Irregular Verbs

Irregular preterits and past participles

This alphabetical list shows the irregular forms of the most common verbs. Each entry includes the infinitive, the preterit, and the past participle. In cases where variant forms exist, they will be shown at the end of the entry. Literary or archaic forms are flagged by a cross: Ý. The past participle is used in many conjugations, including the present perfect, the pluperfect, the past conditional, and the future perfect.

can = could [pret.], been able [p.p.]

may = might [pret.]

to abide = abode [pret., p.p.]

to arise = arose [pret.], arisen [p.p.]

to awake = awoke [pret.], awakened [p.p.]

to be = was, were [pret.], been [p.p.]

to bear = bore [pret.], borne [p.p.]

to beat = beat [pret.], beaten [p.p.]

to become = became [pret.], become [p.p.]

to befall = befell [pret.], befallen [p.p.]

to begin = began [pret.], begun [p.p.]

to bend = bent [pret., p.p.]

to beseech = besought [pret., p.p.]

to bet = bet [pret., p.p.]

to bid = bid [pret., p.p.]; bade [pret.]Ý

to bind = bound [pret., p.p.]

to bite = bit [pret.], bitten [p.p.]

to bleed = bled [pret., p.p.]

to blow = blew [pret.], blown [p.p.]

to break = broke [pret.], broken [p.p.]

to breed = bred [pret., p.p.]

to bring = brought [pret., p.p.]

to build = built [pret., p.p.]

to burn = burned [pret., p.p.]; burnt [pret., p.p.]Ý

to burst = burst [pret., p.p.]

to buy = bought [pret., p.p.]

to cast = cast [pret., p.p.]

to catch = caught [pret., p.p.]

to choose = chose [pret.], chosen [p.p.]

to cleave = cleaved [pret., p.p.]; cleft [pret., p.p.]Ý

to cling = clung [pret., p.p.]

to come = came [pret.], come [p.p.]

to cost = cost [pret., p.p.]

to creep = crept [pret., p.p.]; creeped [pret.]

to cut = cut [pret., p.p.]

to deal = dealt [pret., p.p.]

to dig = dug [pret., p.p.]

to do = did [pret.], done [p.p.]

to draw = drew [pret.], drawn [p.p.]

to dream = dreamed [pret., p.p.]; dreamt [pret., p.p.]Ý

to drink = drank [pret.], drunk [p.p.]

to drive = drove [pret.], driven [p.p.]

to dwell = dwelled [pret., p.p.]; dwelt [pret., p.p.]Ý

to eat = ate [pret.]; eaten [p.p.]

to fall = fell [pret.], fallen [p.p.]

to feed = fed [pret., p.p.]

to fight = fought [pret., p.p.]

to find = found [pret., p.p.]

to flee = fled [pret., p.p.]

to fling = flung [pret., p.p.]

to fly = flew [pret.]; flown [p.p.]

to forbid = forbad [pret.]; forbidden [p.p.]

to forget = forgot [pret.]; forgotten [p.p.]

to forsake = forsook [pret.]; forsaken [p.p.]

to freeze = froze [pret.]; frozen [p.p.]

to get = got [pret., p.p.]; gotten [p.p.]

to gild = gild [p.p.]

to give = gave [pret.], given [p.p.]

to go = went [pret.], gone [p.p.]

to grind = ground [pret., p.p.]

to grow = grew [pret.], grown [p.p.]

to hang = hung [pret., p.p.]; hanged (•éxécution•) [pret., p.p.]

to have = had [pret., p.p.]

to hear = heard [pret., p.p.]

to hew = hewn [p.p.]

to hide = hid [pret.]; hidden [p.p.]

to hit = hit [pret., p.p.]

to hold = held [pret., p.p.]

to hurt = hurt [pret., p.p.]

to keep = kept [pret., p.p.]

to kneel = kneeled [pret., p.p.]

to kneel = knelt [pret., p.p.]

to know = knew [pret.], known [p.p.]

to lay = laid [pret., p.p.]

to lead = led [pret., p.p.]

to lean = leaned [pret., p.p.]

to lean = leant [pret., p.p.]

to leap = leaped [pret., p.p.]

to leap = leapt [pret., p.p.]

to learn = learned [pret., p.p.]

to learn = learnt [pret., p.p.]

to leave = left [pret., p.p.]

to lend = lent [pret., p.p.]

to let = let [pret., p.p.]

to lie = lay [pret.], lain [p.p.]

to light = lit [pret., p.p.]

to lose = lost [pret., p.p.]

to make = made [pret., p.p.]

to mean = meant [pret., p.p.]

to meet = met [pret., p.p.]

to mow = mowed [pret.], mown [p.p.]

to pay = paid [pret., p.p.]

to put = put [pret., p.p.]

to quit = quit [pret., p.p.]

to read = read [pret., p.p.]

