Present and past tense
lead vs led
Meaning, pronunciation, and examples
Lead, pronounced LEED, is the present-tense verb. Led, pronounced LED, is its past-tense form. The spelling “lead” can also name a metal, where it is pronounced exactly like led.
Reference accent
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American English
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Word 1
lead
present-tense verb
To guide, direct, or be in front of a person or group.
US pronunciation
/liːd/
UK IPA
/liːd/
Hear three samples
How to pronounce it
For the verb, hold the long EE sound before touching the tongue behind your teeth for D.
Word 2
led
past-tense verb
Guided or directed someone or something in the past.
US pronunciation
/led/
UK IPA
/led/
Hear three samples
How to pronounce it
Use the short E in “bed”; do not stretch it into the EE sound of the present tense.
Sound contrast
How to tell them apart
For the verb lead, hold the long EE vowel. For led, use the short E in “bed.” Keep the final D light but audible in both.
Meaning and usage
What is the difference between lead and led?
Use lead for guiding now, habitually, or in the future. Use led for guiding in the past. Be careful with the separate noun lead, the metal: it has the same short vowel as led even though its spelling is unchanged.
Listen in context
Six example sentences
Context makes both the meaning and the natural rhythm easier to hear. Every sentence has its own playback.
Examples with
lead
- She will lead the project this year.
- This path leads directly to the lake.
- Clear examples lead to better decisions.
Examples with
led
- She led the project last year.
- The old road led us back to town.
- The evidence led them to a new conclusion.
Try it yourself
Find the words your listener may hear differently
These sounds can overlap in natural speech, so a transcript cannot prove that one pronunciation is right or wrong. Use it as one clue alongside context.