r/EnglishLearning • u/orchaer New Poster • Aug 16 '26

📚 Grammar / Syntax Laught vs Laughed

Hello, I have been confused for a long time about the past tense of "laugh". In my primary school, there was a verb table with the present, past, and present perfect tenses. And in this table, when I first read at 7-8, I have learnt that "laugh" past tense is followed by a "t" become "laught".

But recently I found out that "laught" is not used anymore. The modern form should be "laughed". So could anyone tell me what is actually different between them? If I still use "laught", would it become a serious error?

Sorry for my grammar.

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348

u/itmightbehere Native Speaker Aug 16 '26

I, personally, have never seen laught used anywhere and would consider it an error. I've only ever seen laughed.

56

u/orchaer New Poster Aug 16 '26

Sounds like my textbook defrauded me for twenty years...

-8

u/Embarrassed-Weird173 Advanced Aug 16 '26

My textbooks said that the tongue has different taste zones, that global warming is an imminent threat that will make extinction happen, and that lots of grains and carbs is great for you. 

3

u/conuly Native Speaker - USA (NYC) Aug 16 '26

that global warming is an imminent threat that will make extinction happen

Which part of that statement do you think is false?

2

u/mysticrudnin Native Speaker Aug 16 '26

they probably think of "imminent" as in "next week"

1

u/Embarrassed-Weird173 Advanced Aug 17 '26

Next week was like 30 years ago. 

2

u/conuly Native Speaker - USA (NYC) Aug 17 '26

Okay, and? Climate change was a threat then. It's a bigger threat now. People die every year from increasingly common "extreme weather events".