Is Acrossed a Word or Regional Dialect??
on Feb 20, 2011, Updated Aug 13, 2022
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Here’s another 5 Minute Grammar Lesson. 🙂
When we moved to Iowa 5 years ago, I started saying “Acrossed,” as in “I went acrossed town yesterday.” It’s something a LOT of people say in these here parts 🙂 and I picked it up without realizing it. I was talking to my sister one day on the phone and said something with “acrossed” in it. She started laughing and had me repeat it. Once I repeated it, I was horrified! How could I, an English teacher of all things, say “acrossed?” Needless to say, that day was the last day I uttered that terrible word.
Since then, I hear it everywhere! My hubby, bless his heart, my father in law, friends…it’s rampant in Iowa. Thankfully, my husband quit using it very soon after I pointed it out…
Anyhow, ACROSS is a preposition (He went across the street.) and sometimes an adverb (She ran across to say hello.) It it never used (correctly) in the past tense.
CROSS is the verb that can be used correctly in the past tense: “He crossed the street.”
And there’s your 5 Minute Grammar Lesson. Do you hear “acrossed” where you live?
I don't think I've ever heard anyone say acrossed. Although, growing up in Texas I heard a lot of other interesting words and phrases.
Well, just to clarify, it doesn't sound like across-ed. It sounds like across-T. 😉
But the d in -ed is never pronounced as a d sound in such words. The “d” in -ed is pronounced like a t in words that present a “consonant cluster.” If you have a sibilant s followed by a d, the d is pronounced as a t, not as a d. “Kissed” sounds like “kist,” “pressed” sounds like “prest,” etc.
Yes, that’s true, Allie. The -ed is pronounced like a -t in acrossed. That doesn’t change the fact that it’s not a word and the proper form is to simply say ACROSS. 🙂
Michelle,
Thank you! I just watched two videos on attic restorations with the contractors repeatedly saying “ACROSSED” with a
“T” sound at the end. The videos were from the Mid-West. It drove me nuts and I knew the word doesn’t exist but I hear
people from New York (we are 1 hour Northwest of NYC) saying “ACROSSED” quite often; each time it makes me pause
in silence as I try to regain focus on the topic at hand. I never point it out to people but I have another one that drives me nuts.
You sometimes hear people say “beans” and “on to it”. For example, “Beans the fire was burning low, I put some fresh logs “On to It.” I cringe every time. By the way, I found your blog by searching Google for the “Acrossed” and had to laugh when I read your comments….thanks again.
Haha, Matt! Your comment really cracked me up. This is such and old post. I will have to revisit and update it. I, honestly, had forgotten about it. Glad you got a laugh. 🙂
it really is difficult to concentrate on the conversation when someone says acrossed…ok, here’s another one. Pull the rope, thread, leash, TAUNT! Why? It’s TAUT!
I feel so much better now, thanks!
I am from Iowa, born and raised, and can confirm! This is a thing.. a terrible, terrible thing. I moved to Minnesota for a few years and when I moved back to Iowa I noticed how bad it was! It’s definitely not the only made up word Iowans enjoy using either hahah?
We say acrossed here in East London U.K.
I was just looking it up as my son’s friends questioned why we say it, we had never even noticed.
Now we do, at age 64 but can’t stop ?
I hear Acrossed all the time. and it bugs me to no end.