a penny saved is a penny earned
a penny saved is a penny earned proverb: a maxim for thrift stating that money not spent may be spent later, or may earn interest in the meantime.
Proverb
a penny saved is a penny earned
- A maxim for thrift stating that money not spent may be spent later, or may earn interest in the meantime.
- I have reason to fear, that too many masters of ships forget that good old saying, "A penny saved is a penny earned".1804, Joseph Huddart (the Elder), Swansea Harbour. Extracts from the [first] report of J. H. ... shewing his plan for the improvement thereof, dated 1794, page 13
- Synonyms:
- a penny saved is a penny gained
Synonyms of a penny saved is a penny earned
Origin of a penny saved is a penny earned
First use appears c. 1804. See cite below. Commonly misattributed to Benjamin Franklin, who actually wrote "a penny saved is two pence clear."
Questions about a penny saved is a penny earned
- What does a penny saved is a penny earned mean?
- A penny saved is a penny earned means a maxim for thrift stating that money not spent may be spent later, or may earn interest in the meantime.
- What part of speech is a penny saved is a penny earned?
- A penny saved is a penny earned is a proverb.
Words near a penny saved is a penny earned in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: a penny saved is a penny earned (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
Last updated:
Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: En-us-a penny saved is a penny earned.oga.
Cite this entry: “a penny saved is a penny earned.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/a_penny_saved_is_a_penny_earned. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.