Past Tense of Stick
The past tense of “stick” is “stuck,” and the past participle is also “stuck.” The verb is irregular, so standard usage does not form the past as “sticked.”
Use “stuck” as both the past tense and past participle of “stick.”
Key details
Choose the right form
| Meaning / situation | Form / construction | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| completed past action or state | stuck | Use “stuck” as the simple past. |
| perfect construction after have/has/had | stuck | Use “stuck” as the past participle. |
| ordinary standard paradigm | stick → stuck → stuck | Do not form the ordinary past as “sticked.” |
Quick tests
Meaning / construction test
Do you need a past form of the ordinary verb “stick”?
If yes: Use “stuck.”
If no: Use the present/base form if the sentence is not past; do not regularize the ordinary past to “sticked.”
Examples
The label stuck to the glass.
“Stuck” is the simple past.
A note has stuck to the wet surface.
“Stuck” is also the past participle.
These labels stick well to paper.
The present-tense context uses “stick.”
Further guidance
Core difference
Use “stuck” for both the simple past and the past participle of “stick.”
Fast Test
Present: “stick”; simple past: “stuck”; perfect/passive participle contexts: “stuck.”
Usage Boundary
“Stuck” is also used adjectivally in many contexts; that does not change the verb-form pattern.
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.
- stick — Cambridge Dictionary (opens in a new tab)Cambridge University Press · Direct dictionary evidence that stick has past tense and past participle stuck.