Incorrect Input

Is it just me, or does this annoy you as well:

Inputted

Inputted

 

“you have inputted” Surely that’s not right?!

In my mind, ‘input’ is a variation of the verb  â€˜to put’ and the past tense of put is put, so the past tense of input should be input.

  • “I shall put my foot in it tomorrow” (Future)
  • “I am putting my foot in it now” or  (Present)
  • “I put my foot in it yesterday”. (Past)

So similarly

  • “I will input my password in a minute”,
  • “I am inputting my password now”, or
  • “I input my password yesterday”

By contrast, the golfing verb ‘to putt’ is a completely different word and it’s past tense is ‘putted’.

  • “ I shall putt the ball once it’s on the green”,
  • “I am putting the ball now that it is on the green”, or
  • “I putted the ball just now”

To say that something was inputted just sounds weird.

Apparently though, according to the Oxford English Dictionary, both input and inputted are acceptable past participles of the verb ‘to input’. Mind you, I don’t really care what the OED says, if both are acceptable why use the ugly, weird sounding one when you could just the one that sounds right “you have input an incorrect password” would be nicer. Or better still, “Sorry, you’ve entered an incorrect password”.

Mind you, better than all of these would be to stop making me change my password every 5 minutes so that I enter the correct password in the first place!!!

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Alan Cole

Alan is a Freelance Website Designer, Sports & Exercise Science Lab Technician and full time Dad & husband with far too many hobbies: Triathlete, Swimming, Cycling, Running, MTBing, Surfing, Windsurfing, SUPing, Gardening, Photography.... The list goes on.