lead and led are homophones: they are pronounced identically and spelled differently, which is why they are so often swapped. lead means “an advantage held by a competitor in a race”. led means “diode such that light emitted at a p-n junction is proportional to the bias current; color depends on the material used”. lead is the more common of the two in everyday English.
/ˈlɛd/
1.n.an advantage held by a competitor in a race
“he took the lead at the last turn”
2.n.a soft heavy toxic malleable metallic element; bluish white when freshly cut but tarnishes readily to dull grey
“the children were playing with lead soldiers”
3.n.evidence pointing to a possible solution
“the police are following a promising lead”
| lead | led | |
|---|---|---|
| Pronunciation | /ˈlɛd/ | /ˈlɛd/ |
| Said | led | led |
| Syllables | 1 | 1 |
| Letters | 4 | 3 |
| Parts of speech | noun, verb | noun |
| Senses | 31 | 1 |
| How common | Core | Common |
| Synonyms | none recorded | light-emitting diode |
/ˈlɛd/
1.n.diode such that light emitted at a p-n junction is proportional to the bias current; color depends on the material used