Irregular Verbs! Learn the list of irregular verbs in English.
Irregular Verbs vs Regular Verbs
A regular verb is any verb whose conjugation follows the typical pattern, or one of the typical patterns (“-s”, “-ed”). A verb whose conjugation follows a different pattern is called an irregular verb.
For example:
Verbs such as play, associate are regular since they form their inflected parts by adding the typical endings -s, and -ed, to give forms such as plays, associated.
On the other hand, verbs such as drink, hit and have been irregular, since some of their parts are not made according to the typical pattern – drank and drunk (not “drinked”); hit (as past tense and past participle, not “hitted”) and has and had (not “haves” and “haved”).
Please note that many of the most frequent verbs are irregular. Thus it is essential to learn all the English irregular verbs.
Irregular Verbs in English
Base Form (and present) | Past Simple | Past Participle |
alight | alighted, alit | alighted, alit |
arise | arose | arisen |
awake | awoke, awaked | awoken, awaked |
be (am, is, are) | was (were) | been |
bear | bore | borne (born) |
beat | beat | beaten/beat |
begin | began | begun |
bend | bent | bent |
bereave | bereaved | bereaved (bereft) |
beseech | besought | besought |
bet | bet/betted | bet/betted |
bid | bid | bid |
bid | bade/bid/bidded | bidden/bid/bidded |
bide | bided/bode | bided/bidden |
bind | bound | bound (bounden) |
bite | bit | bitten |
bleed | bled | bled |
blow | blew | blown |
break | broke | broken |
breed | bred | bred |
bring | brought | brought |
build | built | built |
burn | burned/burnt | burnt/burned |
burst | burst/bursted | burst/bursted |
buy | bought | bought |
can | could | – |
cast | cast | cast |
catch | caught | caught |
chide | chode/chided/chid | chidden/chided |
choose | chose | chosen |
cleave1 | clove/clave | cloven/claven |
cleave2 | cleft/cleaved | cleft/cleaved |
cling | clang/clung | clung |
clothe | clothed | clothed (clad) |
come | came | come |
cost | cost | cost |
creep | crept | crept |
crow | crowed/crew | crowed/crown[kroʊn] |
cut | cut | cut |
deal | dealt | dealt |
dig | dug | dug |
dive | dived/dove | dived/dove |
do (does[dʌz]) | did | done |
draw | drew | drawn |
dream | dreamt/dreamed | dreamt/dreamed |
drink | drank/drunk | drunk (drunken) |
drive | drove | driven |
dwell | dwelt/dwelled | dwelt/dwelled |
eat | ate | eaten |
fall | fell | fallen |
feed | fed | fed |
feel | felt | felt |
fight | fought | fought |
find | found | found |
fit | fit/fitted | fit/fitted |
flee | fled | fled |
fling | flung | flung |
fly | flew | flown |
forsake | forsook | forsaken |
freeze | froze | frozen |
get | got | gotten/got |
gird | girded | girded (girt) |
give | gave | given |
go | went | gone |
grind | ground | ground |
grow | grew | grown |
hang | hung/hanged | hung/hanged |
have (has) | had | had |
hear | heard | heard |
hew | hewed | hewed/hewn |
hide | hid | hid/hidden |
hit | hit | hit |
hold | held | held |
hurt | hurt | hurt |
keep | kept | kept |
kneel | knelt/kneeled | knelt/kneeled |
knit | knit/knitted | knit/knitted |
know | knew | known |
lay | laid | laid |
lead | led | led |
lean | leaned/leant | leaned/leant |
leap | leaped/leapt | leaped/leapt |
learn | learned/learnt | learned/learnt |
leave | left | left |
load | loaded | loaded (laden) |
lose | lost | lost (lorn) |
lend | lent | lent |
let | let | let |
lie | lay | lain |
light | lit/lighted | lit/lighted |
make | made | made |
may | might | – |
mean [miːn] | meant [mɛnt] | meant [mɛnt] |
meet | met | met |
melt | melted | melted (molten) |
mow | mowed | mowed/mown |
pay | paid | paid |
plead | pleaded/pled | pleaded/pled |
prove | proved | proved/proven |
put | put | put |
quit | quit | quit |
read [riːd] | read [rɛd] | read [rɛd] |
rend | rent | rent |
rid | rid/ridded | rid/ridden |
ride | rode | ridden |
ring | rang | rung |
rise | rose | risen |
run | ran | run |
saw | sawed | sawed/sawn |
say (says[sɛz]) | said [sɛd] | said [sɛd] |
see | saw | seen |
seek | sought | sought |
seethe | seethed | seethed (sodden) |
sell | sold | sold |
send | sent | sent |
set | set | set |
sew | sewed | sewed/sewn |
shake | shook | shaken |
shall | should | – |
shape | shaped | shaped (shapen) |
shave | shaved | shaved (shaven) |
shear | shore/sheared | shorn/sheared |
shed | shed | shed |
shine | shined/shone | shined/shone |
shit | shit/shat | shit/shat |
shoe | shoed/shod | shoed/shod |
shoot | shot | shot |
show | showed | shown/showed |
shrink | shrank/shrunk | shrunk (shrunken) |
shrive | shrove | shriven |
shut | shut | shut |
sing | sang | sung |
sink | sank/sunk | sunk (sunken) |
sit | sat | sat |
slay | slew/slayed | slain/slayed |
sleep | slept | slept |
slide | slid | slid/slidden |
sling | slung/slang | slung |
slink | slunk/slank | slunk |
slit | slit | slit |
smell | smelled/smelt | smelled/smelt |
smite | smote/smit | smitten |
sneak | sneaked/snuck | sneaked/snuck |
sow | sowed | sowed/sown |
speak | spoke | spoken |
speed | sped/speeded | sped/speeded |
spell | spelled/spelt | spelled/spelt |
spend | spent | spent |
spill | spilled/spilt | spilled/spilt |
spin | span/spun | spun |
spit | spit/spat | spit/spat |
split | split | split |
spoil | spoiled/spoilt | spoiled/spoilt |
spread | spread | spread |
spring | sprang/sprung | sprung |
stand | stood | stood |
steal | stole | stolen |
stick | stuck | stuck |
sting | stang/stung | stung |
stink | stank/stunk | stunk |
strew | strew/strewed | strewn/strewed |
stride | strode/strided | stridden/strided |
strike | struck | struck (stricken) |
string | strung | strung |
strive | strove/strived | striven/strived |
swear | swore | sworn |
sweep | swept | swept |
swell | swelled | swelled (swollen) |
swim | swam | swum |
swing | swang/swung | swung |
take | took | taken |
teach | taught | taught |
tear | tore | torn |
tell | told | told |
think | thought | thought |
thrive | throve/thrived | thrived/thriven |
throw | threw | thrown |
thrust | thrusted/thrust | thrusted/thrust |
tread | trod | trodden/trod |
wake | woke | woken |
wear | wore | worn |
weave | wove | woven |
wed | wed/wedded | wed/wedded |
weep | wept | wept |
wet | wet/wetted | wet/wetted |
will | would | – |
win | won | won |
wind[waɪnd] | wound [waʊnd] | wound [waʊnd] |
work | worked | worked (wrought) |
wring | wrung | wrung |
write | wrote | written |