What is the past participle of spit?

The past participle of spit is spat.

What are the three forms of spit?

The three forms are spit – spat – spat: base form, past simple and past participle.

Is spit a regular or an irregular verb?

Spit is irregular: its past simple is spat, not spitted.

Spit past tense: spat, spat

expel from mouth

Spit is an irregular English verb: the past simple of spit is spat and the past participle is spat. Learn the three forms together — spit – spat – spat.

Verb forms

Base form

spit

/spɪt/

Past Simple

spat

/spæt/

Past Participle

spat

/spæt/

Press the speaker button to hear each form. The transcription under each word shows the British pronunciation (IPA).

Example sentences

Base form · spit

Camels spit when they are annoyed.

Past Simple · spat

He spat out the sour grape immediately.

Past Participle · spat

The medicine had been spat out by the child.

Key tenses

Present Simple	Past Simple	Present Perfect
I spit he / she / it spits	I spat	I have spat
Present Continuous:I am spitting · he / she / it is spitting

Learn when to use these forms:Past Simple lesson →Present Perfect lesson →

Grammar guide

Spit belongs to the ABB group: the past simple and the past participle are the same (spat). This is the largest group of irregular verbs — you only need to learn one past form.

Past simple – spat: a finished action at a definite time in the past. It is used on its own, without an auxiliary.
Past participle – spat: after have, has or had (present perfect, past perfect) and after be in the passive voice.
Questions and negatives in the past simple use did + the base form: Did you spit…? I didn’t spit.

Verbs with the same pattern

have — had — had say — said — said get — got — got/gotten make — made — made think — thought — thought find — found — found

Quick quiz

Which sentence is correct?

Questions about spit

What is the past simple of spit?: The past simple of spit is spat.
What is the past participle of spit?: The past participle of spit is spat.
What are the three forms of spit?: The three forms are spit – spat – spat: base form, past simple and past participle.
Is spit a regular or an irregular verb?: Spit is irregular: its past simple is spat, not spitted.