My sons are spent vs Tired

When to use each in English, with meaning, register, and examples.

My sons are spent

Beyond 10,000 (less common)

Tired

Top 1,000 (very common) A1 adjective

Most common: Tired

	My sons are spent	Tired
Pronunciation	🇬🇧 //maɪ sʌnz ɑː spɛnt// 🇺🇸 //maɪ sʌnz ɑr spɛnt//	🇬🇧 /["/ˈtaɪəd/"]/ 🇺🇸 /["/ˈtaɪərd/"]/
Meaning	My children are tired.	Feeling like you want to rest or sleep.
Example	After the long trip to the amusement park, my sons are spent.	I feel tired after running for an hour.
Register	Neutral	Neutral
How common	Beyond 10,000 (less common)	Top 1,000 (very common)
CEFR level	-	A1
Part of speech		adjective
Collocations	be spent, feel spent, make my sons feel spent	be, feel, look, extremely, fairly, very, from, tired and drawn, be, become, get, extremely, fairly, very, sick and tired
Antonyms	-	rested, energized, refreshed
Common mistakes	Confused with 'spent' as in money, rather than tired., Omitting 'are' in the phrase., Using 'son' instead of 'sons' when referring to multiple children.	Confused with 'tire' as a noun instead of an adjective., Incorrectly using 'tired of' with an object that can't be tired., Overusing in formal writing where synonyms like 'fatigued' are better.
Usage notes	Used informally to express that children are exhausted, often after an active day. Appropriate in casual conversations.	Use 'tired' when describing a need for rest. It's appropriate in most contexts, but avoid using it in overly formal settings where more specific terms like 'fatigued' might be preferred.

See it in real clips

The Lord Of The Rings › The return of the king

My sons are spent.

My sons are spent

I'm tired, Trinity.

little tired of this yackety-yackin' back and forth.

The Pitt › S1 E1

Just tired. Sore muscles.

I'm tired, Trinity.

little tired of this yackety-yackin' back and forth.

Tired

Frequently asked questions: My sons are spent vs Tired

What's the difference between My sons are spent and Tired?

My sons are spent: My children are tired. Tired: Feeling like you want to rest or sleep.

Which is more common: My sons are spent and Tired?

Tired is the most common in everyday English.

Can you show an example of each?

My sons are spent: After the long trip to the amusement park, my sons are spent. Tired: I feel tired after running for an hour.

Can I use My sons are spent and Tired interchangeably?

Not always. My sons are spent and Tired are related and overlap in some contexts, but they differ in register, how common they are, and usage, so swapping one for another can change the meaning or tone. Check the differences above before substituting.