Quick answer
Use scent for a smell, as in a scent of fresh bread, and sent for the past tense of send, as in she sent the package. If you can replace it with sending, it is sent; if it is about a smell, it is scent.
The core difference
Scent is a noun (or verb) about smell, while sent is the past tense of send.
- scent — a distinctive smell, or a smell trail: the hounds picked up the fox's scent near the hedge.
- sent — past tense of send: she sent the package yesterday.
How to tell them apart
A simple test is to swap in smell or send. If smell fits, you want scent; if send fits, you want sent. The mix-up usually happens because the two words sound identical, so spellcheckers won't always catch it.
It shows up most often in writing done quickly, such as emails and texts, where someone means to say a parcel was sent but types scent by mistake, or means the smell of something and types sent.
Frequently asked questions
Is scent a noun or a verb?
It can be both. As a noun it means a smell or a smell trail; as a verb it means to detect something by smell, as in the dog scented food from across the yard.
What is the base verb behind sent?
Sent is the past tense and past participle of send, so I send today becomes I sent yesterday.
Do scent and sent sound the same?
Yes, they are homophones in standard British English, which is exactly why they get confused in writing.
