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Usenet Posted 21 years ago
Usage

Past tense of "ping"?..

I've sometimes wondered about the spelling of the past tense of the computing word "ping".
If I put "pinged" then it makes the "g" soft and liable to being mis-read. If I use "ping'd" then it keeps the "g" hard, but makes for improper use of the apostrophe.
I guess there's always "ping-ed" or even "pingd" but those don't seem right either.
What do you think?..
  

Top answer

: [nq:1]I've sometimes wondered about the spelling of the past tense of the computing word "ping". [/nq] G isn't always soft before a suffix starting with E; consider "singer". Use "pinged".

— Usenet

  • : [nq:1]I've sometimes wondered about the spelling of the past tense of the computing word "ping".
  • [/nq] G isn't always soft before a suffix starting with E; consider "singer".
  • Use "pinged".
  • Mark Brader > "I always pass on good advice.
  • It's the only thing Toronto > to do with it.
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7 Answers
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James S.:
[nq:1]I've sometimes wondered about the spelling of the past tense of the computing word "ping". If I put "pinged" then it makes the "g" soft and liable to being mis-read.[/nq]
G isn't always soft before a suffix starting with E; consider "singer".

Use "pinged".

Mark Brader > "I always pass on good advice. It's the only thing Toronto > to do with it. It is
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[nq:1]I've sometimes wondered about the spelling of the past tense of the computing word "ping". If I put "pinged" then ... the apostrophe. I guess there's always "ping-ed" or even "pingd" but those don't seem right either. What do you think?.[/nq]
How do you pronounce "wronged"?

Ross Howard
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[nq:1]James S.:[/nq]
[nq:2]I've sometimes wondered about the spelling of the past tense ... it makes the "g" soft and liable to being mis-read.[/nq]
[nq:1]G isn't always soft before a suffix starting with E; consider "singer".[/nq]
Or "banged".
[nq:1]Use "pinged".[/nq]
Yup, although I rather fancy "pang"...

Cheers, Harvey
Canada for 30 years; S England since 1982.
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[nq:1]I've sometimes wondered about the spelling of the past tense of the computing word "ping". If I put "pinged" then ... to being mis-read. If I use "ping'd" then it keeps the "g" hard, but makes for improper useof the apostrophe.[/nq]
In modern times (as noted by Stephen Pinker and
other scholars) new coinages of verbs are nearly
always regular in structure. Ping appears to be.
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[nq:1]James S.:[/nq]
[nq:2]I've sometimes wondered about the spelling of the past tense ... it makes the "g" soft and liable to being mis-read.[/nq]
[nq:1]G isn't always soft before a suffix starting with E; consider "singer".[/nq]
Or "ringed".
Of course, one might escape to another paradigm:
ping, pang, pung
ping, pought, pought

Joe Fineman joe (Email Removed)
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[nq:2]I've sometimes wondered about the spelling of the past tense ... but those don't seem right either. What do you think?.[/nq]
[nq:1]How do you pronounce "wronged"? Ross Howard[/nq]
<<
True - never thought of it like that. Maybe it's because I keep thinking of "impinged"?
Love "pang" though Harvey! Thanks for the ideas all. :-)
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AmE = pingen
BrE = pingt
RotWE = pinged

Steve Hayes from Tshwane, South Africa
http://www.geocities.com/Athens/7734/stevesig.htm
E-mail - see web page, or parse: shayes at dunelm full stop org full stop uk
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