Pan out means turn out or work out: the partnership did not pan out as we had hoped, a gentle way of saying it failed. We'll see how it pans out means 'we'll see how it goes', and the result is still unknown. The image comes from gold mining: a pan is the dish miners use to wash sand while looking for gold. It's informal.
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see how things pan out; a plan pans out; pan out well
- We'll see how the trial period pans out.
- The partnership did not pan out as we had hoped.
- Her backup plan panned out surprisingly well.
What changed
First versionThe idea paned out better than expected.
RevisionThe idea panned out better than expected.
Pan ends in one vowel and one consonant, so the consonant doubles before -ed: panned, panning. With one n you get paned, which belongs to a different word.
Work out also means turn out well, but it has many other meanings: solve a problem, exercise. Turn out means prove to be: it turned out to be useful. Pan out is about how a plan or idea performs over time: let's see how the new schedule pans out.
Your turn
Choose the correct past form: The arrangement ___ out well.
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panned — Pan doubles the n before -ed: panned. Paned is a spelling mistake.
Describe an idea or arrangement and how it panned out in the end.
The shared-office arrangement panned out well because our working hours barely overlapped.
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