Planned or Planed – Which Spelling Is Correct?

Words in the English language can get confusing, especially for those that look almost alike. While a difference of one or two letters doesn’t seem much when reading or writing the word, it does make a unnegligble difference in the word’s meaning. Just like how ‘planned’ is different from ‘planed!’

Planned or Planed – Which Spelling Is Correct?

‘Planned’ and ‘planed’ are both correctly spelled words with two entirely different meanings. ‘Planned’ describes something that has already been decided on and organized as to how one will do it. ‘Planed,’ on the other hand, describes removing small strips of wood from a wooden surface.

While ‘planned’ and ‘planed’ may look alike, they are different and are not interchangeable with one another.

‘Planned’ is an adjective, a past participle, or a past tense verb of the word ‘plan’ which means decision-making, mapping out how to go about something, or organizing and preparing something ahead of time before a particular activity or event.

On the other hand, ‘planed’ is the past particle and past tense of ‘plane,’ which as a verb means removing small strips of wood from wooden surfaces, like doors or planks. The usage of ‘plane’ as a verb comes from the name of the tool to remove wood strips, which is also ‘plane.’ In a different flight, ‘plane’ could also refer to a mode of transportation that flies on air or a flat surface.

Given the difference in the meaning of the two words, ‘planned’ and ‘planed’ are not synonymous or interchangeable at all, and they should be used properly, according to their respective meanings.

Planned

‘Planned’ is a correct and valid word. From its root word, plan, to ‘plan’ means making decisions, preparing, and organizing things and prerequisites ahead of time for a particular event or activity. It is an arrangement of how things will be done in that activity.

‘Planned’ is used as a past participle, as a past tense verb, or as an adjective to describe that something is already planned out, or that all prerequisites are fixed and have been decided on.

According to the Cambridge Dictionary, ‘planned’ means ‘a set of decisions about how to do something in the future.’

Below are examples of using ‘planned,’ and its other variations, in a sentence.

1. Don’t worry, I have the party all planned out.
2. She was the one who planned to prank the teacher.
3. I appreciate your help in planning this event.
4. Was I even a part of your plan for the future?
5. The other group had already planned their presentation.
6. Let’s not plan to do anything bad to others.
7. I knew how hard you worked as you planned all this.

Planed

‘Planed’ is also a correct and valid word, though used less often than ‘planned.’ ‘Planed,’ as a verb, refers to the act of removing small, thin wooden strips from a wooden surface or furniture like a door, using a tool also called ‘plane.’

‘Planed’ is used as a past participle and a past tense form of the verb, ‘plane.’ ‘Plane,’ as a verb, comes from the name of the tool used to remove small wooden strips, which is, in itself, called ‘plane.’ If not a verb, ‘plane’ can also be a noun that means a means of transportation that flies on air, or a flat and even surface or level.

According to the Cambridge Dictionary, ‘planed,’ as a verb, and its other via is ‘to remove small strips of wood from a surface with a special tool.’

Below are examples of using ‘planed,’ and its other variations and meanings, in a sentence.

1. I planed off some wood on the door because it was sticking out.
2. Were you able to catch your flight and ride on the plane?
3. The rice planes look so nice and serene.
4. Can you plane off some wood from the sides of the table?
5. Planed-off wooden surfaces looks best as it has more finishing touches than other wood.
6. You might be discussing planes in Math.
7. I planed off some of the wood on the planks to avoid accidents.

Which Is Used the Most?

According to the Google Ngram Viewer, ‘planned’ is used more often than ‘planed.’

It is probably because ‘planned’ is a term used more in everyday activities, while ‘planed’ is specific to woodwork. It’s also important to note that ‘plane’ is more common as a noun than a verb.

Final Thoughts

‘Planned’ and ‘planed’ are both correct and valid words, and they differ in meaning. While ‘planning’ means and involves decision-making, preparing, and organizing things ahead of time, ‘planed’ involves removing wooden strips from wooden furniture or surfaces. The two words are also not interchangeable with one another.