List of Irregular Verbs in English Grammar

Irregular verbs in English are an important aspect of the English language that can cause confusion for learners. Unlike regular verbs, which follow a consistent pattern of conjugation, irregular verbs do not follow a set pattern and require memorization. They are often some of the most frequently used verbs in the language and are essential to master for fluent communication. Some examples of common irregular verbs include “be,” “have,” “do,” and “go.” Irregular verbs can be challenging to learn, but understanding their unique conjugation patterns is essential to improve your ability to speak, read and write in English. With practice and consistent use, you can master irregular verbs and take your English grammar to the next level.

The English language has a large number of irregular verbs. In most cases, the irregularity concerns the past tense (also called preterite) or the past participle.

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Common Irregular Verbs in English

The other inflected parts of the verb – the third person singular present indicative in V(s)/V(es), and the present participle and gerund form (V-ing) are formed regularly in most cases. There are a few exceptions: the verb be has irregular forms throughout the present tense; the verbs have, do and say have irregular -(e)s forms; and certain defective verbs (such as the modal auxiliaries) lack most inflection.

The irregular verbs include many of the most common verbs: the dozen most frequently used English verbs are all irregular. New verbs (including loans from other languages, and nouns employed as verbs, such as to facebook) follow the regular inflection, unless they are compound formations from an existing irregular verb (such as housesit, from sit).

Irregular verbs in Modern English typically derive from verbs that followed more regular patterns at a previous stage in the history of the language. In particular, many such verbs derive from Germanic strong verbs, which make many of their inflected forms through vowel gradation, as can be observed in Modern English patterns such as sing–sang–sung. The regular verbs, on the other hand, with their preterites and past participles ending in -ed, follow the weak conjugation, which originally involved adding a dental consonant (-t or-d). Nonetheless, there are also many irregular verbs that follow or partially follow the weak conjugation.

Groups of Irregular Verbs in English

The irregular verbs of Modern English form several groups with similar conjugation pattern and historical origin.

These can be broadly grouped into two classes – the Germanic weak and strong groups – although historically some verbs have moved between these groups. There are also a few anomalous cases: the verbs be and go, which demonstrate suppletion; the verb do; and the defective modal verbs.

Strong verbs:

A large number of the irregular verbs derive from Germanic strong verbs, which display the vowel shift called ablaut, and do not add an ending such as -ed or -t for the past forms. These sometimes retain past participles with the ending -[e]n, as in give–gave–given and ride–rode–ridden, but in other cases this ending has been dropped, as in come–came–come and sing–sang–sung. This verb group was inherited from the parent Proto-Germanic language, and before that from the Proto-Indo-European language. It was originally a system of regular verbs, and in Old English and modern German the system remains more or less regular; however in Modern English relatively few verbs continue to follow such a pattern, and they are classed as irregular.

Verbs that retain a strong-type inflection in modern English and add -[e]n in the past participle include bear, beat, beget, bite, blow, break, choose, cleave, draw, drive, eat, fall, fly,forbid, forget, forsake, freeze, give, grow, know, lie, ride, rise, see, shake, shear, slay, smite, speak, steal, stride, strive, swear, take, tear, throw, tread, wake, weave, and write.

Those that do not add -[e]n in the usual past participle include become, begin, bind, burst, cling, come, drink, fight, find, fling, get(but with past participle gotten in American English), grind, hang, hold,let, ring, run,shed, shine, shit, shoot,shrink, sing, sink,sit, slide, sling,slink, slit, spin,spring, stand, sting, stink, strike, swim, swing, win, wind and wring.

The verbs sow and swell are now usually regular in the past tense, but retain the strong-type past participles sown and swollen. Other verbs retain participles in -n for certain adjectival uses, such as drunken and sunken. The verb crow is now regular in the past participle, but the strong past tense crew is sometimes used.

