List of Common Irregular Verbs

Most Common Irregular Verbs

The top 3 most common verbs in English are irregular (to be, to have, to do). Many other popular verbs are also irregular. Remember that an irregular verb is one that does not form its simple past tense or its past participle by adding "-ed" or "-d" to the base form.

Irregular verbs contrast with regular verbs, which form the simple past tense and past participle by adding "-ed" or "-d."

To Be, To Have, To Do

Here are the top three irregular verbs in English:

• to be (past tense: was/were; past participle: been)
• to have (past tense: had; past participle: had)
• to do (past tense: did; past participle: done)
(These are special verbs because they can function as main verbs or auxiliary verbs.)

Top 10 Irregular Verbs

Here are the 10 most common normal irregular verbs:

• see (past tense: saw; past participle: seen)
• say (past tense: said; past participle: said)
• go (past tense: went; past participle: gone)
• come (past tense: came; past participle: come)
• know (past tense: knew; past participle: known)
• get (past tense: got; past participle: got/gotten)
• give (past tense: gave; past participle: given)
• become (past tense: became; past participle: become)
• find (past tense: found; past participle: found)
• think (past tense: thought; past participle: thought)

200 More Irregular Verbs

Here is a list of 200 irregular verbs for English learners. Click on a verb to see its conjugation.

