Leaped or Leapt?
It’s time to settle the dispute in the battle of leaped vs. leapt (vs. lept). Which one is correct? Find out here.
Q: I've seen it written both ways: "leaped" and "leapt." Which is correct? —Tony V.
A: He leaped off the building. She leapt off the building. This may surprise you, but both "leapt" and "leaped" are acceptable past-tense and past-participial forms of the verb "leap." It's fine to use either one.
According to Garner's Modern American Usage, traditionalists prefer "leapt," so if you want to keep the grammar curmudgeons happy, stick with that. But if you're more of a nonconformist (and I'm TOTALLY a nonconformist), choose "leaped" so you can feel like a rule-breaker (even if you aren't actually breaking any usage rules).
The only common error sneaking its way into the works is "lept," which is just a misspelling of "leapt." Avoid that, and you'll be fine.
Brian A. Klems is the former Senior Online Editor of Writer’s Digest, and author of Oh Boy, You’re Having a Girl (Adams Media/Simon & Schuster). Follow him on Twitter @BrianKlems.