Irregular verbs list: V1, V2, V3
146 common irregular verbs with their base form (V1), past simple (V2) and past participle (V3). Search the list, or learn them in groups that follow the same pattern.
Full list, A to Z
| V1 (base) | V2 (past simple) | V3 (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 |
| bid | bid | bid |
| bind | bound | bound |
| bite | bit | bitten |
| bleed | bled | bled |
| blow | blew | blown |
| break | broke | broken |
| bring | brought | brought |
| broadcast | broadcast | broadcast |
| build | built | built |
| burn | burnt / burned | burnt / burned |
| 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 |
| do | did | done |
| draw | drew | drawn |
| dream | dreamt / dreamed | dreamt / dreamed |
| 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 |
| forecast | forecast | forecast |
| forget | forgot | forgotten |
| forgive | forgave | forgiven |
| freeze | froze | frozen |
| get | got | got / gotten |
| give | gave | given |
| go | went | gone |
| grind | ground | ground |
| grow | grew | grown |
| hang | hung | hung |
| have | had | had |
| hear | heard | heard |
| hide | hid | hidden |
| hit | hit | hit |
| hold | held | held |
| hurt | hurt | hurt |
| keep | kept | kept |
| kneel | knelt | knelt |
| know | knew | known |
| lay | laid | laid |
| lead | led | led |
| lean | leant / leaned | leant / leaned |
| learn | learnt / learned | learnt / learned |
| leave | left | left |
| lend | lent | lent |
| let | let | let |
| lie | lay | lain |
| light | lit | lit |
| lose | lost | lost |
| make | made | made |
| mean | meant | meant |
| meet | met | met |
| mistake | mistook | mistaken |
| overcome | overcame | overcome |
| pay | paid | paid |
| 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 | sewn |
| shake | shook | shaken |
| 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 |
| sleep | slept | slept |
| slide | slid | slid |
| smell | smelt / smelled | smelt / smelled |
| speak | spoke | spoken |
| speed | sped | sped |
| spell | spelt / spelled | spelt / spelled |
| 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 |
| sting | stung | stung |
| stink | stank | stunk |
| strike | struck | struck |
| swear | swore | sworn |
| sweep | swept | swept |
| swim | swam | swum |
| swing | swung | swung |
| take | took | taken |
| teach | taught | taught |
| tear | tore | torn |
| tell | told | told |
| think | thought | thought |
| throw | threw | thrown |
| thrust | thrust | thrust |
| understand | understood | understood |
| undertake | undertook | undertaken |
| upset | upset | upset |
| wake | woke | woken |
| wear | wore | worn |
| weave | wove | woven |
| weep | wept | wept |
| win | won | won |
| wind | wound | wound |
| withdraw | withdrew | withdrawn |
| write | wrote | written |
Verbs by pattern
Learning verbs in groups is faster than learning them one by one.
All three forms the same
These verbs never change: cut, cut, cut.
bet · bet · betbid · bid · bidbroadcast · broadcast · broadcastburst · burst · burstcast · cast · castcost · cost · costcut · cut · cutforecast · forecast · forecasthit · hit · hithurt · hurt · hurtlet · let · letput · put · putquit · quit · quitread · read · readset · set · setshed · shed · shedshut · shut · shutsplit · split · splitspread · spread · spreadthrust · thrust · thrustupset · upset · upset
V2 and V3 the same
Learn one past form and use it for both V2 and V3: buy, bought, bought.
