Difference between past and passed

This is part of the difference between series.

I’ve heard some people confusing the words past and passed. Here’s the difference between the two.

Past

Past has 3 main meanings:

  • Noun: Past can refer to the time before a person is speaking (In the past, I was much shorter.).
  • Adjective: Past can refer to something having gone by (The danger is now past.).
  • Adverb: Past can refer to passing from one side to another (The dolphin swam past out yacht.).

Passed

Passed, on the other hand, is the past tense (See what I did there?) form of “to pass”.

  • The giraffe passed our jeep.

Which words do you confuse? Let me know in the comments below.

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By Kim Siever

I am a copywriter and copyeditor. I blog on writing and social media tips mostly, but I sometimes throw in my thoughts about running a small business. Follow me on Twitter at @hotpepper.