Showed or Shown? (Which is the Right Word?)

First published on March 7, 2023 by Dalia Y.|Last revised on January 15, 2025

Show has three verb conjugations altogether: show, showed, and shown/showed (depending on UK/American English). Shown is the past participle of show.

Past Tense Of

Showed or Shown? (Which is the Right Word?)

Forms of the verb 'show' in text. By *Gflex* on Canva.

What's the past tense of "show"?

The simple past tense of show is showed, and the past participle is shown. Use showed for simple past tense and shown for past participle forms.

Definition of show

The Oxford English Dictionary defines show as "to make visible; to display; to demonstrate; to prove or make clear." It can also refer to a noun meaning "a play or other stage performance, especially a musical." More commonly, people refer to a television show as simply a show.

The past tense of show is showed.

The past participle of show is shown.

Verb forms of 'show'

Simple Cont. Perfect Perfect Cont.

Present

I/you/they show • He/she/it shows

Past

I/you/they showed • He/she/it showed

Future

I/you/they will show • He/she/it will show

Present

I am/you are showing • He/she/it is showing

Past

I was/you were showing • He/she/it was showing

Future

I/you will be showing • He/she/it will be showing

Present

I/you have shown • He/she/it has shown

Past

I/you had shown • He/she/it had shown

Future

I/you will have shown • He/she/it will have shown

Present

I have been showing • He/she/it has been showing

Past

I had been showing • He/she/it had been showing

Future

I will have been showing • He/she/it will have been showing

Is "show" a regular or irregular verb?

Answer: Show is an irregular verb— its past tense is showed and past participle is shown.

Note: Regular verbs end in -ed in the past tense. Any other verb ending is considered irregular.

While an irregular verb, 'show' follows a common pattern where the past tense and past participle are different forms. Similar to other verbs like break/broke/broken, speak/spoke/spoken, and steal/stole/stolen, show uses distinct forms for past tense and past participle.

When to use "showed" vs. "shown"

I showed him my new painting yesterday.

They have shown shown this scene before.

The verb show uses different forms for simple past tense and past participle. When used as a participle (shown in the second sentence), it requires an auxiliary verb like have, has, or had. The simple past doesn't use a helper verb since it's a complete tense, so showed can stand alone in sentences, whereas participles require an auxiliary verb.

Similar irregular verbs

Like show, these verbs follow the same pattern where the past tense and past participle are different forms.

show

Past: showed

Past part: shown

Sentence examples: show, showed, shown

Show (present tense)

• Research shows that a high-fiber diet may protect you from bowel cancer.

• Please show me your identification card.

• The teacher will show us how to solve this problem.

• This data shows a clear pattern in consumer behavior.

Showed (simple past)

• She showed me her new painting yesterday.

• Our research showed us that women were more interested in their health than men.

• He showed me his collection.

• I showed you that photo yesterday.

Shown (present or past perfect)

• They have shown this scene before.

• The drama will be shown on American TV.

• The documentary has been shown in festivals around the world.

• He had shown up with roses and an apology.

Synonyms & nearby words

Synonyms for show

display demonstrate exhibit reveal present illustrate prove indicate

Nearby phrases

show off show up show around show through show the ropes show one's true colors show of hands

Origin of the verb show

From etymology online on show (v.):

Middle English sheuen, from Old English sceawian "to look at, see, gaze, behold, observe; inspect, examine; look for, choose," from Proto-Germanic skauwojanan from Proto-Germanic root skau- "behold, look at," from PIE skou-, variant of root *keu- "to see, observe, perceive."

Practice: "Show" conjugations

FAQs

When do I use 'showed'?

Use "showed" for the simple past tense. It describes a completed action at a specific past time. For example, "My colleague showed me the new report yesterday."

When do I use 'shown'?

Use "shown" as the past participle. It requires a helper verb (like has, have, had, was, is) for perfect tenses or passive voice. Example: "The company has shown consistent growth."

What's the difference? Shown vs showed?

"Showed" is the simple past tense, used alone for completed actions. "Shown" is the past participle, always used with a helper verb in perfect tenses or passive voice.

Is the verb 'show' regular?

No, "show" is an irregular verb. Regular verbs typically form their past tense and past participle by adding "-ed," which "show" does not consistently do for both forms.

Can I use 'showed' with 'has'?

No, using "showed" with a helper verb like "has" is incorrect. "Showed" is the simple past form. You need the past participle "shown" in perfect tenses (e.g., "has shown").

Sources

Oxford English Dictionary. "show, v." OED Online. Oxford University Press. Date of access 15 Jan. 2025.
Harper, Douglas. "Etymology of show." Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com/word/show. Accessed 15 Jan. 2025.