It "Costed" Less

Is "costed" a word? Learn more on today's episode of Grammar Minute!

What is Grammar Minute?

Saving the English language 60 seconds at a time.

Welcome to the Grammar Minute, where we’re saving the English language sixty seconds at a time! I’m Lauren Smyth, and “costed” is not a word. Well, it is, but not one you should use on a regular basis.
In American English, we use “cost” as the past tense. It’s an irregular verb, so no “ed” is required. In British English, the verb “to cost” has a second meaning besides selling for a particular price. It can also mean giving someone an estimate of how much something will cost. For example, you could say: “I cost the project proposal.” In that case, if you’re British, you can say: “I costed the project proposal.”
We Americans don’t often use that second sense of the word. We prefer idioms like “run the numbers” or “priced out.” Beware that if you do say “costed,” even if you do it correctly, it will raise a red flag for many readers.
That’s your Grammar Minute! Visit thegrammarminute.com for more tips and tricks.