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'Read' and its past tense are spelled the same. How should they be spelled? (lemmy.world)

submitted 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) by IncogCyberspaceUser@lemmy.world to c/asklemmy@lemmy.world

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What about similar oddities in English?
(This question is inspired by this comic by https://www.exocomics.com/193/ (link found by BunScientist@lemmy.zip)) Edit: it's to its in the title. Damn autocorrect.

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[-] SnotFlickerman 16 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

Pretty sure the past tense of "lead" is actually "led."

Unless of course you're referring to the type of metal, lead, which I guess the meme isn't clear on.

[-] moondoggie@lemmy.world 51 points 1 week ago

Pretty sure there’s a chemical element named “lead”

[-] _edge@discuss.tchncs.de 10 points 1 week ago

I heard lead leads in weight.

[-] stinerman@midwest.social 5 points 1 week ago

Interesting if true.

[-] lugal@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 points 1 week ago

And German has a word for it: Blei

[-] gramie@lemmy.ca 2 points 1 week ago

That would explain why a pencil, which contains a "lead" (actually a polymer or graphite now) is Bleistift

[-] lugal@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 points 1 week ago

Some call it differently because it doesn't contain lead anymore but Bleistift is still the common name

[-] leadore@lemmy.world 17 points 1 week ago

It's not saying anything about past tenses in that meme, it's just saying that each word has two different pronunciations that rhyme with the other.

[-] AnUnusualRelic@lemmy.world 5 points 1 week ago

What's not clear? It's written right there!

[-] inclementimmigrant@lemmy.world 4 points 1 week ago

It's all about led vs lēd.

this post was submitted on 23 Sep 2025

546 points (100.0% liked)

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