What a strange feeling to find out that a word you use isn’t a word at all.

Typo Alert

I was recently editing a book for a client and came across this line: Everyone bursted with relief and joy. I quickly fixed “bursted” to “burst,” because—and here’s where your mind might be blown—“bursted” isn’t even a word.

Burst in the past, present, and future is simply burst. It’s one of those weird verbs that doesn’t alter its shape or appearance much*. It neither implodes nor explodes nor bursts. How ironic.

The Fix

So, how did I fix the typo in the sentence above? Everyone burst with relief and joy. Easy peasy.

If someone in your life happens to use “bursted” in their speech or writing, try not to burst their bubble too harshly. Being kind is easy. Being evil involves manipulating, concocting, devising, and scheming. That sounds exhausting.

*Other forms of burst include bursts and bursting.