Which word is the proper use for the past-tense of “sneak”?
“Sneaked” is considered grammatically correct.
However, I think it’s stupid, and I use snuck.
Snuck (snuk) colloq. pt. & pp. of SNEAK, according to my dictionary.
It’s supposed to be sneaked, but sneaked “sounds” funny, to me. 
“Sneaked” always sounds funny to me when spoken.
“Snuck” always looks funny to me when written.
-FrL-
OED entry for snuck
In other words, it’s not a question of ‘grammatical correctness’, just differing British and American usage.
Both are correct. “Snuck” is the strong form of the verb, in that it uses an internal vowel change to show tense. It’s irregular, and because of that, probably older. “Sneaked” is regular, weak, and probably the newer form.
Same as with dove/dived, slew/slayed, and pled/pleaded.
Me, I prefer the strong, irregular verb. But that’s just me.
I believe that in this case, sneaked is the older form.
The question is, proper for what?
For a term paper, newspaper article, or State of the Union address, “sneaked” would probably be preferred by most “good” writers of English.
In an e-mail to your cousin, conversation with your coworkers around the water cooler, or hollered across your neighbor’s fence, “snuck” would be fine, if that’s what sounds right to you.
“Snuck” is informal and generally not considered appropriate in formal writing, its presence in dictionaries notwithstanding. But as many people here attest, in less formal settings, “sneaked” appears to sound stilted to many ears.
So either can be “proper,” depending on the setting and your personal tastes.
Indeed. It is one of the very rare cases of a regular verb becoming irregular.
Ed
I think we should keep discussing strong versus weak verbs until we’ve wrought it to death.
Well, where else could I use “wrought” that way?
I wonder, if my carton of milk became punctured somehow, has it leaked, or did it luck? And if I bought lunch for a friend, have I treated her, or have I trut? And if I make a small adjustment to something, have I tweaked it, or have I twuk? And when a mouse makes a little sound, has it squeaked, or has it squuck? If the mouse freaks me out, have I freaked, or have I fruk? But perhaps the sound was not from a mouse: perhaps it was from my door, which might have creaked or might have cruk.
Oh, now! I was going to say that I don’t at all like “snuck”, but I’m beginning to see that this could be fun. 
Ooh, yes, fun! Trut, twuk, squuk, fruk, cruk! And the greatest of these is surely “squuk”. It just is: believe me. For I have SPUK!
Anyone for a game of Scrabble?
I should go off to sleep. And when I come back, I might even have drum. Shit, there will be NO sleep, because I will be running through silly words all the time, like that Thurber story, the name of which escapes me right now. I suppose it has gone from my memory. It must have luk away.
And if that hypothetical milk from earlier has flowed all over the kitchen floor, has it streamed, or has it strum? Oh hell, definitely no sleep.
But it has been interesting to learn that “snuck” does have some legitimacy.
‘snuck’ seems to be seeping into this country, unfortunately. Like, “Veteran” which has also crept in while no one was looking. We don’t have ‘veterans’ (unless they’re cars) we have ex-servicemen.
No, no, you trate her. You know, like you ate lunch. Since ate is the past tense of eat, that must mean that all words that end with an “eat” sound must make a past tense by ending with an “ate” sound.
I just wish people would stop saying “drug” when they mean “dragged”.
I hate the non-word “snuck” with an absolute passion. If someone uses it in conversation with me my estimation of them drops immediately.
No, you’ve spoken. Or perhaps you spake? Or spoke?
Another strong verb.
Also Spake Hassenpfeffer
Data point/insight from our good friends at Chicago:
Fack you all (that’s the correct indicative, right?)
I do see “frak” appearing on the intertubes these days. I kind of like it. (BSG word)
[QUOTE=Mk VII]
‘snuck’ seems to be seeping into this country, unfortunately.
[QUOTE]
Why you got to be hatin’ the strong, irregular dialect? Wha’d it ever do to you?
What are you talking about? It’s a perfectly cromulent word!
[sub]snuck snuck snuck snuck snuck snuck snuck snuck[/sub]
Seriously, it’s a dialectical variation. There is no one, true version of the English language, and “snuck” communicates its meaning just as well as “sneaked”. People who use it are not somehow less intelligent or deserving, though they may be more flexible, tolerant, and euphonic.
Says me, who uses “snuck,” “drug,” and “brang” when in full native dialectical mode.
Not only that, it’s used commonly enough in more formal forms of English, like the press. Doing a quick search through the AP archives on ap.org, “snuck” appears 513 times, and “sneaked” appears 1460 times. So “snuck” is certainly less preferred, but it’s hardly rare, making up over a quarter of the instances of the past tense of “to sneak.”
If you’re making character and education judgments based on the usage of the word “snuck,” well I feel a little bit sorry for you. But not really.