Quit vs. Quitted
Modern English normally uses “quit” unchanged for the past tense and past participle. “Quitted” remains a documented form, particularly in British and older/formal usage, so it is not an error but is usually a marked choice.
“Quit” is the normal modern past tense and past participle in general use; “quitted” is also recorded, especially in British English and older or more formal leave/depart senses.
Key details
Choose the right form
| Meaning / situation | Form / construction | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| ordinary modern simple past or past participle in general use | quit | Use “quit” in the normal modern pattern. |
| recorded alternative, especially British or older/formal leave-depart senses | quitted | The form exists but is more restricted in modern general use. |
| write for a style that strongly prefers current general usage | quit | Prefer the common modern form unless context calls for the marked alternative. |
Quick tests
Meaning / construction test
Are you writing ordinary current general English without a deliberately older, formal, or marked leave/depart sense?
If yes: Use “quit.”
If no: “Quitted” is also recorded, especially in British English and older or more formal leave/depart uses.
Caveat: “Quitted” is not nonexistent or automatically wrong; it is a documented but more restricted alternative in modern general usage.
Examples
She quit the job last month.
“Quit” is the normal modern past form in general use.
He has quit smoking.
“Quit” also serves as the normal modern past participle.
The older account says that he quitted the premises.
“Quitted” is a recorded alternative in marked leave/depart usage.
Further guidance
Core difference
“Quit” is the normal modern past tense and past participle in general use; “quitted” is also recorded, especially in British English and older or more formal leave/depart senses.
Fast Test
For ordinary sentences such as leaving a job or stopping an activity, “quit” is the safest general form. Use “quitted” only when the regional, historical, or stylistic context supports it.
Regional Boundary
Cambridge’s current learner entry uses “quit” for past and participle. Collins records “quitted” or, mainly in US English, “quit,” so “quitted” is valid but much less neutral for ordinary modern prose.
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.
- Quit — English meaning (opens in a new tab)Cambridge University Press · Modern verb senses of quit
- QUIT — Collins English Dictionary (opens in a new tab)HarperCollins Publishers · Dictionary evidence that modern quit is normally unchanged while British English also records quitted as a form