to rebuild = rebuilt [pret., p.p.]

to recut = recut [pret., p.p.]

to redeal = redealt [pret., p.p.]

to redo = redid [pret.], redone [p.p.]

to relay = relaid [pret., p.p.]

to remake = remade [pret., p.p.]

to rend = rent [pret., p.p.]

to repay = repaid [pret., p.p.]

to reread = reread [pret., p.p.]

to rerun = reran [pret.], rerun [p.p.]

to resend = resent [pret., p.p.]

to reset = reset [pret., p.p.]

to retake = retook [pret.], retaken [p.p.]

to reteach = retaught [pret., p.p.]

to retell = retold [pret., p.p.]

to rethink = rethought [pret., p.p.]

to rewrite = rewrote [pret.], rewritten [p.p.]

to rid = rid [pret., p.p.]

to ride = rode [pret.], ridden [p.p.]

to ring = rang [pret.], rung [p.p.]

to rise = rose [pret.], risen [p.p.]

to run = ran [pret.], run [p.p.]

to saw = sawed [pret., p.p.]; sawn [p.p.]Ý

to say = said [pret., p.p.]

to see = saw [pret.], seen [p.p.]

to seek = sought [pret., p.p.]

to sell = sold [pret., p.p.]

to send = sent [pret., p.p.]

to set = set [pret., p.p.]

to sew = sewed [pret., p.p.]; sewn [p.p.]

to shake = shook [pret.], shaken [p.p.]

to shave = shaved [pret., p.p.]; shaven [p.p.]

to shear = sheared [pret., p.p.]; shorn [p.p.]

to shed = shed [pret., p.p.]

to shine = shone [pret., p.p.]; shined [pret.]

to shoe = shod [pret., p.p.]

to shoot = shot [pret., p.p.]

to show = showed [pret., p.p.]; shown [p.p.]

to shrink = shrank [pret.], shrunk [p.p.]

to shut = shut [pret., p.p.]

to sing = sang [pret.], sung [p.p.]

to sink = sank [pret.], sunk [p.p.]

to sit = sat [pret., p.p.]

to slay = slew [pret.], slain [p.p.]

to sleep = slept [pret., p.p.]

to slide = slid [pret., p.p.]

to sling = slung [pret., p.p.]

to slink = slunk [pret., p.p.]

to slit = slit [pret., p.p.]

to smell = smelled [pret., p.p.]

to smell = smelt [pret., p.p.]

to smite = smote [pret.], smitten [p.p.]

to sow = sowed [pret., p.p.]; sown [p.p.]

to speak = spoke [pret.], spoken [p.p.]

to speed = sped [pret., p.p.]

to spell = spelled [pret., p.p.]

to spell = spelt [pret., p.p.]

to spend = spent [pret., p.p.]

to spill = spilled [pret., p.p.]

to spill = spilt [pret., p.p.]

to spin = spun [pret., p.p.]

to spit = spat [pret., p.p.]

to split = split [pret., p.p.]

to spoil = spoiled [pret., p.p.]; spoilt [pret., p.p.]

to spread = spread [pret., p.p.]

to spring = sprang [pret.]; sprung [p.p.]

to stand = stood [pret., p.p.]

to steal = stole [pret.], stolen [p.p.]

to stick = stuck [pret., p.p.]

to sting = stung [pret., p.p.]

to stink = stank [pret.], stunk [p.p.]

to stride = strode [pret.], stridden [p.p.]

to strike = struck [pret., p.p.]; stricken [p.p.]

to string = strung [pret., p.p.]

to strive = strove [pret.], striven [p.p.]

to swear = swore [pret.], sworn [p.p.]

to sweep = swept [pret., p.p.]

to swell = swelled [pret.], swollen [p.p.]

to swim = swam [pret.], swum [p.p.]

to swing = swung [pret., p.p.]

to take = took [pret.], taken [p.p.]

to teach = taught [pret., p.p.]

to tear = tore [pret.], torn [p.p.]

to tell = told [pret., p.p.]

to think = thought [pret., p.p.]

to thrive = thrived [pret., p.p.]

to throw = threw [pret.], thrown [p.p.]

to thrust = thrust [pret., p.p.]

to tread = trod [pret.], trodden [p.p.]

to undo = undid [pret.], undone [p.p.]

to unlearn = unlearned [pret., p.p.]; unlearnt [pret., p.p.]Ý

to unwind = unwound [pret., p.p.]

to wake = woke [pret.], woken [p.p.]

to wear = wore [pret.], worn [p.p.]

to weave = wove [pret.], woven [p.p.]; weaved [pret.]

to weep = wept [pret., p.p.]

to win = won [pret., p.p.]

to wind = wound [pret., p.p.]

to withdraw = withdrew [pret.], withdrawn [p.p.]

to wring = wrung [pret., p.p.]

to write = wrote [pret.], written [p.p.]