worked used to

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "worked used to" is not correct in English.
Did you mean "used to work"? You can use "used to work" when referring to a past habit or state that is no longer true. Example: "I used to work at that company before I moved to a different city."

⚠ May contain grammatical issues

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

60 human-written examples

"People who did longshore work used to be the scum of the earth by definition," he says.

Huffington Post

Finding work used to be largely a question of whom you knew.

The Guardian

Merce Cunningham's work used to be darker and crazier than it is today.

The New Yorker

But this is hardly fresh curatorial territory; such work used to be called abject art.

The New York Times - Arts

"Our voluntary work used to be about integration, now we're trying to handle a humanitarian crisis.

The Guardian

"That work used to be funded by government, but funding for that sort of thing has dried up".

The New York Times

Such routine work used to be done by people with mid-level skills for mid-range pay.

The Economist

"My commute to work used to take up to two hours and now it's a 30-minute walk through the city," she says.

The Guardian

The related work used to compare the proposed caching scheme only with just another caching scheme.  .

EURASIP Journal on Wireless Communications and Networking

That kind of work used to be aimed at concocting new drugs.

Forbes

In nearby villages, the only work used to be in traditional crafts.

BBC

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When describing past employment, consider using alternatives like "previously worked" or "formerly worked" for a more formal tone.

Common error

Do not invert the word order to say "worked used to" when you mean "used to work". This error disrupts the conventional English phrasing for expressing past habits or states.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "worked used to" is grammatically incorrect. It attempts to convey a past habitual action or state, but the word order is reversed. Ludwig AI confirms its incorrectness.

Expression frequency: Missing

Frequent in

Science

0%

News & Media

0%

Formal & Business

0%

Less common in

Science

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News & Media

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Formal & Business

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Ludwig's WRAP-UP

The phrase "worked used to" is identified as grammatically incorrect by Ludwig AI. The correct form to express a past habit or state is "used to work". While the intent is clear, the reversed word order renders the phrase unusable in any context. Consider alternatives like "previously worked" or "formerly worked" for more formal situations. Ensure you avoid this common mistake to maintain clarity and credibility in your writing. Since no examples exist the phrase isn't frequent in any context.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

used to work

Corrects the word order to form a grammatically sound phrase indicating a past habit or state.

previously worked

Formally indicates prior employment or work experience.

formerly worked

Indicates past employment in a more formal tone than "used to work".

had worked

Emphasizes the completion of work before another point in the past.

once worked

Suggests a past period of employment or engagement in work.

at one time worked

Highlights that the work occurred during a specific period in the past.

was employed

Focuses on the state of being employed in the past.

was working

Describes an action in progress in the past. A nuance change is the continuity.

worked in the past

Explicitly states that the work occurred at some point in the past.

did work

Emphasizes the performance of work, especially in contrast to not working.

FAQs

What is the correct way to say someone did a job in the past?

The correct way to indicate someone did a job in the past is to say they "used to work" there, or that they "previously worked" there.

Is "worked used to" grammatically correct?

No, "worked used to" is grammatically incorrect. The correct form is "used to work".

What's the difference between "used to work" and "formerly worked"?

"Used to work" implies a past habit or state that is no longer true. "Formerly worked" is a more formal way of saying someone was employed at a place in the past.

What are some alternatives to "used to work"?

Alternatives include "previously worked", "formerly worked", or "was employed". The best choice depends on the context and the desired level of formality.