Taught vs taut
Taught is the past form of teach, as in she taught math. Taut is an adjective that means pulled tight, like a stretched rope.
Taught comes from teach, just as caught comes from catch.
taught verb
The past tense and past participle of teach, as in she taught, she has taught, and it was taught.
- The professor taught chemistry for twenty years.
- My grandmother taught me how to bake bread.
taut adjective
Pulled or stretched tight, like a rope or a sail.
- Keep the rope taut while I tie the knot.
- The wind kept the sails taut all afternoon.
Watch out
- The two words can be pronounced exactly the same, so you have to pick by meaning when you write.
- Taut can also describe a book or film that is brief and controlled, with nothing extra in it.The movie is a taut thriller with no wasted scenes.
- Taut can describe a person too. It can mean tense and anxious, or having a lean, firm body.Her face was taut with worry as she waited for the news.
Test yourself
Pull the tent line until it is blank.
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taut. It describes the line as stretched tight.
Mr. Lee blank us how to solve the problem.
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taught. It is the past of teach. He showed us how.
She has blank piano lessons for ten years.
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taught. After has you need the past participle of teach, which is also taught.
The skin of a drum must be stretched blank.
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taut. It describes the drum skin as pulled tight.