Lighted

How to spell lighted

7 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce lighted

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does lighted mean?

1. verbPast tense and past participle of 'light': set burning, or supplied with light.
2. adjectiveProvided with light; illuminated.

Lighted in a sentence

• verb

  She lighted the candles before the guests arrived.

• adjective

  A brightly lighted kitchen made the early mornings feel less grim.

• verb

  He lighted a small fire in the stone hearth to warm the cabin.

• adjective

  The well lighted stairwell helped tenants feel safer at night.

Where does lighted come from?

Language of origin: Germanic

This is a regular past-tense and participle form of the verb 'light', which descends from the Old English verb lihtan, meaning 'to set on fire' or 'to make bright', itself built on the noun leoht, the Old English word for brightness or daylight. The whole family is Germanic in origin, with close cousins in Dutch licht and German Licht, all tracing back to an ancient root meaning 'to shine'. Both 'lighted' and the shorter 'lit' have coexisted for centuries as past forms, and 'lighted' is the older, more regular pattern that simply adds the standard -ed ending. The form survives strongly in adjective use, as in a 'lighted window', even where speakers prefer 'lit' as the plain verb. The spelling is straightforward once you remember it is simply the base word 'light' with -ed attached, with no doubling or dropping of letters.

How the word is built

• light (Old English leoht: illumination, brightness)
• -ed (past tense / participle suffix)