Dived and Dove

The words dived and dove can be used interchangeably as the past tense and past participle of the verb to dive. So, the bottom line is that you cannot make a mistake by using one of these words instead of the other.

Dived Is More Traditional Than Dove

Dived is the traditional past tense and past participle of to dive, but dove has crept in over the last two centuries — particularly in the US. This is probably a result of the verb to drive (with its past tense drove) becoming more common.

Dove for Americans. Dived for Brits

While there is no clear delineation, dove tends to be used by those following US conventions, and dived tends to be used by those following UK conventions.

Pick the Version That Will Annoy the Fewest Readers

So, to annoy the fewest readers possible, you should use dove if those around you follow US conventions but dived if they follow UK conventions.