Is Sneaked A Word?

[Vintage Transformer]

Greetings, I have just recently had a fight with my friend Jessica about whether or not sneaked is a word. I, for one, disagree completely; she insists that it is a word for it is in the dictionary. So I ask you, is sneaked a word?  

[Patron with a Mission]

I've seen it as one.

Quote:

She sneaked into the castle

But let's check the dictionary...yes, it's indeed a word.

From Dictionary.com:

Quote:

–verb (used without object)
1. to go in a stealthy or furtive manner; slink; skulk.
2. to act in a furtive or underhand way.
3. British Informal. to tattle; inform.

 

[Vintage Transformer]

Huh, I guess I wasn't thinking. Thanks though; Your a big help!  

[Amaya84]

Hmm...I always thought it should be "She snuck into the castle." Yet spell-check is telling me that it's wrong. I don't know now!  

[Woodnut]

It's "snuck" that isn't a word, actually. 3nodding However, Dictionary.com disagrees with me, as you can see in this Usage Note:

Dictionary.com

First recorded in writing toward the end of the 19th century in the United States, snuck has become in recent decades a standard variant past tense and past participle of the verb sneak: Bored by the lecture, he snuck out the side door. Snuck occurs frequently in fiction and in journalistic writing as well as on radio and television: In the darkness the sloop had snuck around the headland, out of firing range. It is not so common in highly formal or belletristic writing, where sneaked is more likely to occur. Snuck is the only spoken past tense and past participle for many younger and middle-aged persons of all educational levels in the U. S. and Canada. Snuck has occasionally been considered nonstandard, but it is so widely used by professional writers and educated speakers that it can no longer be so regarded.

That last part (in bold) really pisses me off. So what if a lot of people (including those who are obviously so "educated") have been saying something for years? That doesn't make it correct! I could go off on a whole rant on the bastardization of the language, but I'm literally falling asleep at the computer here, so I won't. But as far as I'm concerned, "snuck" is still incorrect.  

[Amaya84]

Interesting. I never knew that. Thank you!  

[Niccea Majeare]

Well I know that American English deviates from England's English (just to be contrary) so I'm guessing the whole debate begins back there. I go either way on the word personally.  

[Phantom-Of-Fandom]

Well, I'm an England's english speaker, and my dictionaries don't have snuck in them at all, so that's the english view... emo  

[applecyder]

I've always thought it was 'snuck.' Now I know better. Thank you!  

[tetrasmaster]

Wow, I had always used "snuck" as well. Snuck doesn't appear as wrong in my spellcheck, however. I think that snuck sounds a lot better, and so I will continue to use it.
The whole sneaked business is quite interesting, though.

 

[Lily-Anne-Marie]

Sneak

Sneaked

Snuck. (huh. Firefox spell check picked it up)

But anyway, it's another form of Sneak, even if it is improper English.  

[[FlyingPigKnockout]]

It's a form of past perfect, isn't it? >w< Rather than participle, "She sneaked into the castle" it would be, "She had sneaked into the castle." If you were to use it completely correctly x3  

[QuixoticNeurotic]

[FlyingPigKnockout]

It's a form of past perfect, isn't it? >w< Rather than participle, "She sneaked into the castle" it would be, "She had sneaked into the castle." If you were to use it completely correctly x3

"She had sneaked into the castle" is the way I've always used it.

Funny enough, this had me consult the members of a chat I was in and the Brits (two of them only, but still) said snuck. As did everyone but me. >.>

Though one of the Brits also mentioned "had sneaked" for which I was pleased.  

[nessa7]

I have always thought than "snuck" was the proper word. Thanks you to the gaians who have pointed it out.  

[s3kShUn8]

Woodnut

It's "snuck" that isn't a word, actually. 3nodding However, Dictionary.com disagrees with me, as you can see in this Usage Note:

Dictionary.com

First recorded in writing toward the end of the 19th century in the United States, snuck has become in recent decades a standard variant past tense and past participle of the verb sneak: Bored by the lecture, he snuck out the side door. Snuck occurs frequently in fiction and in journalistic writing as well as on radio and television: In the darkness the sloop had snuck around the headland, out of firing range. It is not so common in highly formal or belletristic writing, where sneaked is more likely to occur. Snuck is the only spoken past tense and past participle for many younger and middle-aged persons of all educational levels in the U. S. and Canada. Snuck has occasionally been considered nonstandard, but it is so widely used by professional writers and educated speakers that it can no longer be so regarded.

That last part (in bold) really pisses me off. So what if a lot of people (including those who are obviously so "educated") have been saying something for years? That doesn't make it correct! I could go off on a whole rant on the bastardization of the language, but I'm literally falling asleep at the computer here, so I won't. But as far as I'm concerned, "snuck" is still incorrect.

Isn't that how most English-American words work today? Swear words were almost impossible to say because they were so repulsive but now you hear such words in everyday life. Just because everyone uses it doesn't mean it's good. Rap is a great example of how words are screwed over, if you hear some rapper say, "Ballin" everyone starts to use it and it then becomes a word. If you are bored, read a couple words on the UrbanDictionary.com. That should get you pumped. mrgreen