Base Form	Simple Past	Past Participle	3rd Person Singular	Present Participle
abide	abode (also abided)	abode (also abided)	abides	abiding
alight	alit (also alighted)	alit (also alighted)	alights	alighting
arise	arose	arisen	arises	arising
awake	awoke	awoken	awakes	awaking
be	was (also were)	been	is	being
bear	bore	born (also borne)	bears	bearing
beat	beat	beaten	beats	beating
become	became	become	becomes	becoming
begin	began	begun	begins	beginning
behold	beheld	beheld	beholds	beholding
bend	bent	bent	bends	bending
bet	bet	bet	bets	betting
bid	bid	bid	bids	bidding
bid	bade	bidden	bids	bidding
bind	bound	bound	binds	binding
bite	bit	bitten	bites	biting
bleed	bled	bled	bleeds	bleeding
blow	blew	blown	blows	blowing
break	broke	broken	breaks	breaking
breed	bred	bred	breeds	breeding
bring	brought	brought	brings	bringing
broadcast	broadcast (also broadcasted)	broadcast (also broadcasted)	broadcasts	broadcasting
build	built	built	builds	building
burn	burnt (also burned)	burnt (also burned)	burns	burning
burst	burst	burst	bursts	bursting
bust	bust	bust	busts	busting
buy	bought	bought	buys	buying
cast	cast	cast	casts	casting
catch	caught	caught	catches	catching
choose	chose	chosen	chooses	choosing
clap	clapped (also clapt)	clapped (also clapt)	claps	clapping
cling	clung	clung	clings	clinging
clothe	clad (also clothed)	clad (also clothed)	clothes	clothing
come	came	come	comes	coming
cost	cost	cost	costs	costing
creep	crept	crept	creeps	creeping
cut	cut	cut	cuts	cutting
dare	dared (also durst)	dared	dares	daring
deal	dealt	dealt	deals	dealing
dig	dug	dug	digs	digging
dive	dived (also dove)	dived	dives	diving
do	did	done	does	doing
draw	drew	drawn	draws	drawing
dream	dreamt (also dreamed)	dreamt (also dreamed)	dreams	dreaming
drink	drank	drunk	drinks	drinking
drive	drove	driven	drives	driving
dwell	dwelt	dwelt	dwells	dwelling
eat	ate	eaten	eats	eating
fall	fell	fallen	falls	falling
feed	fed	fed	feeds	feeding
feel	felt	felt	feels	feeling
fight	fought	fought	fights	fighting
find	found	found	finds	finding
fit	fit (also fitted)	fit (also fitted)	fits	fitting
flee	fled	fled	flees	fleeing
fling	flung	flung	flings	flinging
fly	flew	flown	flies	flying
forbid	forbade (also forbad)	forbidden	forbids	forbidding
forecast	forecast (also forecasted)	forecast (also forecasted)	forecasts	forecasting
foresee	foresaw	foreseen	foresees	foreseeing
foretell	foretold	foretold	foretells	foretelling
forget	forgot	forgotten	forgets	foregetting
forgive	forgave	forgiven	forgives	forgiving
forsake	forsook	forsaken	forsakes	forsaking
freeze	froze	frozen	freezes	freezing
get	got	got (also gotten)	gets	getting
give	gave	given	gives	giving
go	went	gone (also been)	goes	going
grind	ground	ground	grinds	grinding
grow	grew	grown	grows	growing
handwrite	handwrote	handwritten	handwrites	handwriting
hang	hung (also hanged)	hung (also hanged)	hangs	hanging
have	had	had	has	having
hear	heard	heard	hears	hearing
hide	hid	hidden	hides	hiding
hit	hit	hit	hits	hitting
hold	held	held	holds	holding
hurt	hurt	hurt	hurts	hurting
inlay	inlaid	inlaid	inlays	inlaying
input	input (also inputted)	input (also inputted)	inputs	inputting
keep	kept	kept	keeps	keeping
kneel	knelt (also kneeled)	knelt (also kneeled)	kneels	kneeling
knit	knit (also knitted)	knit (also knitted)	knits	knitting
know	knew	known	knows	knowing
lay	laid	laid	lays	laying
lead	led	led	leads	leading
lean	leant (also leaned)	leant (also leaned)	leans	leaning
leap	leapt (also leaped)	leapt (also leaped)	leaps	leaping
learn	learnt (also learned)	learnt (also learned)	learns	learning
leave	left	left	leaves	leaving
lend	lent	lent	lends	lending
let	let	let	lets	letting
lie	lay	lain	lies	lying
light	lit	lit	lights	lighting
lose	lost	lost	loses	losing
make	made	made	makes	making
mean	meant	meant	means	meaning
meet	met	met	meets	meeting
melt	melted	molten (also melted)	melts	melting
mislead	misled	misled	misleads	misleading
mistake	mistook	mistaken	mistakes	mistaking
misunderstand	misunderstood	misunderstood	misunderstands	misunderstanding
mow	mowed	mown	mows	mowing
overhear	overheard	overheard	overhears	overhearing
overtake	overtook	overtaken	overtakes	overtaking
pay	paid	paid	pays	paying
preset	preset	preset	presets	presetting
prove	proved	proven (also proved)	proves	proving
put	put	put	puts	putting
quit	quit	quit	quits	quitting
read	read	read	reads	reading
rid	rid (also ridded)	rid (also ridded)	rids	ridding
ride	rode	ridden	rides	riding
ring	rang	rung	rings	ringing
rise	rose	risen	rises	rising
rive	rived	riven (also rived)	rives	riving
run	ran	run	runs	running
saw	sawed	sawn (also sawed)	saws	sawing
say	said	said	says	saying
see	saw	seen	sees	seeing
seek	sought	sought	seeks	seeking
sell	sold	sold	sells	selling
send	sent	sent	sends	sending
set	set	set	sets	setting
sew	sewed	sewn (also sewed)	sews	sewing
shake	shook	shaken	shakes	shaking
shave	shaved	shaven (also shaved)	shaves	shaving
shear	shore (also sheared)	shorn (also sheared)	shears	shearing
shed	shed	shed	sheds	shedding
shine	shone	shone	shines	shining
shoe	shod	shod	shoes	shoeing
shoot	shot	shot	shoots	shooting
show	showed	shown	shows	showing
shrink	shrank	shrunk	shrinks	shrinking
shut	shut	shut	shuts	shutting
sing	sang	sung	sings	singing
sink	sank	sunk	sinks	sinking
sit	sat	sat	sits	sitting
slay	slew	slain	slays	slaying
sleep	slept	slept	sleeps	sleeping
slide	slid	slid (also slidden)	slides	sliding
sling	slung	slung	slings	slinging
slink	slunk	slunk	slinks	slinking
slit	slit	slit	slits	slitting
smell	smelt (also smelled)	smelt (also smelled)	smells	smelling
sneak	sneaked (also snuck)	sneaked (also snuck)	sneaks	sneaking
sow	sowed	sown	sows	sowing
speak	spoke	spoken	speaks	speaking
speed	sped (also speeded)	sped (also speeded)	speeds	speeding
spell	spelt (also spelled)	spelt (also spelled)	spells	spelling
spend	spent	spent	spends	spending
spill	spilt (also spilled)	spilt (also spilled)	spills	spilling
spin	span (also spun)	spun	spins	spinning
spit	spat (also spit)	spat (also spit)	spits	spitting
split	split	split	splits	splitting
spoil	spoilt (also spoiled)	spoilt (also spoiled)	spoils	spoiling
spread	spread	spread	spreads	spreading
spring	sprang	sprung	springs	springing
stand	stood	stood	stands	standing
steal	stole	stolen	steals	stealing
stick	stuck	stuck	sticks	sticking
sting	stung	stung	stings	stinging
stink	stank	stunk	stinks	stinking
stride	strode (also strided)	stridden	strides	striding
strike	struck	struck (also stricken)	strikes	striking
string	strung	strung	strings	stringing
strip	stript (also stripped)	stript (also stripped)	strips	stripping
strive	strove	striven	strives	striving
sublet	sublet	sublet	sublets	subletting
swear	swore	sworn	swears	swearing
sweat	sweat (also sweated)	sweat (also sweated)	sweats	sweating
sweep	swept (also sweeped)	swept (also sweeped)	sweeps	sweeping
swell	swelled	swollen	swells	swelling
swim	swam	swum	swims	swimming
swing	swung	swung	swings	swinging
take	took	taken	takes	taking
teach	taught	taught	teaches	teaching
tear	tore	torn	tears	tearing
tell	told	told	tells	telling
think	thought	thought	thinks	thinking
thrive	throve (also thrived)	thriven (also thrived)	thrives	thriving
throw	threw	thrown	throws	throwing
thrust	thrust	thrust	thrusts	thrusting
tread	trod	trodden	treads	treading
undergo	underwent	undergone	undergoes	undergoing
understand	understood	understood	understands	understanding
undertake	undertook	undertaken	undertakes	undertaking
upset	upset	upset	upsets	upsetting
wake	woke	woken	wakes	waking
wear	wore	worn	wears	wearing
weave	wove	woven	weaves	weaving
wed	wed (also wedded)	wed (also wedded)	weds	wedding
weep	wept	wept	weeps	weeping
wend	wended (also went)	wended (also went)	wends	wending
wet	wet (also wetted)	wet (also wetted)	wets	wetting
win	won	won	wins	winning
wind	wound	wound	winds	winding
withdraw	withdrew	withdrawn	withdraws	withdrawing
withhold	withheld	withheld	withholds	withholding
withstand	withstood	withstood	withstands	withstanding
wring	wrung	wrung	wrings	wringing
write	wrote	written	writes	writing

Infographic for Regular and Irregular Verbs

Don't forget that irregular verbs are verbs whose past forms are not the base form + "ed" or "d." Read more about irregular verbs.

Links to Irregular Verb Pages

Here are links to the pages for the irregular verbs mentioned. Each page has more information about the verb as well as a test.

Learn with Hangman!

Hangman is a classic word game. In this version, the hidden word is an irregular verb from this list. (Choose your first letter to start.) Show Instructions

Create Your Own Version of This Game

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