is also an heterographic (a subset of homophone) side with Lead 2 and led.
Led is also a past tense or past participle of lead.
I suspect it’s more a case of spellcheck not being able to determine context and/or a typo on the writer’s part.
You may also want to explore “Lead versus Lede“.
Word Confusions . . .
. . . started as my way of dealing with a professional frustration with properly spelled words that were out of context in manuscripts I was editing as well as books I was reviewing. It evolved into a sharing of information with y’all. I’m hoping you’ll share with us words that have been a bête noire for you from either end.
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Lead | Led |
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Part of Grammar: | |
Adjective 1; Noun 1, 2, 3; Verb 1, intransitive & transitive Plural for the noun: leads Third person present verb: leads |
Morpheme: lead
Acronym; Combined form Verb 1, intransitive & transitive Third person present verb: leads |
Adjective: Most important 1
[Football; of a forward pass] Thrown ahead of the intended receiver so as to allow him to catch it while running [Baseball; of a base runner] Nearest to scoring Made of or containing lead Noun:
[the lead] A position of advantage in a contest
The chief part in a play or film
A leash for a dog or other animal A wire that conveys electric current from a source to an appliance, or that connects two points of a circuit together The distance advanced by a screw in one turn A channel, in particular:
[Chemistry] A heavy, bluish-gray, soft, ductile metal, the chemical element of atomic number 82. 2 An item or implement made of lead
Graphite used as the part of a pencil that makes a mark [Printing] A blank space between lines of print
The opening sentence or paragraph of a news article, summarizing the most important aspects of the story 3 |
The left column is also full of definitions for the root word, lead.
Acronym: [Electronics] Light-emitting diode
Combined form:
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lead and led
Verb, intransitive: Cause a person or animal to go with one by holding them by the hand, a halter, a rope, etc., while moving forward 1
Be in charge or command of
Be superior to competitors or colleagues
Initiate action in a game or contest
Verb, transitive:
Be in charge or command of
Be superior to competitors or colleagues
Have or experience a particular way of life Initiate action in a game or contest
[Printing] To insert leads between the lines of text To fix window glass in position with leads |
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Examples: | |
Adjective: The shooting will be the lead editorial. Dumbo is the lead elephant in the circus parade. Did you hear about Ray being promoted to lead designer? They forced the lead runner at third base on an attempted sacrifice. He was the lead author of a research paper. Noun: Detectives investigating the murder are chasing new leads. He went to a health fair, hoping to get some leads on a job. Setting up a social networking page can help you get numerous leads. The goal of marketing is to generate leads so the sales people can close them. It’s your lead. They were beaten 5–3 after twice being in the lead. The team held a slender one-goal lead. She had the lead in a new film. He took on the lead role after the principal died. He still looked like a romantic lead. That girl will be your lead dancer. The “pensions revolution” is the lead in the Times. Did you read the lead story in this morning’s Journal? The newswire will be offering two different leads for certain stories, so editors can pick and choose. You should see the flashy lead I bought for Spike. C’mon, c’mon, get the lead out. The lead in old plumbing pipes is poisonous over time. Shoot ’em full of lead! I prefer the lead in number 3 pencils. Lead has been used in roofing, plumbing, ammunition, storage batteries, radiation shields, etc., and its compounds have been used in crystal glass, as an antiknock agent in gasoline, and (formerly) in paints. The chemical symbol for lead is Pb. In print, the height of the lead determines how much space there is between two lines of print. The lead has been rewritten and the headline changed. Verb, intransitive: Closing the plant will lead to the loss of 300 jobs. Dallas was fortunate to lead 85–72. May was leading up to asking me to do her another favor. The runner leads from first, but was tagged on second. Verb, transitive: Nothing that I have read about the case leads me to the conclusion that anything untoward happened. They are waiting for an expansion of world trade to lead a recovery. There will be specific areas or skills in which other nations lead the world. The veteran jockey was leading the field. Nichols took the lead in the tournament after the twelfth hole. Now why would you lead with that ace? |
Acronym: We’ve started using LED bulbs. Light sources can be fluorescent tubes, optical fibers, or LEDs. “Easily keep these 200 LED lights charged with a USB plug-in installation, which can be plugged into your laptop or power bank” (Vittorio). Combined Form: It was a German-led European consortium. Their prosperity depends on export-led growth. It’s ideal as a market-led economy. Verb, intransitive: Adam led with a left. A small path led through the woods. Verb, transitive: The Italian military delegation was led by the Chief of Staff. The conference included sessions led by people with personal knowledge of the area. Since the forties he has led his own big bands. She’s led a completely sheltered life. She stood up and led her friend to the door. May has also led Charlie a merry dance. He’s led a dog’s life, for sure. |
Derivatives: | |
Adjective: leading, leadless, leady Noun: leader, leadership, leading, leads |
Adjective: un-led, well-led |
Phrasal Verb | |
lead off lead on lead out lead someone on lead up to |
lead off lead on lead out lead someone on lead up to |
History of the Word: | |
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C’mon, get it out of your system, bitch, whine, moan . . . which words are your pet peeves? Also, please note that I try to be as accurate as I can, but mistakes happen or I miss something. Email me if you find errors, so I can fix them . . . and we’ll all benefit!
Satisfy your curiosity about other Word Confusions on its homepage or more generally explore the index of self-editing posts. You may also want to explore Book Layout & Formatting Ideas, Formatting Tips, Grammar Explanations, Linguistics, Publishing Tips, the Properly Punctuated, Writing Ideas and Resources, and Working Your Website.
Resources for Lead versus Led
Apple Dictionary.com
Collins Dictionary: led
The Free Dictionary: lead, led
Vittorio, Julian. “The Best Twinkle Lights of 2022.” Popular Science. Updated 2 Dec 2022 <https://www.popsci.com/reviews/best-twinkle-lights/>.
Pinterest Photo Credits
Library, Leeds Castle, <https://visualhunt.com/photo/156961/>, is in the public domain and Pipes, <https://visualhunt.com/f2/photo/11865033694/8716736c4e/>, by davidmulder61, <https://visualhunt.com/author/fd8c59>, is under the CC BY-SA 2.0 license. Both are via VisualHunt. Professor by Crosa is under the CC BY 2.0 license, via Flickr.