Aloud vs Allowed? When and How to Use These Correctly

If English is your second language, and you tend to often get confused between similar sounding words or “homophones”, the uncertainty you get caught up in now and again is understandable to a degree. If you’re a native English speaker, however, using homophones interchangeably is outright silly and unacceptable. Unfortunately, with words such as “aloud” and “allowed”, such confusions or glaring mistakes are not rare.

“Aloud” is an adverb meaning “out loud”. The verb “allowed”, on the other hand, is the past participle of “allow”. The two terms sound the same but have dissimilar spellings and even more disparate meanings. Therefore, remember the two words’ meanings, and you’ll know when and how to use them in texts.

If you’d like to learn a bit more about using the two terms in varied writing contexts and want some example sentences to boot, alongside a host of other useful information about them, read on.

“Aloud” and “Allowed” – Comparing the Two Terms

As mentioned above, the words “aloud” and “allowed” have a similar sound. However, their meanings are in stark contrast to each other.

Aloud – Definition

The adverb “aloud” denotes things spoken “out loud” or at a reasonably audible volume or in a distinct tone. People usually talk “aloud” inadvertently, expressing their thoughts without any filter or curation.

A more archaic meaning or alternate phrase for the word is “speak loudly”. The term “aloud” also sounds quite a bit like the expression “out loud”. It goes without saying that the word “aloud” means the complete opposite of “speaking in one’s head” or “speaking quietly”.

Allowed – Definition

The verb “allowed” means “gave permission” or “permitted” or having “acknowledged the acceptability or truth of something”. “Allowed” also means permitting someone to have something. For example, “A grandmother allowed her grandkids to eat multiple cups of ice cream.”

The word “allowed” is the past participle and simple past tense of the verb “allow”. Although “allowed” and “permitted” are synonymous, the former is less formal and, therefore, more commonly used in writings and oral communication.

Differentiating “Aloud” and “Allowed” from Each Other

Unlike most homophones, “aloud” and “allowed” do not have extremely similar spellings. Remembering how to spell them, therefore, should not be an issue for most people. And the unalike spellings could also help with remembering the respective meanings of the words.

Since “aloud” borrows letters from the phrase “out loud”, remembering its meaning should not be an issue. Similarly, as “allowed” is the past tense of “allow”, almost none with basic English knowledge will struggle remembering what the word means.

The suffix “-ed” at the end of the word “allowed” is also an easy way to remember the two words’ spellings. Also, remember that “aloud” is an adverb, and “allowed” is a verb. An adverb rarely ends with “-ed”. The suffix “-ed” is quite commonly used to construct verbs.

However, the confusion between the two words usually arises in speech, as both words sound identical when pronounced.

To mitigate the confusion, look at the context in which the two words are being used. Since you already know the meanings of the two words, linking it with the sentence it is likely to be used in should be a clear giveaway.

Using the Word “Aloud” in Sentences

The word “aloud” is usually employed to replace “out loud”. It functions as an adverb, which means saying something vocally.

• She reads the sentences aloud, and then she immediately cuts to reading the next set of texts silently in her head.

“Out loud” is not an archaic phrase by any stretch of the imagination, but it could sound a tad unpolished, making “aloud” a solid substitute. Not to mention, both the phrases are fully established and can be used interchangeably often.

Compared to “out loud”, “aloud” is a much older word – believed to be around as a valid term since the 13th century. For “out loud” to be perceived as “archaic,” especially with “aloud” being the older term, is kind of peculiar.

In specific scenarios, however, “out loud” is preferred over “aloud”. Those include in phrases such as “laughing out loud” and “for crying out loud“. If you use “aloud” instead of “out loud” in the two phrases, it won’t be incorrect, but the flow may not be the best.

• And the very first time the audience laughed out loud at my jokes, it felt exhilarating.
• And the very first time the audience laughed aloud at my jokes, it felt exhilarating.

The first sentence with “out loud” clearly reads much better than the sentence right below it.

