How to Use Win vs. Won (Irregular Verb Conjugations)

What's the past tense of "win"?

The simple past tense of win is won, and the past participle is also won. Use won for both simple past and past participle forms.

Definition of win

The Oxford English Dictionary defines win as "to be the most successful in a competition, race, battle, etc.: she won the race." Also, "to get something as a prize for being successful: he won first prize."

• The past tense of win is won.

• The past participle of win is won.

Verb forms of 'win'

Is "win" a regular or irregular verb?

Win is an irregular verb with only two forms: win (present) and won (past and past participle). Unlike regular verbs that add "-ed" for past forms, win changes its vowel sound and spelling entirely to become won, making it irregular.

When to use win vs. won

Present tense: I win most of my tennis matches.

Past tense/participle: She has won three awards this season.

The verb win uses the same form for both 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 won can stand alone in sentences, whereas participles require an auxiliary verb.

Similar irregular verbs

Like win, many irregular verbs change their vowel sounds for past forms. Some verbs with similar patterns include:

Sentence examples: win, won, won

Synonyms & nearby words

Common phrases with "win"

FAQs

Sources

1. "Win, V." Oxford English Dictionary, Oxford UP, March 2025.