Past Tense of Let
For the ordinary allow/permit verb, “let” follows the zero-change pattern let → let → let. Merriam-Webster separately records an archaic verb “let” meaning hinder or prevent with the forms “letted” and “letted or let”; that separate historical sense should not be used to manufacture “letted” as the ordinary past of allow/permit.
For the ordinary verb “let” meaning allow or permit, the simple past and past participle are both “let.”
Key details
Choose the right form
| Meaning / situation | Form / construction | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| ordinary simple past: allow/permit | let | Use “let.” |
| ordinary past participle after have/has/had | let | Use “let.” |
| present/base-form context | let | The spelling is also “let”; surrounding grammar identifies the role. |
| archaic separate verb meaning hinder/prevent | letted or let | Treat this as a separate historical sense, not as the ordinary allow/permit paradigm. |
Quick tests
Verb-form test
Are you using ordinary modern “let” in the sense of allowing, permitting, causing, releasing, or giving access?
If yes: Use “let” for both the simple past and past participle.
If no: If the text uses the separate archaic hinder/prevent verb, its historical inflection needs to be treated separately.
Caveat: The archaic “letted” evidence belongs to a different verb sense; do not present it as the normal past of allow/permit.
Examples
Her parents let her stay out late last Saturday.
“Let” is the simple past of the ordinary allow/permit verb.
They had let the guests inside before the storm arrived.
“Let” is the past participle after “had.”
We usually let the paint dry overnight.
The same spelling appears in a present-time context; grammar rather than spelling distinguishes the role.
Further guidance
Core difference
Use “let” for the simple past and past participle of the ordinary verb meaning allow, permit, cause, release, or give access.
Fast Test
If the intended verb is ordinary modern “let,” the past form stays “let”; do not add -ed merely because the sentence is past.
Usage Boundary
Keep ordinary zero-change “let” separate from Merriam-Webster’s archaic hinder/prevent verb, where “letted” is separately recorded.
Sources and evidence
Sources are shown with the role they play in this guide. Historical or style-sensitive claims are kept within the evidence boundary described above.
- LET Definition & Meaning - Merriam-Webster (opens in a new tab)Merriam-Webster · Merriam-Webster records ordinary let with the zero-change inflection “let; letting; lets”; it separately records an archaic hinder sense with “letted; letted or let.”
- LET | English meaning - Cambridge Dictionary (opens in a new tab)Cambridge University Press · Cambridge records let as both the past tense and past participle of the ordinary verb let.