English UsageGrammar guide
Past Tense of Spend
The past tense of “spend” is “spent,” and “spent” is also its past participle. The same irregular form is used for money, time, effort, and related senses.
Use “spent” as both the past simple and past participle of “spend.”
Key details
Confusion Familyirregular verb form
Rule Familyverb forms
Termsspend, spent
Variant Scope“Spent” is both the past simple and past participle of “spend.”
Further guidance
Core difference
The verb “spend” changes to “spent” in both the past simple and past participle.
Fast Test
Use “spent” for a completed past action and after perfect auxiliaries: “we spent,” “we have spent.”
Usage Boundary
Do not form the standard past as *spended*.
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.
- spend (opens in a new tab)Cambridge University Press & Assessment · Preferred lexical authority directly documenting spend time doing something.