What’s the Past Tense of Forecast?
Now that thunderstorm season is here, it seems an opportune time to clear up confusion about one of meteorologists' favorite verbs. Just how should the past tense of "forecast" be written? See if you know.
Which past tense form is correct for "forecast," based on Associated Press style?
forecasted
forecast'd
forecast
All the above are correct.
The correct answer is option three, “forecast.” However, although “forecasted” is incorrect in Associated Press style, many dictionaries list “forecasted” as a variant form of the past tense. The conundrum here is that even though “cast” is an irregular verb, with the past tense remaining “cast” instead of “casted,” and even though many usage guides recommend extending this past-tense formation to other verbs that have “-cast” at the end, many people continue use such past-tense forms as “forecasted,” “broadcasted,” “telecasted” and “simulcasted.” A dictionary’s job is to not only help us avoid confusion, but sometimes to lead us directly into it and describe how other people use the English language. Consequently, since a significant enough portion of people continue to choose to place an “-ed” at the end of “broadcast,” “forecast,” “telecast” and “simulcast,” many major dictionaries, such as the Merriam-Webster and American Heritage dictionaries, provide entries for these words. Now you know. 😉