'Walked Passed' or 'Walk Past': Which is Correct?

Did someone just ‘walked passed’ you or ‘walk past’ you? You might be wondering which of these phrases is the correct one. We’ll answer that in this article, plus teach you how to pronounce the phrase and use it in a sentence correctly.

In short, the correct one is: 

• ‘Walk past’ is the correct way to say and write the phrase.
• ‘Walked passed’ is incorrect and ungrammatical. Avoid using this in your everyday speech and writing.

 Therefore, you should avoid using the latter in your writing or in your everyday speech. It's incorrect and ungrammatical.

‘Walked Passed’ or ‘Past’ – Which is Correct?

The English language is full of words tricky words and phrases that might be a little confusing.

‘Walk past’ is often incorrectly written as ‘walked passed,’ but that’s incorrect.

Therefore, you should avoid using it in your writing.

Instead, opt for the correct version, ‘walk past.’

If you’re walking down the street and you pass by a dollar store, you’ve just ‘walked past’ a dollar store.

Is ‘Walk Past’ the Same as ‘Walk Pass’? 

The short answer? No.

‘Walk past’ is the correct way to say you’re walking by someone or something.

‘Walk pass’ isn’t acceptable in the English language because it’s ungrammatical.

You can ‘walk past’ something but not ‘walk pass’ it. You can also say that you 'walked past' something (past tense). They can be considered homophones.

Remember, 'passed' is the past tense of 'pass.' 'Past' is a different word entirely.

You already know that the phrase means to pass something by, but let’s take a closer look at the official dictionary definition.

Definition and Meaning of ‘Walk Past’

According to Merriam-Webster, the definition of ‘walk’ is to move forward on foot or advance by taking steps.

It could also mean to come or go easily or readily and to go for a walk.

Some people might ‘walk past’ something while walking for exercise.

In the legal industry, walk could mean avoiding criminal prosecution or conviction.

Other definitions include walkout, pursuing a course of action or way of life, being in association with someone, or roaming or wandering.

The definition of ‘past’ is ago, just gone or elapsed. It also means having existed or taken place in a period of time before the present time, after, beyond, time gone by, or beyond the capacity, range, or sphere of.

Pronunciation: How to Pronounce ‘Walk Past’

Are you wondering how to pronounce this phrase? Here’s a quick guide.

• To pronounce ‘walk past’ correctly, here’s the phonetic spelling: wAWk pAHst

How to Use ‘Walk Past’ in a Sentence

Now that you know how to pronounce the phrase and what it means, let’s take a look at some examples of how to use it in a sentence.

• Every day on my way home from my high school, I walk past the dry cleaners and McDonald’s.
• My friends and I hate to walk past the cemetery because we all think ghosts will pop up out of the graves.
• We were thinking of going to this new restaurant later, but we would have to walk past my ex-boyfriend’s house to get there. I’m dreading it.
• I hate walking past Sephora. It always makes me want to buy a ton of makeup when I already have enough makeup.
• We don’t have to walk past the food court if you don’t want to. I know it’s tempting to want to buy fast food.
• Let’s get some smoothies from Smoothie King. We have to walk past TJ Max and Target to get there, but I think it’s definitely worth it.
• We had to walk past Burger King to get to Wendy’s in the food court, but I really wanted some fries from Burger King and a Frosty from Wendy’s. Is that greedy?

Concluding Thoughts on ‘Walked Passed’ and ‘Walk Past’

To recap, we learned that the correct way to say or write this phrase is:

• ‘Walk past’ is the correct way to say and write the phrase.
• ‘Walked passed’ is incorrect and ungrammatical. Avoid using this in your everyday speech and writing.

That means you should avoid using ‘walked passed’ in any way in your writing or everyday speech. 

If you ever get stuck on anything, you can always come back to revisit what you learned. You can also check out our other content on confusing words and phrases, which contains tons of phrases you might see as you’re learning the language. Don’t be afraid to go check it out when you need to.