What's the past tense of "speed"?
The consensus is that both sped and speeded are correct past tense and past participle forms of the verb speed. While both forms are grammatically correct, sped is more commonly used in modern English, with speeded mainly appearing as part of the phrasal verb "speed up."
Definition of speed
The word speed can function as both a noun and a verb. As a noun, it refers to "the rate at which an object covers distance." As a verb, it means "to move along quickly" or "to go hastily from place to place."
- The past tense of speed is sped or speeded.
- The past participle of speed is sped or speeded.
Verb forms of 'speed'
Is "speed" a regular or irregular verb?
The verb "speed" is considered an irregular verb because it doesn't follow the standard pattern of adding "-ed" to form the past tense. While "speeded" exists and follows the regular pattern, the more common past form "sped" shows the irregular pattern. Many irregular verbs ending in "-eed" change to "-ed" in their past forms (like bleed → bled, feed → fed).
Similar irregular verbs
These verbs follow a similar pattern to "speed," changing the vowel sound and shortening the ending from "-eed" to "-ed" in their past forms:
When to use "sped" vs. "speeded"
The simple past tense of speed is either sped or speeded. Both forms are grammatically correct, though they're used in slightly different contexts:
The race car sped past the finish line.
(sped used as simple past tense)
The train speeded up as it left the station.
(speeded typically used with phrasal verb "speed up")
The verb speed accepts both sped and speeded for both simple past tense and present or past perfect), it requires an auxiliary verb like have, has, or had. The simple past doesn't use a helper verb since it's a complete tense, so sped or speeded can stand alone in sentences, whereas participles require an auxiliary verb. In modern usage, sped is more common for general past tense, while speeded appears mainly in the phrasal verb "speed up."
Sentence examples: speed, sped, speeded
• Cars speed down the highway during rush hour.
• She always speeds through her morning routine to avoid being late.
• Time seems to speed by when you're having fun.
• The ambulance sped to the scene of the accident.
• The paperboy sped through the neighbourhood on his bike.
• The race car sped past the finish line.
• Time has sped by this year.
• The process has been speeded up significantly with new technology.
• The delivery truck had sped away before we could catch it.
Synonyms & nearby words
Synonyms of "speed"
Nearby phrases
Origin of the verb speed
Old English spedan (intransitive) “to succeed, prosper, grow rich, advance,” from the stem of speed (n.). German sputen “make haste, hurry.” Meaning “to go hastily from place to place, move rapidly” is attested from c. 1200.
Practice: Forms of “Speed”
The car ______ down the highway at over 100 miles per hour.
He had ______ through his work to finish early.
She ______ past the other runners to take the lead.
The ambulance ______ to the scene of the accident.
Time has really ______ by this year.
FAQs
What is the past tense of speed? +
Which form of speed is used more often now? +
Give an example using 'sped' in past tense. +
When is 'speeded' typically used? +
Is "speed" ever used as the past tense? +
Sources
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www.grammarflex.com/sped-or-speeded/
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