“Hit” is a zero-change irregular verb: hit → hit → hit. The present participle is “hitting,” so doubling the final consonant belongs to the -ing form, not to the past form.
ReviewedEvidence2 sourcesSectionEnglish Usage
Quick answer
The simple past and past participle of “hit” are both “hit.”
Key details
Confusion Familyzero-change past and participle
Rule Familyverb forms
Termshit, hitting
Variant ScopePast tense and past participle are both “hit”; present participle is “hitting.”
Choose the right form
Decision table for Past Tense of Hit
Meaning / situation
Form / construction
Decision
simple past
hit
Use “hit.”
past participle
hit
Use “hit.”
present participle
hitting
Use “hitting.”
Quick tests
Verb-form test
Do you need the simple past or past participle of “hit”?
If yes: Use “hit.”
If no: Use “hitting” only for a present-participle construction, or the appropriate present form otherwise.
Caveat: Past and participle are zero-change; “hitting” is a different grammatical form.
Examples
Example
The ball hit the window.
“Hit” is the simple past.
Example
The storm had hit the coast earlier.
“Hit” is the past participle after “had.”
Example
Rain is hitting the roof hard.
“Hitting” is the present participle.
Further guidance
Core difference
Use “hit” in both past roles. Use “hitting” only when the construction requires the present participle.
Fast Test
Do not add -ed to form the ordinary past tense, and do not confuse the past form with the present participle “hitting.”
Usage Boundary
The same zero-change inflection applies across the ordinary verb senses documented by Cambridge.
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.
“Hurt” has a zero-change verb pattern: hurt → hurt → hurt. The same spelling can also function as a noun or adjective, so first confirm that the word is acting as a verb before applying the conjugation rule.
“Put” follows the pattern put → put → put. The same inflected form serves a finite simple-past clause and a past-participle construction; surrounding grammar identifies the role. The verb is zero-change across base form, simple past, and past participle; the present participle is “putting.” Noun, adjective, and phrasal-verb usage questions are separate.
“Set” follows the pattern set → set → set. The same inflected form serves a finite simple-past clause and a past-participle construction; surrounding grammar identifies the role. The verb is zero-change across base form, simple past, and past participle; the present participle is “setting.” Noun and adjective senses of “set” are separate.
“Shut” follows the pattern shut → shut → shut. The same inflected form serves a finite simple-past clause and a past-participle construction; surrounding grammar identifies the role. The verb is zero-change across base form, simple past, and past participle; the present participle is “shutting.” Keep this inflection task separate from noun/adjective roles and from shutdown/shut down spelling questions.
“Slit” follows the pattern slit → slit → slit. The same inflected form serves a finite simple-past clause and a past-participle construction; surrounding grammar identifies the role. The verb is zero-change across base form, simple past, and past participle; the present participle is “slitting.” The noun “slit” is a separate grammatical role.
