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What’s the Past Tense of Spoil? Spoiled or Spoilt?

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Elan Yash

Elan is head of design and tech. He's also a contributor at Grammarflex.
Spoil/spoiled in conversation.
Spoil/spoiled in conversation.

What’s the past tense of “spoil”?

The verb spoil (rhymes with boil) is more complicated than the standard past tense verb. The consensus, according to the internet, is spoilt is no longer. We might say spoilt is, well, spoilt. And now, the preferred past tense in either case is spoiled.

UK English still uses spoilt, mostly as the past participial form of spoil. Spoilt still shows up in the dictionary as a past tense and participle of spoil—so while spoiled might be trending, it’s still acceptable to use spoilt as a past tense or participial form of spoil.

👍🏼Usage Note
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Our camping trip was spoilt by bad weather.
✓
He really spoiled me on my birthday.
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I’m sorry I spoils the weekend.

Forms of spoil

Present Past Future
simple I spoil I spoiled/spoilt I will spoil
continuous I am spoiling I was spoiling I will be spoiling
perfect I have spoiled/spoilt I had spoiled/spoilt I will have spoiled/spoilt
perfect continuous I have been spoiling I had been spoiling I will have been spoiling

Quick Tip—Past tenses

The meaning of the verb to spoil is “to destroy or reduce the pleasure, interest, or beauty of something.” In other words, when something is spoiled, it’s no longer of the same value as it was prior to having been spoilt.

The past participle requires the auxiliary verb, has/have, whereas the simple past tense does not.

Base Verb Past Tense Past Participle
lean leant/leaned leant/leaned
leap leapt/leaped leapt/leaped
learn learnt/learned learnt/learned
spoil spoilt/spoiled spoilt/spoiled

British English uses the earlier, more irregular English, which prefers irregular verb (and noun) forms. When in doubt, stick to the form that applies considering the geography. English-speaking countries outside of the UK and the US usually use British/UK English.

Spoilt and spoiled in sentences

Spoilt sentence examples Spoiled sentence examples
The performance was spoilt by the constant noise from the audience. Her selfish behaviour completely spoiled the evening.
Our camping trip was spoilt by bad weather. The whole park has been spoiled by litter.
Have I spoilt the day? The tall buildings have spoiled the view.
The bad weather really spoilt things for us. He really spoiled me on my birthday.
I’m sorry I spoilt the weekend but I’m having a crisis. The fight spoiled the party.

Synonyms & phrases with spoil

Synonyms of spoil Phrases with “spoil”
ruin Don’t let one mistake ruin/spoil your day.
damage Too much sun can damage/spoil your skin.
wreck One bad comment can wreck/spoil the mood.
harm Too much criticism can harm/spoil a child’s confidence.
impair Don’t let stress impair/spoil your performance.
adversely affect Weather can adversely affect/spoil outdoor plans.
💡Study Tip

When writing, consider your audience. If writing for a global audience, “spoiled” is a safer choice. If writing for a UK audience, “spoilt” is perfectly acceptable.

Origin of the word spoil

c. 1300, “to strip (someone) of clothes, strip a slain enemy,” from Old French espillier “to strip, plunder, pillage,” from Latin spoliare “to strip, uncover, lay bare; strip of clothing, rob, plunder, pillage,” from spolia.

Worksheet: irregular verbs

Question 1 of 10

What’s the difference between ‘spoilt’ and ‘spoiled’?



Which incorrect verb form of “burn” is specifically highlighted in the post’s examples of mistakes?



In which major variety of English, as stated in the post, is “burned” primarily used as the simple past tense verb form?



According to the post, which form(s) are common when “burn” is used as an adjective in US English?



In British English, according to the post, which form(s) are acceptable for both the simple past tense verb and the adjective?



The old letters were all in the fireplace.



She accidentally her hand on the hot stove.



He had all the documents before the police got there.



The toast was slightly .



His skin was red from being by the sun.





FAQs

What is the preferred past tense?
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The post states “spoiled” is now the preferred past tense form of “spoil”. While “spoilt” is still listed in dictionaries and acceptable, especially in UK English, “spoiled” is trending.

Is the word “spoilt” incorrect?
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No, the post clarifies that “spoilt” is not incorrect. It is still acceptable, particularly in UK English, and appears in dictionaries as both the past tense and past participle form of “spoil”.

Where is “spoilt” mainly used?
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According to the post, “spoilt” is still commonly used in UK English. It functions there as both the past tense and, more frequently, as the past participial form of “spoil”.

Spoiled or spoilt: How to choose?
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The post suggests considering geography. UK English typically uses “spoilt”, preferring more irregular forms. Outside the UK and US, British English is common. The overall preferred past tense.

Past tense vs participle: what’s the key?
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The post notes the key difference is auxiliary verbs. The past participle requires one (like has/have), while the simple past tense does not. Example: “Have I spoilt?” (participle) vs. “It spoilt.

Yash, D. "What’s the Past Tense of Spoil? Spoiled or Spoilt?." Grammarflex, Jun 25, 2025, https://www.grammarflex.com/whats-the-past-tense-of-spoil-spoiled-or-spoilt/.

Sources

  1. Origin of the verb, spoil.
  2. Spoiled used in sentences, spoil/spoilt/spoiled.

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