pled

Pled is a verb form used in English with two common origins: it can be the past tense of pledge, meaning to promise or to provide something as security, and it can be the past tense of plead, meaning to make an argument in court or to beg for something. In American English, both forms appear in everyday writing and speech, though the preferred past tense can vary by context.

As the past tense of pledge, pled is widely understood and used in casual and formal contexts alike. Examples include “They pled their support” and “She pledged a gift to the fundraiser.” The past participle of pledge is typically pledged, though in informal speech you may also hear “pledged” used as a participle in some constructions.

As the past tense of plead, pled is very common in American usage. It appears in sentences such as “The defendant pled guilty” or “They pled their case.” In British English, the more formal form pleaded is often preferred for plead, or pleaded may be used to maintain traditional grammar.

Regional and stylistic notes emphasize that many editors favor pleaded for the past tense of plead in formal writing, while pled is generally acceptable in American informal contexts. For the verb pledge, pledged remains a standard, widely used past tense and past participle form, with pled appearing as a less formal variant in American English.

See also: pledge, plead, pleadings.