Struck or Stricken: Understanding the Past Tense of Strike

Strike, Struck, Stricken — See the Pattern

Read these sentences. Look at how the verb changes:

• The workers strike every year for better pay. (now — it happens often)
• Lightning struck the tree last night. (past — it is finished)
• He has struck the ball over the fence three times. (past with “has”)
• The town was stricken by a terrible disease. (suffering — with “was”)

Did you see the pattern? There are three forms:

When to Use Struck and When to Use Stricken

This is the part that confuses many learners. Here is the simple rule:

Use “struck” when you talk about the past — something that is finished:

• The clock struck midnight.
• She struck the match to light the candle.

Also use “struck” with have, has, or had — for actions like hitting, starting, or making a deal:

• He has struck the ball perfectly.
• They had struck a deal before the meeting.

Use “stricken” in only two situations:

1. When someone feels strong emotions or has a serious problem — like grief, fear, poverty, or illness:

• She was stricken with grief after the news.
• The village was stricken by a terrible flood.

2. When something is removed from a list or record:

• His name was stricken from the list.

Easy way to remember: If someone is suffering or something is removed, use stricken. For everything else, use struck. And “striked” is never correct — that word does not exist.

Real-Life Examples With Strike, Struck, and Stricken

Here are examples you might use every day:

• Lightning struck the old building during the storm. (past — it is finished)
• A great idea struck me while I was in the shower. (past — a thought came suddenly)
• They have struck a deal with the other company. (with “have” — use struck)
• The family was stricken with grief after the loss. (suffering — use stricken)
• He struck the ball so hard it flew over the wall. (past — it is finished)

You are doing great. Now let’s look at the mistakes many learners make.

Three Mistakes to Avoid With Strike

Even advanced learners mix up struck and stricken sometimes — so if you get confused, you are not alone. This verb is tricky because it has two different forms for the past, and most verbs do not work this way.

How to remember: Think of the word “sick” hiding inside “stricken.” Sick = suffering. So stricken is for suffering. Everything else uses struck.

Other verbs with a tricky past tense like this: speak → spoke → spoken, break → broke → broken, choose → chose → chosen.

Test Yourself: Strike, Struck, or Stricken?

Choose the correct answer for each sentence. Click Check to see if you are right.

Keep Going — You Are Building Something

You just learned strike, struck, stricken. That is one more irregular verb you will never get wrong again.

But did you know that fall works in a similar way? Fall, fell, fallen — three forms, just like strike. But here is the tricky part: when do you say “I fell” and when do you say “I have fallen“? And is there a difference between “The leaves fell” and “The leaves have fallen“?

Next lesson: Fell or Fallen? Know the Difference Today!

Source

Harper, Douglas. “Etymology of strike.” Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com/word/strike