What is the difference between the words dreamt & dreamed. learnt & learned, spilt & spilled etc.?

Question

Why is it that when someone yawns, you also feel like yawning and vice versa..and it also catches onto the others around you?

Answer 1

"Dreamt, Learnt, and Spilt" are primarily British spellings, while "dreamed, learned and spilled" are primarily American. Both forms are correct, depending on the audience

Answer 2

The "t" ending is more old-fashioned, now mainly used in poety and song lyrics.



Yawning is indeed contagious, but I have never understood why. Maybe it is because it is primate behavior (monkeys do it, too), and primates are hooked on imitation. "Monkey see, monkey do" is not just a cliche, but an observation of monkey behavior. That is, we yawn because we are primates!

Answer 3

I agree - yawning is contagious but I don't know why....and I didn't know that difference between British and American spelling...thanks for sharing this information

Answer 4

dreamt= to anticipate vaguely

dreamed= concieved of or imagined or hoped

learnt=to gain knowledge by learning

learned= of or pretaining to learning or characterized by learning scholarly.

split= it is a verb meaning decorating by ivory or copper.

spilled= to suffer or fall



this is different from spill which means falling and spreading of liquid.

Answer 5

Jay H is right. These versions of the words are in flux in English right now, so both versions are acceptable.

Answer 6

Yeah, what she said...also using the word learnt doesnt seem to be as common in the US.

Answer 7

This is just the beginning of the modernizing of English language (ex. thru=through madafaka=youknow)

Answer 8

dreamt, dreamed, leaped, leapt, etc--no difference. can be used interchangeably.



yawning is contagious