Irregular Verbs List and Past Tense Finder
Type any form of a verb (go, went or gone) to see its past simple, past participle, -ing form and pronunciation. Below the search is the full list of 161 irregular verbs, sorted from most to least common, with a 10-verb practice drill when you are ready to test yourself.
Practice irregular verbs
10 verbs from your current filter. Type the missing form; spelling counts.
Showing 50 of 161 verbs
| Base form | Past simple | Past participle |
|---|---|---|
beexist; be in a place or state | was / were/wʌz, wɜːr/ | been/bɪn/ |
haveown, possess; also the helper verb in perfect tenses | had/hæd/ | had/hæd/ |
docarry out an action; helper verb in questions and negatives | did/dɪd/ | done/dʌn/ |
sayspeak words | said/sed/ | said/sed/ |
gomove or travel somewhere | went/went/ | gone/ɡɔːn/ |
getreceive, obtain; become | got/ɡɑːt/ | got / gotten/ɡɑːt, ˈɡɑːtn/ |
makecreate, produce | made/meɪd/ | made/meɪd/ |
knowhave information about; be familiar with | knew/nuː/ | known/noʊn/ |
thinkbelieve; use your mind | thought/θɔːt/ | thought/θɔːt/ |
takepick up and carry; use (a bus, a pill, time) | took/tʊk/ | taken/ˈteɪkən/ |
seenotice with your eyes | saw/sɔː/ | seen/siːn/ |
comemove toward the speaker; arrive | came/keɪm/ | come/kʌm/ |
givehand something to someone | gave/ɡeɪv/ | given/ˈɡɪvn/ |
finddiscover something you were looking for | found/faʊnd/ | found/faʊnd/ |
tellgive information to someone | told/toʊld/ | told/toʊld/ |
becomestart to be | became/bɪˈkeɪm/ | become/bɪˈkʌm/ |
leavego away from; let something stay | left/left/ | left/left/ |
feelexperience an emotion or a physical sense | felt/felt/ | felt/felt/ |
putplace something somewhere | put/pʊt/ | put/pʊt/ |
bringcarry something to a place | brought/brɔːt/ | brought/brɔːt/ |
beginstart | began/bɪˈɡæn/ | begun/bɪˈɡʌn/ |
keepcontinue to have; continue doing | kept/kept/ | kept/kept/ |
holdhave in your hands; organize (a meeting, an event) | held/held/ | held/held/ |
writeput words on paper or a screen | wrote/roʊt/ | written/ˈrɪtn/ |
standbe on your feet | stood/stʊd/ | stood/stʊd/ |
hearnotice sounds with your ears | heard/hɜːrd/ | heard/hɜːrd/ |
letallow | let/let/ | let/let/ |
meanhave as a meaning; intend | meant/ment/ | meant/ment/ |
setput in position; adjust (an alarm, a time) | set/set/ | set/set/ |
meetsee someone by arrangement or for the first time | met/met/ | met/met/ |
runmove fast on foot; manage (a business) | ran/ræn/ | run/rʌn/ |
paygive money for something | paid/peɪd/ | paid/peɪd/ |
sitbe in a seated position | sat/sæt/ | sat/sæt/ |
speaktalk; use a language | spoke/spoʊk/ | spoken/ˈspoʊkən/ |
liebe in a flat position (on a bed, the floor) | lay/leɪ/ | lain/leɪn/ |
leadguide; be in charge of | led/led/ | led/led/ |
readlook at and understand written words | read/red/ | read/red/ |
growbecome bigger; cultivate (plants) | grew/ɡruː/ | grown/ɡroʊn/ |
loseno longer have; be defeated | lost/lɔːst/ | lost/lɔːst/ |
falldrop to the ground; decrease | fell/fel/ | fallen/ˈfɔːlən/ |
sendmake something go to someone (an email, a letter) | sent/sent/ | sent/sent/ |
buildconstruct | built/bɪlt/ | built/bɪlt/ |
understandknow the meaning of | understood/ˌʌndərˈstʊd/ | understood/ˌʌndərˈstʊd/ |
drawmake a picture with a pen or pencil | drew/druː/ | drawn/drɔːn/ |
breakseparate into pieces; stop working | broke/broʊk/ | broken/ˈbroʊkən/ |
spenduse money or time | spent/spent/ | spent/spent/ |
cutdivide with a knife or scissors; reduce | cut/kʌt/ | cut/kʌt/ |
risego up | rose/roʊz/ | risen/ˈrɪzn/ |
drivecontrol a car or other vehicle | drove/droʊv/ | driven/ˈdrɪvn/ |
buyget something by paying for it | bought/bɔːt/ | bought/bɔːt/ |
The 5 patterns of irregular verbs
Irregular verbs look random, but most of them fall into a few sound patterns. Learning them by pattern is faster than learning an alphabetical list. Use the Pattern filter above to see each group.
