What’s the past tense form of the word fly? Is it flied or flew? Contrary to popular belief, flied is just as correct as flew. I know, I was just a surprised as you because I was always taught to never use flied.
Find out the difference between flied and flew, and how they differ in meaning. I’ll also show you examples of how to use flied and flew in sentences.
Flied or Flew?
The more common term is flew instead of flied. Flew is the simple past tense of the verb fly, meaning to move in or pass through the air with wings. Flew is also the past participle form of the verb fly.
Fly is an example of an irregular verb because its inflection is different from the normal one. Most past forms of verbs end in -ed. But fly requires a change in spelling to flew.
Other meanings of the base form fly include:
- To form through the air, before the wind, or through outer space.
- To float, soar, or wave in the air.
- To fade and disappear.
- To seem to pass quickly.
Is There Such a Word as Flied?
Flied is only appropriate when you use it in baseball and softball. Use it with the verb phrase fly out, as in flied out. This happens when a battle ball is caught in the outfield.
You might think flied is incorrect if you’re not a baseball fan. But when you surround yourself with those who talk about this sport all the time, you’ll see how common the word is.
Is Flied a Word in Scrabble?
Yes, flied is a valid Scrabble word. It’s the past and past participle form of fly only when it means to hit a fly ball.
Flied in a Sentence
Here are some examples of flied in sentences.
- Player 1 was stranded when Player 2 flied out and hit his bat.
- The one who flied out to the center field was Slater.
- During the game, Matt stayed in while Jason flied out.
These statements from sports news prove that flied is an accurate word.
- Trout faced rookie Cody Morris in his first two at-bats. He flied out to center in the first and drew a four-pitch walk in the third with a runner on second. [The Score]
- Luis Gonzalez struck out swinging. Joc Pederson flied to center. [LA Times]
Flew in a Sentence
- The bees flew to the flower.
- Logan flew directly to LA to see his relatives for Christmas.
- The bird flew to the nest to check the eggs.
- Danny flew past Dane.
- I’m glad I flew to this country.
Flew and Flied in a Nutshell
I hope my simplified guide has helped you choose between flied or flew. These two terms are the past tense of the verb fly, meaning to move through the air.
In most cases, you’re likely to use flew as the past and past participle form. But if you’re talking about softball or baseball, use flied instead.