bend · bent · bentbind · bound · boundbleed · bled · bledbring · brought · broughtbuild · built · builtburn · burnt / burned · burnt / burnedbuy · bought · boughtcatch · caught · caughtcling · clung · clungcreep · crept · creptdeal · dealt · dealtdig · dug · dugdream · dreamt / dreamed · dreamt / dreamedfeed · fed · fedfeel · felt · feltfight · fought · foughtfind · found · foundflee · fled · fledfling · flung · flungget · got · got / gottengrind · ground · groundhang · hung · hunghave · had · hadhear · heard · heardhold · held · heldkeep · kept · keptkneel · knelt · kneltlay · laid · laidlead · led · ledlean · leant / leaned · leant / leanedlearn · learnt / learned · learnt / learnedleave · left · leftlend · lent · lentlight · lit · litlose · lost · lostmake · made · mademean · meant · meantmeet · met · metpay · paid · paidsay · said · saidseek · sought · soughtsell · sold · soldsend · sent · sentshine · shone · shoneshoot · shot · shotsit · sat · satsleep · slept · sleptslide · slid · slidsmell · smelt / smelled · smelt / smelledspeed · sped · spedspell · spelt / spelled · spelt / spelledspend · spent · spentspill · spilt / spilled · spilt / spilledspin · spun · spunspit · spat · spatstand · stood · stoodstick · stuck · stucksting · stung · stungstrike · struck · strucksweep · swept · sweptswing · swung · swungteach · taught · taughttell · told · toldthink · thought · thoughtunderstand · understood · understoodweep · wept · weptwin · won · wonwind · wound · wound
All three forms different
These need the most practice: go, went, gone.
arise · arose · arisenawake · awoke · awokenbe · was / were · beenbear · bore · bornebeat · beat · beatenbegin · began · begunbite · bit · bittenblow · blew · blownbreak · broke · brokenchoose · chose · chosendo · did · donedraw · drew · drawndrink · drank · drunkdrive · drove · driveneat · ate · eatenfall · fell · fallenfly · flew · flownforbid · forbade · forbiddenforget · forgot · forgottenforgive · forgave · forgivenfreeze · froze · frozengive · gave · givengo · went · gonegrow · grew · grownhide · hid · hiddenknow · knew · knownlie · lay · lainmistake · mistook · mistakenride · rode · riddenring · rang · rungrise · rose · risensee · saw · seensew · sewed · sewnshake · shook · shakenshow · showed · shownshrink · shrank · shrunksing · sang · sungsink · sank · sunkspeak · spoke · spokenspring · sprang · sprungsteal · stole · stolenstink · stank · stunkswear · swore · swornswim · swam · swumtake · took · takentear · tore · tornthrow · threw · thrownundertake · undertook · undertakenwake · woke · wokenwear · wore · wornweave · wove · wovenwithdraw · withdrew · withdrawnwrite · wrote · written
V1 and V3 the same
The past participle looks like the base form: come, came, come.
become · became · becomecome · came · comeovercome · overcame · overcomerun · ran · run
Verbs people mix up
- read
- The spelling stays the same, but V2 and V3 are said like red.
- lie / lay
- Lie, lay, lain means to rest flat (I lay down after lunch). Lay, laid, laid means to put something down (She laid the files on the desk). Lie meaning to say something untrue is regular: lied, lied.
- hang
- Hung is used for things (We hung the pictures). Hanged is used only for executing a person.
- burnt / burned
- Both forms are correct in British and Indian English. American English prefers -ed. The same is true of learnt, dreamt, spelt, spilt, smelt and leant.
- got / gotten
- British and Indian English use got as V3 (I have got a new phone). Gotten is American.
Practise irregular verbs
The Irregular verbs lesson has exercises that check your answers as you go. To see where V2 and V3 fit, use the tense chart.
Questions
What is an irregular verb?
A verb that does not form its past simple (V2) and past participle (V3) by adding -ed. For example, write becomes wrote and written, not writed.
How many irregular verbs are there in English?
There are about 200 in common use. The list on this page covers the ones you will meet most often in everyday and work English.
When do I use V2 and when do I use V3?
Use V2 alone for the past simple (She wrote). Use V3 after has, have or had (She has written), and in the passive voice (It was written).
What is the easiest way to learn irregular verbs?
Learn them in groups that follow the same pattern, such as cut, cut, cut or sing, sang, sung, then use each one in a short sentence of your own.