“Indeed/in deed/indid/in did”

Question

I am not a native speaker and get constantly confused which one to use when I would like to approve some statement or someone's sentence.

A really nice one indeed.
A really nice one in deed.
A really nice one indid.
A really nice one in did.

I guess the first one is correct, but others may be correct in some other contexts. When do we use each of these?

Just a note: the word deed and the word did have different vowel sounds. If you're a non-native speaker you may have trouble telling them apart.

score 12 · Accepted Answer · 2012-04-03 10:21:34Z

up vote 12 down vote accepted

There is no such thing as in did or indid. Use indeed to mean really and in deed to mean in action. For example,

She is beautiful indeed

means she is truly beautiful, while

She is beautiful in deed

means her actions are beautiful.

edited Apr 3 '12 at 10:21

answered Apr 3 '12 at 8:12

user2683

	Thank you very much for clearing this up for me. I will now know that all I can use is the double e word because it's the only one that is correct in those cases where I get confused. :) It would be much more complicated when many possible forms could be used... – Robert Koritnik Apr 3 '12 at 8:22
	Actually, indeed comes from a shortening of 'in deed'. This was when 'in deed' was similar in usage to 'in fact'. Over time, the meaning of deed has evolved I guess, hence the difference. – hrishioa Apr 3 '12 at 12:36
	As a point about common modern usage, 'indeed' as one word is very often (although not exclusively) used to confirm something that's already been said or to put emphasis on an answer to a question. For example, if someone asked "Isn't she beautiful?", the response "She is beautiful indeed." would make a lot of sense. – asfallows Apr 3 '12 at 13:21

Barrie England · Answer 2 · 2012-04-03 08:14:21Z

up vote 2 down vote

Indeed is spelt as one word. Your third and fourth examples have no meaning.

answered Apr 3 '12 at 8:14

Barrie England
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2 Answers