English irregular verbs: the full list

Every common English irregular verb with its three forms. Tap a verb for pronunciation, audio and an example sentence.

V1	V2	V3	Meaning
arise	arose	arisen	to start to happen
awake	awoke	awoken	to wake up
be	was / were	been	to exist, or to have a certain quality
bear	bore	borne	to carry something heavy, or to accept pain
become	became	become	to start to be something new
beget	begot	begotten	to be the reason something exists
begin	began	begun	to start
behold	beheld	beheld	to look at something amazing
bend	bent	bent	to make something not straight
bespeak	bespoke	bespoken	to show a certain quality
bet	bet	bet	to give money if you think you know what will happen
bid	bid	bid	to say how much money you will pay for something
bind	bound	bound	to tie things together tightly
bite	bit	bitten	to cut something with your teeth
bleed	bled	bled	to lose blood
blow	blew	blown	to push air out of your mouth
break	broke	broken	to make something come apart into pieces
breed	bred	bred	to have babies, like animals do
bring	brought	brought	to carry something to a place
broadcast	broadcast	broadcast	to send a show on TV or radio
build	built	built	to make something by putting parts together
burn	burnt	burnt	to be on fire
burst	burst	burst	to break open suddenly
buy	bought	bought	to get something by paying money
cast	cast	cast	to throw something, or to choose actors for a film
catch	caught	caught	to grab something moving, like a ball
choose	chose	chosen	to pick one thing out of several
cling	clung	clung	to hold on tightly
come	came	come	to move to where someone is
cost	cost	cost	to need a certain amount of money
creep	crept	crept	to move slowly and quietly
cut	cut	cut	to divide something with a knife or scissors
deal	dealt	dealt	to handle a problem, or give out cards in a game
dig	dug	dug	to make a hole in the ground
do	did	done	to perform an action
draw	drew	drawn	to make a picture with a pencil
dream	dreamt	dreamt	to see pictures in your mind while you sleep
drink	drank	drunk	to swallow a liquid
drive	drove	driven	to control a car
eat	ate	eaten	to put food in your mouth and swallow it
fall	fell	fallen	to drop down suddenly
feed	fed	fed	to give food to someone or something
feel	felt	felt	to notice something in your body or heart
fight	fought	fought	to use force against someone
find	found	found	to see something you were looking for
fit	fit	fit	to be the right size
flee	fled	fled	to run away from danger
fling	flung	flung	to throw something fast, without care
fly	flew	flown	to move through the air
forbear	forbore	forborne	to stop yourself from doing something
forbid	forbade	forbidden	to say someone must not do something
forecast	forecast	forecast	to say what the weather will be like
foresee	foresaw	foreseen	to know something will happen before it does
foretell	foretold	foretold	to say what will happen before it happens
forget	forgot	forgotten	to not remember something
forgive	forgave	forgiven	to stop being angry at someone
forgo	forwent	forgone	to choose not to have something
forsake	forsook	forsaken	to leave someone or something behind
freeze	froze	frozen	to become hard because it is very cold
get	got	got	to receive something
give	gave	given	to hand something to someone
go	went	gone	to move to another place
grind	ground	ground	to break something into small pieces
grow	grew	grown	to become bigger
hang	hung	hung	to fix something up so it does not touch the ground
have	had	had	to own or hold something
hear	heard	heard	to notice a sound with your ears
hide	hid	hidden	to put something where no one can see it
hit	hit	hit	to touch something hard and fast
hold	held	held	to have something in your hands
hurt	hurt	hurt	to make someone feel pain
interweave	interwove	interwoven	to mix things together closely
keep	kept	kept	to hold onto something and not let it go
kneel	knelt	knelt	to go down on your knees
knit	knit	knit	to make clothes with wool and needles
know	knew	known	to have information in your mind
lay	laid	laid	to put something down carefully (different from "lie" — resting your own body down)
lead	led	led	to go first and show others the way
lean	leant	leant	to put your body against something
leap	leapt	leapt	to jump high or far
learn	learnt	learnt	to get new knowledge or a new skill
leave	left	left	to go away from a place
lend	lent	lent	to give something to someone for a short time
