Resetted or Reset – What’s the Past Tense of “Reset”?

Did your phone need to be “reset” or “resetted”? Which one is the correct conjugation of the verb? Is it possible that both are accepted? This is a fairly common dilemma. Therefore, if you ever have this doubt, keep on reading. This piece will give you a complete answer.

Resetted or Reset – What’s the Past Tense of “Reset”?

The past tense of the verb “reset” is “reset”. “Resetted”, on the other hand, is a common mistake conjugating the verb. “Resetted” is not an acceptable word. Therefore, we should avoid using it. Finally, “reset” is a verb that means to turn off an electronic device and then on again.

Since “resetted” is not an acceptable word, these terms are not synonyms. And, of course, we should not interchange them.

Resetted

“Resetted” is a fairly common mistake when conjugating the past tense of the verb reset. It is an irregular verb. So, “resetted” is not an acceptable word. It can also be a typo for resettled or reseated. As being a misspelling or a typo, prevent from using it.

Another usual mistake is to spell “reseted”. Naturally, it is also a mistake. Hence, since “resetted” and “reseted” are not English words, we should avoid using them.

When checking at the Cambridge Dictionary, we confirmed that these conjugations were spelling mistakes or typos. The dictionary suggests the words resettled or reseated.

Let’s see some incorrect examples and misuses with the term “resetted” in a sentence:

1. Incorrect: Though my new phone was resetted, It kept shutting down unexpectedly. Incorrect: IT guy came to the office and recommended notebooks were resetted.
2. Incorrect: The investigation on this new drug we are testing aims to probe if protein levels can be resetted.
3. Incorrect: Migrants rescued from ship wreckage will be resettled in provisional camps.
4. Incorrect: After the system was hacked, every single password must be resetted.
5. Incorrect: All adjustments must be resetted when experiencing troubles like this.
6. Incorrect: Who told you the values were outdated and needed to be resetted? You have just thrown a month of work into the trash.

Reset

“Reset” is an irregular verb that means to put something back to the original way it was organized. Another connotation is to turn off an electronic device and then on again to make it work properly. “Reset” is an irregular verb, so its correct past tense is reset.

The Cambridge Dictionary confirms the definition above. And adds that, when using the term on a person, it means starting over again after a time off.

To sum up, to reset is to set again or differently.

Let’s see some examples with the word “reset” in a sentence:

1. Do you remember the Y2K? All systems must be reset to prevent collapse.
2. It is needed to provide a few weeks off to our staff to reset mentally after the massive stress they have experienced on this project.
3. We tried everything on this computer. Maybe a full-system reset will fix most failures.
4. A smart thing to do is to anticipate a reset of tax rates and hold back all investments till this situation becomes clear.
5. After coming up with no determining conclusions, the only thing to do is reset the investigation.
6. Striker’s demands are to reset all work conditions before the laws sanctioned last week.
7. Please check the user’s guide. You will find instructions to reset your device.

Which Is Used the Most?

When relating the popularity levels of two terms, there is no better tool than Google Ngram Viewer. After submitting “reset” and “resetted” we learned this:

Both the terms “resetted” and “reseted” show a curve of use close to zero throughout the 20th century. This null activity is logical since neither of the two terms is correct.

On the other hand, the term “reset” begins in the 20th century with a relatively low percentage of use. From the 1940s, a sustained growth that triples the initial values is observed. In this decade, electronic devices show up, which explains its sustained growth.

Final Thoughts

Since “reset” is an irregular verb, the correct past tense is “reset”. So, when referring to putting back something in the original way it was organized, we should use “reset” instead of “resetted”. Moreover, as “resetted” is not a correct term we should avoid using it.