Sound-alike words
Allowed vs. Aloud
Allowed is the past form of allow and means permitted. Aloud is an adverb that means out loud, in a voice others can hear. Phones are not allowed in class; please read the poem aloud.
| Word | Part of speech | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| allowed | verb | permitted; the past tense and past participle of allow |
| aloud | adverb | in a voice that other people can hear; out loud |
Allowed
verb: permitted; the past tense and past participle of allow
- Dogs are not allowed on the beach in summer.
- My parents allowed me to stay up late on Friday.
Aloud
adverb: in a voice that other people can hear; out loud
- Priya read the instructions aloud to the whole group.
- I sometimes talk aloud to myself when I cook.
How to remember the difference
Aloud has loud inside it: if you say something aloud, people can hear it. Allowed comes from allow, so think of permission.
Good to know
Allowed also works as an adjective, as in the allowed amount of luggage. Aloud and out loud mean the same thing; aloud sounds a little more formal.
Spot the mistake
The teacher asked Ben to read his answer
allowed.aloud.Correct: The teacher asked Ben to read his answer aloud.
Are we
aloudallowed to bring snacks into the theater?Correct: Are we allowed to bring snacks into the theater?
Check yourself
Pick the word that fits each sentence.
1. Visitors are not to feed the ducks in the park.
Answer: allowed. The meaning is permitted, so it is allowed, the past form of allow.
2. She laughed when she read the funny email.
Answer: aloud. The meaning is out loud, so others could hear her, so it is aloud.