Past Tense of Speed: Sped or Speeded? (Pronunciation & Usage)

By Benjamin Essek

What Is The Past Tense Of Speed?

Speed past tense is “sped” or “speeded” (in American English and British, respectively). In other words, they vary from language to language.

This verb tense is spelled S-P-E-D or S-P-E-E-D-E-D, while its base form is spelled S-P-E-E-D.

Of note, the verb’s past participle and past forms work the same way.

Here is a summary table depicting five different forms of the verb:

Base Form/Derived Form (V1) speed
Present Form/3rd Person/Singular Form (V2) speed/speeds
Past Form (V3) sped (mainly the US) or speeded (especially UK)
Past Participle Form (V4) speeding

Are you curious about how to write this verb in 12 tenses? Check out this website link to learn how to use them effectively.

How Do You Spell This Verb? 

See the Oxford English Dictionary for a language learning guide on pronouncing it in English and American English. Review the following table and attempt to learn by heart and practice by yourself:

Form of word Pronunciation
British English American English
Speed  /spiːd/ /spiːd/
Speeds  /spiːdz/ /spiːdz/
Sped (v3+v4) /sped/ /sped/
Speeded (v3+v4) /ˈspiːdɪd/ /ˈspiːdɪd/
Speeding  /ˈspiːdɪŋ/ /ˈspiːdɪŋ/

What Is The Meaning Of “Speed”?

You’ve finally reached the “speed in past tense,” after all. Yet, what does sped mean? By looking it up in an online dictionary – Oxford, you can have the best answers:

  1. To move along rapidly.

E.g.: 

  • A train just sped by 5 minutes ago.
  • This car had sped up for 1 hour only.
  1. To take.

E.g.: 

  • The taxi sped us into the center of the town.
  • The cab had already sped all the students into the city’s heart.
  1. To make something occur more rapidly.

E.g.:

  • She sped the effective vaccine’s development to save millions of lives.
  • The government had sped the project to help the poor as soon as possible.
  1. To drive faster than the limit legally allowed.

E.g.:

  • The office said evidence showed that she sped up without permission.
  • As seen on the police’s report, the girl had sped up illegally.

Quick Practice With A Short Exercise

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Created on By Benjamin Essek

Past Tense Of Speed

Here are several simple exercises about word-choice verbs related to past tenses. Let's have them completed:

1 / 7

I hit third base with authority and ……….. home for my second round tripper in two at bats.

2 / 7

While Sony and Nintendo are still developing their next home consoles Microsoft has already ……….. ahead and released the successor to their XBOX, the XBOX 360.

3 / 7

An extremely absorbent terry diaper with a fold-out booster ………… up drying time.

4 / 7

Just before the accident, I heard a siren and saw a white car ……….. down the mountain.

5 / 7

Many were using mobile phones, not wearing seat belts, or ………..

6 / 7

The driver ……….. away before the door closed, and she twisted around to see the three men watching them.

7 / 7

A few shovels of manure, straw, and poultry manure pellets thrown over the top will create extra warmth to ……… up the process.

Your score is

The average score is 28%

0%

FAQs

Is This Word An Irregular Verb? 

Yes. It is an irregular verb. It can be a transitive or intransitive verb in a particular context. 

What Type Of Word Is This?

The word may be either a noun or a verb. 

The noun form indicates the rate of automobiles, vehicles, or people. Also, as a noun, it may refer to medicine to keep you awake.

When used as a verb, it connotes rapid motion, like how fast you ride your bike.

Is It An Adjective?

It is an adverb that modifies the noun “speed.” The adjective “fast” is usually all needed when conveying that someone or something is rapid. 

When we refer to an athlete (or a cartoon mouse) as “speedy,” we are not only referring to their fastest rate and overall quickness and agility.

Speeded Or Sped?

Both are correct in English grammar. However, “speeded” is more prevalent in the United Kingdom, as stated above.