Irregular verb
The verb to speed
speed → sped → sped
B1Meaning: to move very fast; to drive too fast · Type: irregular · Frequency: Top 100 English verbs
Key points to remember
- Present Simple:
I/you/we/they speed·he/she/it speeds - Past Simple:
sped(orspeeded, for driving too fast) - Past participle:
spedorspeeded - -ing form:
speeding
Conjugation of the verb to speed
Present Simple
| I | speed |
| You | speed |
| He / She / It | speeds |
| We | speed |
| You (pl.) | speed |
| They | speed |
Past Simple
| I | sped |
| You | sped |
| He / She / It | sped |
| We | sped |
| You (pl.) | sped |
| They | sped |
All the forms of the verb to speed
Present Simple
Full pagespeed / speeds
“Cars speed down the highway.”
See the pagePresent Continuous
Full pageam / is / are speeding
“I am speeding down the road right now.”
See the pagePast Simple
Full pagesped
“The car sped past us.”
See the pagePast Continuous
Full pagewas / were speeding
“I was speeding down the road when the phone rang.”
See the pagePresent Perfect
Full pagehave / has sped
“I have already sped down the road.”
See the pagePast Perfect
Full pagehad sped
“She had already sped down the road when I arrived.”
See the pageFuture Simple
Full pagewill speed
“I will speed down the road tomorrow.”
See the pageGoing to Future
Full pageam / is / are going to speed
“I'm going to speed down the road this weekend.”
See the pageConditional (would)
Full pagewould speed
“I would speed down the road if I had time.”
See the pageHow to use to speed
1. Going fast
- The car sped away.
2. Speed up / slow down
Speed up means to go faster. Slow down means to go slower.
- Speed up!
A common mistake
1. The car speed away (past) ❌
In the Past Simple, speed loses an e: sped, like feed → fed and bleed → bled. The car sped away.
What's next?
You can conjugate to speed. Now say it out loud.
This page explained everything. On PLAY, you practise this verb out loud in 3 minutes, until it comes naturally.
Practise to speed on PLAYFree · No sign-up · 3 minutes
For teachersReady-made activities to practise to speed in class
The Academy offers self-marking exercises and progress tracking for each student: your class practises, and you see who has got it and who needs more help.
Discover the Academy30-day free trial · No bank card needed
English contestConjugating to speed is a key skill in the English contest
Every year, the Big Challenge tests the key English verbs. Register your students so they can check their level in a real contest.
Register my students5,000 students every year · Primary and secondary
Frequently asked questions
What is the past simple of speed?+
Sped (irregular, the most common) or speeded (regular, mostly for driving too fast). Speed → sped → sped. Other verbs in -eed do the same: feed → fed, bleed → bled.
What is the difference between sped and speeded?+
Sped is for moving fast in general: The car sped away. Speeded is mostly for driving faster than the law allows: He speeded through the village. The difference is small, and sped is more common.
What does speed up mean?+
Speed up means to go faster. The opposite is slow down (to go slower). Speed up, we're late! These two phrasal verbs are very useful.
What is a speeding ticket?+
The speed limit is the fastest speed allowed on a road: The speed limit is 50 mph. A speeding ticket is what you get from the police when you drive too fast, and you have to pay money: I got a speeding ticket.
What does speed mean as a noun?+
Speed (noun) = how fast something moves. At top speed means as fast as possible. The train travels at a speed of 300 km/h.
Updated on 12 November 2026 by the Big Challenge teaching team. Every year, more than 500,000 students across Europe take part in our English contest, created in 1999. Our teaching approach →
The Big Challenge · Updated on 12 November 2026 · Source: www.thebigchallenge.com/bl/academy/learn-english/verbs/speed
© The Big Challenge. Copying allowed for classroom use. Every year, more than 500,000 students across Europe take part in our English contest, created in 1999.