What’s the difference between "past" and "passed"?

Is it “past midnight” or “passed midnight”?

It’s one of those things that seems obvious . . . until it isn’t. When you say it, there’s no difference. But when you write it, suddenly you’re not so sure.

That’s the tricky part. These two words sound the same, but they don’t do the same job in a sentence.

When to use “past” in English

Let’s start with the most important point: “past” is not a verb.

If your sentence needs an action word, this isn’t it. Instead, “past” usually appears as a noun, a preposition, or an adjective. Occasionally, you’ll see it used on its own as an adverb. And even though you’ll see it in different forms, the meaning stays consistent. “Past” describes time or position, never an action.

When it’s a noun, it refers to time that has already happened:

• Let’s leave the past behind.
• In the past, people wrote letters instead of texting.

You’ll also see “past” used as a preposition, especially when something moves beyond a place. Here, it shows direction or position:

• He walked past the bakery.
• The car drove past me.

It can also work as an adjective, describing something from an earlier time:

• The past president made those changes.
• We’ve had issues in past years.

And sometimes “past” is used as an adverb. It still refers to movement, but you don't name what the person or thing moves by. Either it doesn't matter, or it's already obvious from the situation.

• She ran past without stopping.
• The car drove past.

What does "passed" mean?

“Passed” is much simpler. It’s always a verb. More specifically, it’s the past tense of “pass.” If you’re describing an action that already happened or a change, this is the word you need. You’ll see “passed” used in a few familiar ways.

One of the most obvious is physical movement, when someone or something moves from one place to another. For example:

• She passed me on the highway.
• He passed the ball to his teammate.

We also use “passed” when someone succeeds at something:

• I passed the driving test on my first try.
• She passed the exam with ease.

Some uses of “passed” describe something coming to an end or moving on:

• The storm has passed.
• The danger has passed.

You'll also see it in “passed away,” a gentler way to say someone has died:

• He passed away last night.

And finally, it’s used when talking about time. Even though no one is physically moving, time is still treated like something that moves forward:

• A week passed quickly.
• Several hours passed before we heard anything.

Out loud, the two sound exactly the same. Someone says "it's past ten" and you'd have no idea which word they mean. That's fine, it catches everyone at some point. None of us can tell from the sound alone. It's the rest of the sentence that will show you.