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Justyna Jupowicz-Kozak

CEO of Professional Science Editing for Scientists @ prosciediting.com

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worth spent

Grammar usage guide and real-world examples

USAGE SUMMARY

"worth spent" is not correct as written English.
It should be written as "well spent" if you wish to use it in a sentence. Example: The weekend was well spent exploring the nearby city.

⚠ May contain grammatical issues

News & Media

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

2 human-written examples

Last year, the education minister Lord Adonis - who, for what it's worth, spent his first 11 years in care, but was sent by his local council to Kingham Hill, a fee-paying church school in the Cotswolds - announced that private schools would no longer have to pay the £200,000 fee required for academy sponsorship.

News & Media

The Guardian

Spending your time and energy on what constitutes similarity or what new relationships you want people to have as a result of your application is time worth spent.

News & Media

TechCrunch

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

55 human-written examples

Worth spending two hours watching?

News & Media

The New York Times

And that's worth spending time on.

News & Media

The Guardian

Why is it worth spending those billions?

News & Media

The New York Times

The restored Coleridge cottage is particularly worth spending time in.

So where is the threat worth spending American blood?

I thought this might be worth spending an extra $5,000".

News & Media

The New York Times

Nor are all those aims worth spending scarce public money on.

News & Media

The Economist

Still, it's worth spending a few seconds parsing his current position.

News & Media

The New York Times

Perhaps it is worth spending some money to settle this disagreement.

News & Media

The Economist
Show more...

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Prefer the phrase "well spent" as a grammatically sound alternative to "worth spent" when describing the effective use of time, money, or energy.

Common error

Avoid using "worth spent" as it is not considered grammatically correct in standard English. Always opt for "well spent" to ensure clarity and accuracy in your writing.

Antonio Rotolo, PhD - Digital Humanist | Computational Linguist | CEO @Ludwig.guru

Antonio Rotolo, PhD

Digital Humanist | Computational Linguist | CEO @Ludwig.guru

Source & Trust

92%

Authority and reliability

2.5/5

Expert rating

Real-world application tested

Linguistic Context

The phrase "worth spent" is intended to function as a descriptive adjective phrase, modifying a noun to indicate that something was a valuable use of resources. However, according to Ludwig AI, this construction is not grammatically correct and is advised against in formal writing.

Expression frequency: Rare

Frequent in

News & Media

100%

Less common in

Formal & Business

0%

Science

0%

Encyclopedias

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, while the phrase "worth spent" appears in some contexts, particularly in News & Media sources, Ludwig AI identifies it as grammatically incorrect. The correct and preferred alternative is "well spent", which effectively conveys the idea of resources being used valuably. It's advisable to use "well spent" or other similar phrases like "profitably used" to ensure clarity and grammatical accuracy in your writing. Given the grammatical concerns, it's best to avoid "worth spent" in formal or professional settings.

FAQs

What is the correct way to say something was a valuable use of time or money?

The correct phrase is "well spent". For example, "The afternoon was well spent reading a good book."

Is "worth spent" grammatically correct?

No, "worth spent" is not considered grammatically correct in standard English. Use "well spent" instead.

What are some alternatives to "worth spent"?

Instead of "worth spent", you can use phrases like "well spent", "profitably used", or "judiciously allocated", depending on the context.

How does "well spent" differ from "worth spending"?

"Well spent" describes something that has already happened and was a valuable use of resources. "Worth spending" suggests something is advisable to use resources in the future. For example, "The money was well spent on education" versus "It's worth spending time on this project".

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Source & Trust

92%

Authority and reliability

2.5/5

Expert rating

Real-world application tested

Most frequent sentences: