When it comes to learning the English language, remembering all of English’s irregular verb patterns is no small feat. As you’ll see from the list below, English has a ton of irregular verbs, and they trip up even the best of us.
The key to mastering irregular verbs in English is in recognizing the irregular verb patterns that they follow. For your convenience and ease of perusal, find a list of all the irregular verbs in English in the chart below.
Regular vs. irregular verbs
What’s the difference between regular and irregular verbs in English?
- Regular verbs are those that end in –ed in their past verb forms; examples are walk/walked, talk/talked and laugh/laughed.
- Irregular verbs end in something other than –ed in in the past; e.g., wrote/written, spoke/spoken, tore/torn.
Irregular verb patterns
Irregular verbs can divide into three main classes or kinds:
- Those with 1 form in the simple present and past tenses. Examples include bet, cut, shut, spread.
- Those with 2 forms in the simple present and past tenses. Examples are build/built, buy/bought, catch/caught.
- Those with 3 forms, or those that switch from the simple present, simple past and as a past participle. Examples are draw (the past tenses are drew and drawn); drink is drank and drunk, and so forth.
A comprehensive list of irregular verbs in English
| Base Verb | Simple Past | Past Participle |
| arise | arose | arisen |
| awake | awoke | awoken |
| be | was/were | been |
| bear | bore | borne |
| beat | beat | beaten |
| become | became | become |
| begin | began | begun |
| bend | bent | bent |
| bet | bet | bet |
| bind | bound | bound |
| bid | bid | bid |
| bite | bit | bitten |
| bleed | bled | bled |
| blow | blew | blown |
| break | broke | broken |
| breed | bred | bred |
| bring | brought | brought |
| broadcast | broadcast | broadcast |
| build | built | built |
| burst | burst | burst |
| buy | bought | bought |
| cast | cast | cast |
| catch | caught | caught |
| choose | chose | chosen |
| cling | clung | clung |
| come | came | come |
| cost | cost | cost |
| creep | crept | crept |
| cut | cut | cut |
| deal | dealt | dealt |
| dig | dug | dug |
| dive | dove/dived | dived |
| do | did | done |
| draw | drew | drawn |
| dream | dreamed/dreamt | dreamed/dreamt |
| drink | drank | drunk |
| drive | drove | driven |
| eat | ate | eaten |
| fall | fell | fallen |
| feed | fed | fed |
| feel | felt | felt |
| fight | fought | fought |
| find | found | found |
| flee | fled | fled |
| fling | flung | flung |
| fly | flew | flown |
| forbid | forbade | forbidden |
| forgive | forgave | forgiven |
| freeze | froze | frozen |
| get | got | got |
| give | gave | given |
| go | went | gone |
| grind | ground | ground |
| grow | grew | grown |
| hang | hung/hanged | hung/hanged |
| have | had | had |
| hear | heard | heard |
| hide | hid | hid |
| hit | hit | hit |
| hold | held | held |
| hurt | hurt | hurt |
| keep | kept | kept |
| kneel | knelt | knelt |
| know | knew | known |
| lay | laid | laid |
| lead | led | led |
| leave | left | left |
| lend | lent | lent |
| let | let | let |
| lie (“lie down”) | lay | lain |
| light | lit/lighted | lit/lighted |
| lose | lost | lost |
| make | made | made |
| mean | meant | meant |
| meet | met | met |
| mistake | mistook | mistaken |
| mow | mowed | mown/mowed |
| overtake | overtook | overtaken |
| pay | paid | paid |
| proofread | proofread | proofread |
| put | put | put |
| quit | quit | quit |
| read | read | read |
| ride | rode | ridden |
| ring | rang | rung |
| rise | rose | risen |
| run | ran | run |
| say | said | said |
| see | saw | seen |
| seek | sought | sought |
| sell | sold | sold |
| send | sent | sent |
| set | set | set |
| sew | sewed | sewed/sewn |
| shake | shook | shaken |
| shave | shaved | shaven |
| shed | shed | shed |
| shine | shone | shone |
| shoot | shot | shot |
| show | showed | shown |
| shrink | shrank | shrunk |
| shut | shut | shut |
| sing | sang | sung |
| sink | sank | sunk |
| sit | sat | sat |
| slay | slew | slain |
| sleep | slept | slept |
| slide | slid | slid |
| sling | slung | slung |
| sneak | snuck/sneaked | snuck/sneaked |
| sow | sowed | sown/sowed |
| speak | spoke | spoken |
| speed | sped | sped |
| spend | spent | spent |
| spill | spilt/spilled | spilt/spilled |
| spin | spun | spun |
| spit | spat | spat |
| split | split | split |
| spread | spread | spread |
| spring | sprang | sprung |
| stand | stood | stood |
| steal | stole | stolen |
| stick | stuck | stuck |
| stink | stank | stunk |
| strike | struck | struck |
| string | strung | strung |
| strive | strove | striven |
| swear | swore | sworn |
| sweep | swept | swept |
| swell | swelled | swollen/swelled |
| swim | swam | swum |
| swing | swung | swung |
| take | took | taken |
| teach | taught | taught |
| tear | tore | torn |
| think | thought | thought |
| throw | threw | thrown |
| thrust | thrust | thrust |
| tread | trod | trodden |
| understand | understood | understood |
| upset | upset | upset |
| wake | woke | woken |
| wear | wore | worn |
| weave | wove | worn |
| weep | wept | wept |
| wet | wet/wetted | wet/wetted |
| win | won | won |
| wind | wound | wound |
| wring | wrung | wrung |
| write | wrote | written |
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