# Which sounds better to you? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 17, 2005, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-sounds-better-to-you/304250 "2005-05-17T15:53:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Queen\_Bruin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/e274bd/32.png) [@Queen\_Bruin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Queen_Bruin)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2005, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-sounds-better-to-you/304250/21 "2005-05-18T01:30:15Z")
“Well-lit”. California, specifically north Los Angeles County. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2005, 4:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-sounds-better-to-you/304250/22 "2005-05-18T04:37:36Z")
I agree with the others that “well-lighted” speaks more to the quality than the quantity of light, although if the room has insufficient light for its purpose it probably isn’t well-lighted 🙂 I’ve spent a lot of time in Florida and Upstate New York (which is where I was born in FWIW.) ---
**Author:** ![Sternvogel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bc79bd/32.png) [@Sternvogel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sternvogel)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2005, 4:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-sounds-better-to-you/304250/23 "2005-05-18T04:48:58Z")
> [@Bippy the Beardless](#): > > 1. It was a well lighted room. > 2. It was a well lit room. > > Does one sound better to you than the other, or are they \*\*oth equal. When you reply also state where you are from to see if any variation is based on locality. I’d say there’s a subtle difference – “well-lighted” suggests aesthetically pleasing light (different colors of bulbs, perhaps, or interesting interplays of illumination and shadow), while “well-lit” simply suggests the appropriate level of light for the intended activity (reading, romantic dining, or whatever). I grew up in Northeast Ohio, but have lived in Indiana for the last four years. ---
**Author:** ![Lisa-go-Blind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Lisa-go-Blind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lisa-go-Blind)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2005, 4:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-sounds-better-to-you/304250/24 "2005-05-18T04:59:31Z")
I’ll go against the tide here. I’ve always been taught that “lit” is acceptable but that “lighted” is preferable. I vaguely remember hearing that “lit” is technically a colloquialism, much like “snuck,” that has managed to enter into the English language but that “lighted” is the ‘correct’ past tense . ---
**Author:** ![Lisa-go-Blind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Lisa-go-Blind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lisa-go-Blind)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2005, 5:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-sounds-better-to-you/304250/25 "2005-05-18T05:03:39Z")
Hit submit too soon. I also think “well-lighted” sounds better - it has a nice lilt that “well-lit” doesn’t have - but I’d probably be more likely to actually _say_ “well-lit.” I’m from Louisiana. ---
**Author:** ![JohnBckWLD](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d6d6ee/32.png) [@JohnBckWLD](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnBckWLD)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2005, 5:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-sounds-better-to-you/304250/26 "2005-05-18T05:39:46Z")
Lit - I guess it’s about the same as being _well hung_ as opposed to _well-hanged_ ---
**Author:** ![Hoops](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hoops/32/6408_2.png) [@Hoops](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hoops)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2005, 7:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-sounds-better-to-you/304250/27 "2005-05-18T07:38:26Z")
“Well lighted” suggests a professional opinion, e.g. from a film professional expressing a technical desirability. “Well lit” suggests a more generic description of a bright space. From Maryland, currently living in San Diego. ---
**Author:** ![Dunderman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecb155/32.png) [@Dunderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dunderman)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2005, 7:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-sounds-better-to-you/304250/28 "2005-05-18T07:40:26Z")
“Lit”. Sweden. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Kenneth\_Noisewater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ebca7d/32.png) [@Dr.Kenneth\_Noisewater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Kenneth_Noisewater)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2005, 8:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-sounds-better-to-you/304250/29 "2005-05-18T08:48:18Z")
Well lit. Texas. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-sounds-better-to-you/304250.md?page=1)