Page 3 | What do you use for the past tense of "to text"?

Signedcopy · 2025-05-13T21:07:09+00:00

Why on earth would it be "text" not "texted"? As in "He text his friend" instead of "he texted his friend". I know there are bigger issues but what the heck?

WhenICalledYouLastNightFromTesco · 14/05/2025 00:50

WhenICalledYouLastNightFromTesco · 14/05/2025 00:43

I would say 'I text James' and not 'I texted James', but I'm not claiming that I'm right. I also struggle with screenshot and would say 'I screenshot' because I used to say screenshooted 🤣.

The more I read text through this thread meant I struggled to write this because I forgot what text was.

Edited

Having said that, I am from Yorkshire and drop both letters and words in general conversation 🤣.

mathanxiety · 14/05/2025 02:45

Texted.

Mumtobabyhavoc · 14/05/2025 04:37

WhenICalledYouLastNightFromTesco · 14/05/2025 00:43

I would say 'I text James' and not 'I texted James', but I'm not claiming that I'm right. I also struggle with screenshot and would say 'I screenshot' because I used to say screenshooted 🤣.

The more I read text through this thread meant I struggled to write this because I forgot what text was.

Edited

The correct word is, screenshotted. Yep. It is. 🤓

countingthedays945 · 14/05/2025 04:45

Texted because anything other than that instills a rage in me. 😬

CrownCoats · 14/05/2025 05:58

StrawberrySquash · 13/05/2025 22:08

Similarly, it's packed lunch, boxed set and shared house.

It’s definitely not “boxed set”. It’s box set. A set that comes in a box, not a set that has been boxed.

Limer · 14/05/2025 06:10

Texted.

I know a fair few people who think the singular is tex not text, and the plural is texes, not texts.

untilido · 14/05/2025 06:59

I never say text/texted it seems quite old fashioned to me from the late 90s when we had to press the keypad multiple times per letter. That’s real texting. What we do now is just messaging so I say messaged.

EndlesslyDecluttering · 14/05/2025 09:16

Yes I tend to say messaging too, as most people seem to use messenger or whatsapp now, actual texts are mainly for two factor authentication.

GETTINGLIKEMYMOTHER · 14/05/2025 09:47

StrawberrySquash · 13/05/2025 22:08

Similarly, it's packed lunch, boxed set and shared house.

Thank you! May I please add iceD tea/coffee and mashED potato?

Vroomfondleswaistcoat · 14/05/2025 09:51

I am firmly in the 'texted' camp. If I see 'text' written as the past tense then I am already judging...

dudsville · 14/05/2025 09:56

I agree with the last few posts, though this was a fun read! I message, I don't text.

NameChangedOfc · 14/05/2025 10:26

Of course it is "texted"!

NameChangedOfc · 14/05/2025 10:28

CrownCoats · 14/05/2025 05:58

It’s definitely not “boxed set”. It’s box set. A set that comes in a box, not a set that has been boxed.

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Wouldn't "box set" mean "a set of boxes"? 🤔

Original poster

Signedcopy · 14/05/2025 10:39

IfYouPutASausageInItItsNotAViennetta · 14/05/2025 00:36

I think a lot of people genuinely believe that the verb is 'to tex' and therefore the past tense is 'I texed'.

Probably a large crossover with the people who somehow think that 'to of' is a verb, coincidentally meaning exactly the same as the 'boring' old verb 'to have' actually means.

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Tex?! With no t?! Really?!

OP posts:

Toooldforthisbollocks · 14/05/2025 10:39

I agree OP.
This modern trend of insisting nobody should be corrected, however politely, on their glaringly awful language is contributing to a general lowering of standards.
I don’t mean that we should all be slavishly adhering to RP and that language should never evolve but there is still a cut off before we end up with a generation who can only communicate with misunderstood cliches, grunts and emojis.
We should all want to learn and improve but instead we are in a situation where ignorance is defended and almost glorified.
The rise of spectacularly stupid reality tv and influencers is the driving force behind this as is the decline of reading books instead of tiktok, youtube etc.

doodleschnoodle · 14/05/2025 10:45

I’d write texted but verbally say text as it just flows a bit better in speech. But with ‘new’ words like this, how people use it determines ‘usage’ so it doesn’t have to be one of the other, they can both be acceptable variations.

CrystalSingerFan · 14/05/2025 10:56

PoodlesRUs · 13/05/2025 22:22

I love verbing a noun. Or should that be verbifying? ducks for cover

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I program in COBOL/I programmed in COBOL. The program is in COBOL.
I record my voice/I recorded my voice. I own a record of my voice.
I walk/I walked/I went on a walk.
I duck when necessary/I ducked/I am a duck.

EBearhug · 14/05/2025 12:42

Did you really program in COBOL, @CrystalSingerFan? (I had someone denigrating my Solaris skills yesterday, so I'm feeling sensitive about elderly tech.)

CalamityGanon · 14/05/2025 14:31

CheeseDreamsTonight · 13/05/2025 22:16

I say text even though I know it logically should be texted, because texted sounds clumsy and made up. Not very good reasoning but there you go. And I am a complete pedant so this makes no sense to me.

Totally this. There are always anomalies in language though. Why can we have one sheep and also 20 sheep but one cat and 20 cats?

upinaballoon · 14/05/2025 15:03

I texted
I was texting
I used to text
I have texted
I had texted

upinaballoon · 14/05/2025 15:08

Picklepower · 13/05/2025 22:20

I would write texted but I would say text because I find texted a bit of a mouthful

It's only two syllables. Presumably you would never try to say 'anyone' or 'ridiculous' because they have more than one syllable.

sakuraspring · 14/05/2025 15:08

Texted

But as I generally actually use WhatsApp or messenger, I usually just say "messaged".

(Or I might say "whatsapped" ...but never "messengered"

sakuraspring · 14/05/2025 15:10

Toooldforthisbollocks · 14/05/2025 10:39

I agree OP.
This modern trend of insisting nobody should be corrected, however politely, on their glaringly awful language is contributing to a general lowering of standards.
I don’t mean that we should all be slavishly adhering to RP and that language should never evolve but there is still a cut off before we end up with a generation who can only communicate with misunderstood cliches, grunts and emojis.
We should all want to learn and improve but instead we are in a situation where ignorance is defended and almost glorified.
The rise of spectacularly stupid reality tv and influencers is the driving force behind this as is the decline of reading books instead of tiktok, youtube etc.

Yes, and I find it frustrating as it means otherwise bright people can really come across as unprofessional/ poorly educated.

It's not unreasonable to want to know how to speak and write in a professional context, for instance.

Maddy70 · 14/05/2025 15:41

Texted

SharpLily · 14/05/2025 15:54

I think people use 'text' for 'texted' not so much because it's easier but said out loud it has the similar 'ed' at the end. This makes people think it's the same as gutted, shopped, cooked, walked, cleaned or whatever - I mean the people who don't care about spelling, grammar etc. and don't know or care about the patterns and rules of speech. The same people who say 'I see Henry today' or even 'I seen Henry today' when they mean 'I saw'.