Spit vs. Spat
“Spat” is the broadly documented past tense and past participle of “spit,” but Cambridge also records unchanged “spit” as a US alternative. The choice therefore has a genuine regional component.
“Spat” is the general past tense and past participle of “spit”; “spit” is also recorded as an American alternative.
Key details
Further guidance
Core difference
“Spat” is the general past tense and past participle of “spit”; “spit” is also recorded as an American alternative.
Fast Test
Use “spat” for the broadest cross-variety choice. In American English, past-tense “spit” is also documented.
Regional Boundary
Cambridge’s main entry gives “spat,” while its learner/American treatment also records US “spit,” so the unchanged form is a regional variant rather than a universal error.
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.
- SPIT — Cambridge Dictionary (opens in a new tab)Cambridge University Press · Direct dictionary evidence for spat and the US alternative spit as past-tense and past-participle forms