Attacted or attacked — which version is correct?

The meaning of the verb attack is obviously known to you: ‘to hurt someone using violence’ or ‘to criticise someone strongly’. You may, however, raise some doubts about how to write the past tense/ past participle form of the verb. Is it attacked or attacted? Let’s attack this problem.

Attacted vs. attacked — which spelling is incorrect?

Attacked is the only correct version of the word. Attack is a regular verb. To form its past participle or past tense, you just need to add the ending –ed. To create the present participle form of the verb attack, you have to add the suffix –ing. As simple as that.

Time for a collocations attack

Let’s hope you will never be brutally, savagely or viciously attacked by anyone, and that you won’t be fiercely, repeatedly or vigorously attacked for holding your own opinions on English grammar.

Attacked vs. attacted — delete as appropriate and see some literary examples

But I have a new love for that glittering instrument, the human soul. It is a lovely and unique thing in the universe. It is always attacked and never destroyed – because ‘Thou mayest’.

John Steinbeck, East of Eden, 1952

And thus you pass the outer girdle of ramparts, but then you are attacked by the infantry of the Books That If You Had More Than One Life You Would Certainly Also Read But Unfortunately Your Days Are Numbered.

Italo Calvino, If on a Winter’s Night a Traveller, 1979

‘You could say sorry’, suggested Harry bluntly.
‘What, and get attacked by another flock of canaries?’ muttered Ron.
‘What did you have to imitate her for?’
‘She laughed at my moustache!’
‘So did I, it was the stupidest thing I’ve ever seen’.

J. K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, 2005