What's the past tense of "sleep"?

The simple past tense of sleep is slept, and the past participle is also slept. The form "sleeped" is incorrect. Use slept for both simple past and past participle forms.

👍🏼 Usage Note

✓ I slept for eight hours last night.

✗ I sleeped on the plane.

Verb forms of 'sleep'

The verb sleep, as described by Oxford Dictionary: "To rest with your eyes closed and your mind and body not active: I couldn't sleep last night." Also, "To provide beds for a particular number of people: The hotel sleeps 200 guests."

Simple Continuous Perfect Conditional

Present:

I/you/they sleep • He/she/it sleeps

Past:

I/you/he/she/it/they slept

Future:

I/you/he/she/it/they will sleep

Present:

I am sleeping • You/they are sleeping • He/she/it is sleeping

Past:

I/he/she/it was sleeping • You/they were sleeping

Future:

I/you/he/she/it/they will be sleeping

Present:

I/you/they have slept • He/she/it has slept

Past:

I/you/he/she/it/they had slept

Future:

I/you/he/she/it/they will have slept

Present:

I/you/he/she/it/they would sleep

Past:

I/you/he/she/it/they would have slept

Similar irregular verbs

When to use slept vs. slept

I slept for eight hours last night.

She has slept through the entire movie.

Use slept for both the simple past tense and as the past participle with auxiliary verbs like "have," "has," or "had". Never use "sleeped" as it is incorrect.

Sentence examples: sleep, slept, slept

Present tense examples

I usually sleep eight hours a night.
The baby sleeps through the night now.
They sleep in separate bedrooms.
She sleeps with the window open.

Past tense examples

I slept for ten hours last night.
She slept through the thunderstorm.
We slept in a tent during our camping trip.
He slept on the couch after the argument.

Past participle examples

I have slept better since changing my mattress.
She has slept through three alarms this morning.
We had slept for only two hours when the phone rang.
They have slept in that bed for twenty years.

Synonyms for "sleep"

Synonyms: rest, slumber, doze, nap, snooze, drowse, repose, hibernate, catnap, siesta

FAQs

Is "sleeped" correct?

No, "sleeped" is not correct. The past tense of "sleep" is "slept," not "sleeped."

What type of verb is "sleep"?

"Sleep" is an irregular verb, which means it doesn't follow the standard -ed pattern for past tense formation.

How do you use "slept" in a sentence?

Use "slept" for both simple past ("I slept well") and past participle ("I have slept eight hours").

Why do people say "sleeped"?

Some people incorrectly apply the regular verb pattern (-ed) to "sleep," but it's an irregular verb that changes to "slept."

Sources

"Sleep, V." Oxford English Dictionary, Oxford UP, March 2025, https://doi.org/10.1093/OED/1199038215.
Harper, Douglas. "Etymology of sleep." Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com/word/sleep. Accessed 18 December, 2022.