“Out loud” usually pairs well with “laugh” or variations of the word than “aloud”. But then, it’s up to the writer or what they choose between the two.

Despite the preferential treatment “out loud” gets in certain contexts, the usage of the term “aloud” is increasing. One of the reasons for the same is believed to be the “colloquialism” tag that some language commenters (incorrectly) attach to “out loud”.

“Out loud” is believed to be a more conversational phrase and, as a result, not widely used in formal writings. And those who are particular about succinctness, they too tend to go with “aloud” mostly.

However, current usage of the two terms indicates “out loud” isn’t colloquialism—although “aloud” is more likely to be used in formal or solemn writing—the two terms can be interchangeably used in general.

Here are a few sentences illustrating “out loud” is not colloquial after all:

• For most people, one of their vivid childhood memories is listening to their mom reading a book or narrating a story out loud.
• The whole idea of retirement feels vaguely embarrassing or shameful. Within my circles, the word “retirement” is seldom spoken out loud.

If you are confused between using “aloud” and “allowed” in your sentence, try using the phrase “out loud” instead. If it fits in, “aloud” is the correct term. If not, “allowed” or some other term should be used. For example:

• Read the paragraph aloud. (Correct)
• Read the paragraph out loud. (Also correct)

If the word “allowed” is used in place of “aloud” or “out loud” above, the sentence will be wrong.

Example Sentences with the Word “Aloud”

The following sentences should give you a clear idea of the multiple contexts in which the word “aloud” is used:

• She read the essay aloud for the entire class to hear.
• They laughed aloud, seeing the man falling over.
• I am just thinking aloud.
• He read the paragraphs aloud, and she snorted.
• The two were laughing aloud.
• He laughed aloud at her reaction, only to cover his mouth right after when he realized other diners glanced his way.
• The birds chirping aloud made the morning even more beautiful.
• The team members talked aloud during the meeting, which didn’t go down well with the manager.
• When we were in primary school, the teacher always read aloud to us.
• Reading aloud when learning a language could help a bit with remembering the words and their pronunciations.
• The teacher asked her to read the poem aloud.
• She immediately turned flippant, secretly, not aloud.
• “What will I do now?” he wondered aloud.
• She cried aloud during the protest.

Using the Word “Allowed” in Sentences

As mentioned before, the word “allowed” is a verb. It can, however, also work as an adjective (albeit rarely) in certain writing scenarios.

In this sentence, “Skiing is allowed”, the verb “allowed” is used in a passive voice context. It doesn’t look like it has been used as an adjective still. But if you try to make a case for it, “allowed” could seem like a predicate adjective.

Another word for “allowed” is “legal”, which means the above sentence can also be written as “Skiing is legal”. Since “legal” is an adjective, “allowed”, the replacement term for it in the above sentence, can also be considered an adjective.

Kindly note, if the subject is an individual, the word “allowed” will never be an adjective. For example:

• She is allowed three proper meals a day.
• She is legal three proper meals a day. (Incorrect)

Example Sentences with the Word “Allowed”

Here is a list of sentences using the verb “allowed”:

• She is not allowed to carry scissors in her bag.
• They allowed her an hour to prepare for the test.
• The money she earned last month allowed her to purchase a new laptop.
• Mobile phones were not allowed in the classroom.
• Driving fast is not allowed in this area.
• People are not allowed to smoke in most pubs in England.
• Is swimming allowed here?
• They were allowed dessert only if they finished their vegetables.

Conclusion

Like a true homophone, “aloud” and “allowed” sound quite similar when pronounced. However, unlike most homophones, the spellings of the two terms are quite different. And the meanings are even more diverse. Remembering the spellings of these two words or their definitions should, therefore, not be difficult.

However, you may have trouble discerning one from the other when you’re just listening to the words when spoken out. As mentioned above, in such scenarios, look at the context of the sentences in which the two words appear. Noting the tone and volume of the other person’s voice would also offer important clues.