All 3 forms different (59)
Each form is different, so these need the most practice: go – went – gone, write – wrote – written.
Past = participle (74)
The past simple and past participle are the same, so you learn one new word: buy – bought – bought, find – found – found.
Participle = base form (4)
The participle goes back to the base form: come – came – come, run – ran – run.
Same in all 3 forms (23)
The base form, past simple and past participle are identical: cut – cut – cut, put – put – put.
Past = base form (1)
Only the participle changes: beat – beat – beaten.
Mistakes learners make with irregular verbs
Wrong: I have went there before.
Correct: I have been there before.
“Went” is the past simple and never follows have/has. For a place you visited and came back from, use “been”.
Wrong: She buyed a new phone.
Correct: She bought a new phone.
Irregular verbs do not take -ed. Buy – bought – bought.
Wrong: Did you saw the match?
Correct: Did you see the match?
After “did”, use the base form. “Did” already shows the past.
Wrong: The window was broke.
Correct: The window was broken.
The passive (was, were, is) needs the past participle.
How to learn irregular verbs
- 1
Start with the top 50
The first 50 verbs in the list cover most of what you will read and hear. Use the Top 50 filter and learn those first.
- 2
Learn by pattern, not by alphabet
Group verbs that sound alike: sing – sang – sung, drink – drank – drunk, swim – swam – swum. One rule unlocks the whole group.
- 3
Say the forms out loud
Press the speaker button and repeat all three forms. Saying them out loud helps you remember them, especially for verbs like read – read /red/ – read /red/.
- 4
Test yourself every day
Do one 10-verb practice round a day. It takes two minutes and shows you which forms you still mix up.
More irregular verbs
Irregular verbs FAQ
How many irregular verbs are there in English?
There are around 200 irregular verbs in common use, and many more if you count rare and old forms. This list has the 161 that learners actually meet, sorted by how often they are used.
What is the difference between the past simple and the past participle?
The past simple is used alone for finished actions (I went home). The past participle is used after have, has or had (I have gone) and in the passive (It was written in 1960).
Is “learnt” or “learned” correct?
Both are correct. American English uses “learned”; British English uses both. The same goes for burnt/burned, dreamt/dreamed and spelt/spelled. The list shows both forms.
Is the practice drill free?
Yes. The list, the search, the audio and the practice drill run in your browser, so there is no daily limit and no signup.
Why is “read” pronounced differently in the past?
The spelling stays the same in all three forms, but the vowel changes: /riːd/ in the present and /red/ in the past simple and past participle.
Can I practice verb forms in sentences?
The PromGee Windows app has a Verb Forms category with AI quizzes that test irregular verbs inside real sentences and explain every answer in your language. Pay $25 once for a lifetime Windows desktop license with unlimited AI quizzes and explanations. No subscription is needed.
Guides on the past tenses
Irregular forms matter most in these tenses. Each guide explains when to use the tense and has exercises.
- Simple Past Tense: Rules, Examples + 30 Exercises
Grammar Exercises
- Present Perfect Tense: Rules + 30 Exercises
Grammar Exercises
- Past Perfect Tense: Rules, Examples + 30 Exercises
Grammar Exercises