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100 Common Irregular English Verbs

Irregular verbs do not form every past tense with the usual -ed pattern. Search for a base form, past form or past participle.

View 100 regular verbs

Remember: use the past participle with helping verbs such as has, have, had and forms of be.

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100 commonly used irregular English verbs and their five principal forms.
Base form	He/she/it	Past	Past participle	-ing form	Useful note
arise	arises	arose	arisen	arising	—
awake	awakes	awoke	awoken	awaking	—
be	is	was/were	been	being	Present forms also include am and are.
bear	bears	bore	borne/born	bearing	Born is normally used for birth; borne has other meanings.
beat	beats	beat	beaten	beating	—
become	becomes	became	become	becoming	—
begin	begins	began	begun	beginning	—
bend	bends	bent	bent	bending	—
bet	bets	bet	bet	betting	—
bind	binds	bound	bound	binding	—
bite	bites	bit	bitten	biting	—
bleed	bleeds	bled	bled	bleeding	—
blow	blows	blew	blown	blowing	—
break	breaks	broke	broken	breaking	—
breed	breeds	bred	bred	breeding	—
bring	brings	brought	brought	bringing	—
broadcast	broadcasts	broadcast	broadcast	broadcasting	—
build	builds	built	built	building	—
burn	burns	burnt/burned	burnt/burned	burning	Both forms are used; burnt is common in Australian English.
burst	bursts	burst	burst	bursting	—
buy	buys	bought	bought	buying	—
catch	catches	caught	caught	catching	—
choose	chooses	chose	chosen	choosing	—
come	comes	came	come	coming	—
cost	costs	cost	cost	costing	—
creep	creeps	crept	crept	creeping	—
cut	cuts	cut	cut	cutting	—
deal	deals	dealt	dealt	dealing	—
dig	digs	dug	dug	digging	—
do	does	did	done	doing	—
draw	draws	drew	drawn	drawing	—
dream	dreams	dreamt/dreamed	dreamt/dreamed	dreaming	Both forms are correct.
drink	drinks	drank	drunk	drinking	—
drive	drives	drove	driven	driving	—
eat	eats	ate	eaten	eating	—
fall	falls	fell	fallen	falling	—
feed	feeds	fed	fed	feeding	—
feel	feels	felt	felt	feeling	—
fight	fights	fought	fought	fighting	—
find	finds	found	found	finding	—
fly	flies	flew	flown	flying	—
forget	forgets	forgot	forgotten	forgetting	—
forgive	forgives	forgave	forgiven	forgiving	—
freeze	freezes	froze	frozen	freezing	—
get	gets	got	got/gotten	getting	Got is usual in Australian English; gotten survives in some uses.
give	gives	gave	given	giving	—
go	goes	went	gone	going	—
grow	grows	grew	grown	growing	—
hang	hangs	hung	hung	hanging	Use hanged mainly for execution by hanging.
have	has	had	had	having	—
hear	hears	heard	heard	hearing	—
hide	hides	hid	hidden	hiding	—
hit	hits	hit	hit	hitting	—
hold	holds	held	held	holding	—
hurt	hurts	hurt	hurt	hurting	—
keep	keeps	kept	kept	keeping	—
know	knows	knew	known	knowing	—
lay	lays	laid	laid	laying	Lay takes an object: lay the book down.
lead	leads	led	led	leading	—
leave	leaves	left	left	leaving	—
lend	lends	lent	lent	lending	—
let	lets	let	let	letting	—
lie	lies	lay	lain	lying	Lie means rest horizontally and does not take an object.
light	lights	lit/lighted	lit/lighted	lighting	Lit and lighted are both correct in different common uses.
lose	loses	lost	lost	losing	—
make	makes	made	made	making	—
mean	means	meant	meant	meaning	—
meet	meets	met	met	meeting	—
pay	pays	paid	paid	paying	—
put	puts	put	put	putting	—
read	reads	read	read	reading	The past forms are pronounced /red/.
ride	rides	rode	ridden	riding	—
ring	rings	rang	rung	ringing	—
rise	rises	rose	risen	rising	—
run	runs	ran	run	running	—
say	says	said	said	saying	—
see	sees	saw	seen	seeing	—
seek	seeks	sought	sought	seeking	—
sell	sells	sold	sold	selling	—
send	sends	sent	sent	sending	—
set	sets	set	set	setting	—
shake	shakes	shook	shaken	shaking	—
shine	shines	shone	shone	shining	—
shoot	shoots	shot	shot	shooting	—
show	shows	showed	shown	showing	—
shut	shuts	shut	shut	shutting	—
sing	sings	sang	sung	singing	—
sink	sinks	sank	sunk	sinking	—
sit	sits	sat	sat	sitting	—
sleep	sleeps	slept	slept	sleeping	—
speak	speaks	spoke	spoken	speaking	—
spend	spends	spent	spent	spending	—
stand	stands	stood	stood	standing	—
steal	steals	stole	stolen	stealing	—
stick	sticks	stuck	stuck	sticking	—
swim	swims	swam	swum	swimming	—
take	takes	took	taken	taking	—
teach	teaches	taught	taught	teaching	—
think	thinks	thought	thought	thinking	—
write	writes	wrote	written	writing	—