Past Tense of Cut
“Cut” is an invariant irregular verb: the base form, past simple, and past participle are all “cut.”
The past tense and past participle of “cut” are both “cut,” not “cutted.”
Key details
Choose the right form
| Meaning / situation | Form / construction | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| completed action in the past | cut | Use “cut” as the simple past. |
| perfect construction after have/has/had | cut | Use “cut” as the past participle. |
| progressive form | cutting | The doubled consonant belongs in “cutting,” not in a regularized past form. |
Quick tests
Meaning / construction test
Do you need the past tense or past participle of “cut”?
If yes: Use “cut.”
If no: If you need the progressive form, use “cutting”; do not form the standard past as “cutted.”
Examples
She cut the paper yesterday.
The simple past stays “cut.”
He has cut the rope already.
The past participle also stays “cut.”
They are cutting the fabric now.
The progressive form is “cutting,” with a doubled consonant.
Further guidance
Core difference
“Cut” does not take *cutted* in standard modern English; its past simple and past participle remain “cut.”
Fast Test
Use “cut” after past-time subjects and after perfect auxiliaries: “she cut,” “has cut.”
Usage Boundary
The doubled consonant appears in “cutting,” not in a regularized past form.
Sources and evidence
Sources are shown with the role they play in this guide. Historical or style-sensitive claims are kept within the evidence boundary described above.
- Cut — Cambridge Dictionary (opens in a new tab)Cambridge University Press · Direct verb-form evidence that “cut” is both past simple and past participle of “cut.”