List of Irregular Verbs in English

be (am, is, are) – was, were – been
bear – bore – borne [spelt born in passive and adjectival uses relating to birth]
beat – beat – beaten
become – became – become
beget – begot – begot(ten) [Biblical past tense: begat]
begin – began – begun
bend – bent – bent
bet – bet – bet [past tense and participle also sometimes betted]
beware – defective verb [see anomalous cases above]
bid – bid – bid [as in an auction]
bid – bade/bid – bidden/bid [meaning “request”]
bide – bided/bode – bided/bidden [but abide mostly uses the regular forms only]
bind – bound – bound
bite – bit – bitten
bleed – bled – bled
blow – blew – blown
break – broke – broken
breed – bred – bred
bring – brought – brought
build – built – built
burn – burnt/burned – burnt/burned
burst – burst – burst
buy – bought – bought
can – could [defective; see anomalous cases above]
cast – cast – cast [prefixed forms broadcast, forecast, etc. sometimes take -ed
catch – caught – caught
choose – chose – chosen
clad – clad/cladded – clad/cladded [clad is also sometimes used as past form of clothe]
cleave – clove/cleft – cloven/cleft [but regular when meaning “adhere”]
cling – clung – clung
come – came – come
cost – cost – cost [but regular when meaning “calculate the cost of”]
creep – crept/creeped – crept/creeped
crow – crowed/crew – crowed [crew normally used only of a cock’s crowing]
cut – cut – cut
dare – regular except for possible third person singular present dare (see anomalous cases a
deal – dealt – dealt
dig – dug – dug
dive – dived/dove – dived [the form dove is chiefly American]
do (does /dʌz/) – did – done
drag – dragged/drug – dragged/drug [the form drug is chiefly dialectal]
draw – drew – drawn
dream – dreamed/dreamt – dreamed/dreamt
drink – drank – drunk
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
for(e)- : for forgo, foresee, etc. see go, see, etc.
forbid – forbade/forbid – forbidden
forget – forgot – forgotten
forsake – forsook – forsaken
freeze – froze – frozen
get – got – gotten/got [past participle got in British English, gotten in American, but see have got]
gild – gilded/gilt – gilded/gilt
give – gave – given
go – went – gone [see also have been]
grind – ground – ground
grow – grew – grown
hang – hung/hanged – hung/hanged [the form hanged is more common in the sense of execution by hanging
have (has) – had – had
hear – heard – heard
hew – hewed – hewn/hewed
hide – hid – hidden
hit – hit – hit
hoist – hoist/hoisted – hoist/hoisted
hold – held – held
hurt – hurt – hurt
in- : for inlay, input, etc. see lay, put, etc.
inter- : for interlay, interweave, etc. see lay, weave, etc.
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
lend – lent – lent
let – let – let
lie – lay – lain [but regular when meaning “tell an untruth”]
light – lit/lighted – lit/lighted
lose – lost – lost
make – made – made
may – might [defective; see anomalous cases above]
mean – meant – meant
meet – met – met
mis- : for misspeak, mistake, etc. see speak, take, etc.
mow – mowed – mowed/mown
must – defective [see anomalous cases above]
need – regular except for possible third person singular present need (see anomalous cases above
off- : for offset see set, etc.
ought – defective [see anomalous cases above]
out- : for outbid, output, etc. see bid, put, etc.
over- : for overbid, overdo, etc. see bid, do, etc.
pay – paid – paid [but sometimes spelt regularly when meaning “let out” (rope etc.)]
plead – pleaded/pled – pleaded/pled
pre- : for prepay, preset, etc. see pay, set, etc.
prove – proved – proved/proven
put – put – put
quit – quit – quit
re- : for redo, remake, etc. see do, make, etc.
read /riːd/ – read /rɛd/ – read /rɛd/
rend – rent – rent
rid – rid/ridded – rid/ridded/ridden
ride – rode – ridden
ring – rang – rung
rise – rose – risen
run – ran – run
saw – sawed – sawn/sawed
say (says /sɛz/) – said – said
see – saw – seen
seek – sought – sought
sell – sold – sold
send – sent – sent
set – set – set
sew – sewed – sewn/sewed
shake – shook – shaken
shall – should [defective; see anomalous cases above]
shear – sheared/shore – shorn/sheared
shed – shed – shed
shine – shone/shined – shone/shined
shit – shat/shit/shitted – shat/shit/shitted
shoe – shoed/shod – shoed/shod
shoot – shot – shot
show – showed – shown/showed
shrink – shrank/shrunk – shrunk
shut – shut – shut
sing – sang – sung
sink – sank – sunk
sit – sat – sat
slay – slew/slayed – slain/slayed
sleep – slept – slept
slide – slid – slid
sling – slung – slung
slink – slunk – slunk
slit – slit – slit
smell – smelled/smelt – smelled/smelt
smite – smote – smitten
sneak – sneaked/snuck – sneaked/snuck [snuck is chiefly American, and it is regarded as informal]
sow – sowed – sown/sowed
speak – spoke – spoken
speed – sped/speeded – sped/speeded
spell – spelled/spelt – spelled/spelt
spend – spent – spent
spill – spilled/spilt – spilled/spilt
spin – spun – spun
spit – spat/spit – spat/spit [the form spit rather than spat is common in America]
split – split – split
spoil – spoiled/spoilt – spoiled/spoilt
spread – spread – spread
spring – sprang/sprung – sprung
stand – stood – stood
stave – staved/stove – staved/stove
steal – stole – stolen
stick – stuck – stuck
sting – stung – stung
stink – stank – stunk
strew – strewed – strewn/strewed
stride – strode – stridden/strode
strike – struck – struck
string – strung – strung
strive – strove/strived – striven/strived
swear – swore – sworn
sweat – sweated/sweat – sweated/sweat
sweep – swept – swept
swell – swelled – swollen/swelled
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/thrusted – thrust/thrusted
tread – trod – trodden/trod
un- : for unbend, unweave, etc. see bend, weave, etc.
under- : for underlie, undergo, understand, etc. see lie, go, stand, etc.
up- : for upset see set, etc.
wake – woke – woken
wear – wore – worn
weave – wove – woven
wed – wed/wedded – wed/wedded
weep – wept – wept
wet – wet/wetted – wet/wetted
will – would [defective; see anomalous cases above]
win – won – won
wind – wound – wound [but regular in the meanings connected with air and breath]
with- : for withdraw, withhold, withstand, see draw, hold, stand
wring – wrang/wrung – wrung
write – wrote – written