Is It Dreamed or Dreamt? | Spelling, Difference & Examples
Dreamed and dreamt are two ways of spelling the past tense of the verb “dream,” which means “to experience sensations, images, and thoughts during sleep.”
- In American English, “dreamed” is standard, but “dreamt” is also considered acceptable.
- In British English, “dreamt” is most common, but “dreamed” is also correct.
It’s important to choose one spelling and use it consistently. The QuillBot Grammar Checker can help you with this.
Larissa often dreamed/dreamt of traveling to new destinations and meeting people.
As a young writer, Pritha dreamed/dreamt of seeing her book on the bestseller list.
Dreamed up or dreamt up
Dreamed up or dreamt up is the past tense form of the phrasal verb to dream up, which means “to concoct” or “to imagine.”
- In American English, “dreamed up” is standard, but “dreamt up” is also considered acceptable.
- In British English, “dreamt up” is most common, but “dreamed up” is also correct.
Maureen dreamed up/dreamt up a unique dish for the new menu.
I don’t think that’s true. It seems like something you dreamed up/dreamt up.
Dream as a regular or irregular verb
Dream can be considered both a regular verb and an irregular verb, depending on the preferred spelling of the past tense
- Verbs that form their past tense by adding “-ed” are regular verbs.
- Verbs that get a different suffix are considered irregular.
Irregular forms of verbs that can be both regular and irregular are more common in British English. Other examples of verbs that are both irregular and regular are learnt or learned, spelt or spelled, burnt or burned, smelled or smelt, and kneeled or knelt.
Main differences between American and British English
American and British English are very similar, but there are a few main differences in spelling. Some differences are:
| Difference | Rule | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| -or vs -our | In American English, many Latin-derived words end in -or. | Behavior or behaviour Color or colour Favor or favour Flavor or flavour Favorite or favourite Honor or honour Humor or humour Labor or labour Neighbor or neighbour |
| In British English, these same words end in -our. | ||
| -er vs -re | In American English, some French, Latin, or Greek words end in -er. | Center or centre Fiber or fibre Theater or theatre |
| In British English, these same words end in -re. | ||
| -ize vs -ise | In American English, many Greek-derived words end in -yze or -ize. | Analyze or analyse Organization or organisation Realize or realise Recognize or recognise |
| In British English, these words end in -yse or -ise. | ||
| -ed vs -t | In American English, most verbs are regular and form their past tense with the suffix -ed. | Burned or burnt Dreamed or dreamt Kneeled or knelt Learned or learnt Smelled or smelt Spelled or spelt Spilled or spilt |
| In British English, some of these verbs are irregular and form their past tense with the suffix -t. | ||
| Single vs double consonant | In American English, many words are spelled with a single consonant. | Buses or busses Canceled or cancelled Counselor or counsellor Focused or focussed Labeled or labelled Modeling or modelling Traveling or travelling |
| In British English, these same words are often spelled with a double consonant. | ||
| Dropping vs retaining the “e” | In American English, “e” is often dropped when forming a noun from a verb | Acknowledgment or acknowledgement Aging or ageing Judgment or judgement |
| In British English, the “e” is often retained. | ||
| Different verb and noun spellings | In American English, most words have identical verb and noun spellings. | License or licence Practice or practise |
| In British English, some words have different spellings for the verb and noun forms. | ||
| Other spelling differences | There are many other spelling differences between the two English variants. | Airplane or aeroplane Aluminum or aluminium Check or cheque Cozy or cosy Defense or defence Dependent or dependant Enrollment or enrolment Fulfil or fulfill Gray or grey Jewelry or jewellery Karat or carat Mold or mould Offense or offence Pajamas or pyjamas Program or programme Skeptical or sceptical Tire or tyre |
Other interesting articles
If you want to know more about job applications, research, or idioms, make sure to check out some of our other articles with explanations and examples.
Job applications
Research
Frequently asked questions about dreamed or dreamt
- Is it I dreamed or I dreamt?
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Dreamed and dreamt are two spellings of the same verb. They’re both common, depending on the variant of English:
- Dreamed is more common in American English.
- Dreamt is more common in British English.
In both cases, the other variant of this past-tense verb is also considered acceptable. It’s important to choose one and use it consistently. The QuillBot Grammar Checker can help you with this.
- Is it dreamed or dreamt in British English?
-
Dreamed and dreamt are two spellings of the same verb. They’re both common, but dreamt is more common in British English (whereas dreamed is more common in American English).
It’s important to choose one and use it consistently. The QuillBot Grammar Checker can help you with this.
- It is daydreamed or daydreamt?
-
Dreamed and dreamt are two spellings of the same verb. They’re both common, depending on the variant of English:
- Dreamed up is more common in American English.
- Dreamt up is more common in British English.
In both cases, the other variant of this past-tense verb is also considered acceptable. It’s important to choose one and use it consistently. The QuillBot Grammar Checker can help you with this.