let	let	let	to say yes when someone wants to do something
lie	lay	lain	to rest your body flat, like on a bed (its past tense "lay" is spelled just like the verb "lay" — putting something down — but they're different words)
light	lit	lit	to make something start to burn or shine
lose	lost	lost	to not have something anymore
make	made	made	to build or create something
mean	meant	meant	to have a certain meaning
meet	met	met	to see and talk to someone
mishear	misheard	misheard	to hear something the wrong way
mislead	misled	misled	to make someone believe something wrong
misspell	misspelt	misspelt	to write a word with the wrong letters
mistake	mistook	mistaken	to think something wrong is right
misunderstand	misunderstood	misunderstood	to understand something the wrong way
mow	mowed	mown	to cut grass short
outdo	outdid	outdone	to do something better than someone else
outgrow	outgrew	outgrown	to get too big for something
outrun	outran	outrun	to run faster than someone else
overcome	overcame	overcome	to win against a problem
overdo	overdid	overdone	to do too much of something
overhear	overheard	overheard	to hear people talking by accident
overpay	overpaid	overpaid	to pay more money than something is worth
overrun	overran	overrun	to fill a place completely, more than planned
oversee	oversaw	overseen	to watch and manage a job
oversleep	overslept	overslept	to sleep longer than you planned
overtake	overtook	overtaken	to pass someone who is in front of you
overthrow	overthrew	overthrown	to remove a leader by force
partake	partook	partaken	to join in and do an activity
pay	paid	paid	to give money for something
put	put	put	to move something to a place
quit	quit	quit	to stop doing something
read	read	read	to look at words and understand them
rebuild	rebuilt	rebuilt	to build something again
redo	redid	redone	to do something again
remake	remade	remade	to make a new version of something old
retake	retook	retaken	to do a test again
rethink	rethought	rethought	to think about something again
rewrite	rewrote	rewritten	to write something again in a new way
rid	rid	rid	to remove something you do not want
ride	rode	ridden	to sit on and control a bike or a horse
ring	rang	rung	to make a sound like a bell
rise	rose	risen	to go up
run	ran	run	to move fast on your legs
say	said	said	to speak words
see	saw	seen	to notice something with your eyes
seek	sought	sought	to look for something
sell	sold	sold	to give something to someone for money
send	sent	sent	to make something go to another place
set	set	set	to put something in its place
sew	sewed	sewn	to fix cloth with a needle and thread (sounds just like "sow" — planting seeds — but means something different)
shake	shook	shaken	to move fast from side to side
shed	shed	shed	to lose something, like hair, in a natural way
shine	shone	shone	to give off bright light
shoot	shot	shot	to fire a gun
show	showed	shown	to let someone see something
shrink	shrank	shrunk	to become smaller
shut	shut	shut	to close something
sing	sang	sung	to make music with your voice
sink	sank	sunk	to go down under the water
sit	sat	sat	to put your body down on a chair
slay	slew	slain	to kill something, often in an old story
sleep	slept	slept	to rest with your eyes closed
slide	slid	slid	to move smoothly over a surface
sling	slung	slung	to throw something, or carry it over your shoulder
slink	slunk	slunk	to move quietly because you feel shy or guilty
smell	smelt	smelt	to notice something with your nose
sow	sowed	sown	to put seeds in the ground (sounds just like "sew" — fixing cloth — but means something different)
speak	spoke	spoken	to say words out loud
speed	sped	sped	to go very fast
spell	spelt	spelt	to say or write the letters of a word in order
spend	spent	spent	to use money or time
spill	spilt	spilt	to let a liquid fall out by accident
spin	spun	spun	to turn around and around
split	split	split	to break something into two or more parts
spoil	spoilt	spoilt	to make something bad or ruined
spread	spread	spread	to make something cover a bigger space
spring	sprang	sprung	to jump up fast
stand	stood	stood	to be on your feet
steal	stole	stolen	to take something that is not yours
stick	stuck	stuck	to make one thing stay on another thing
sting	stung	stung	to hurt someone with a small sharp part, like a bee
stink	stank	stunk	to smell very bad
stride	strode	stridden	to walk with big steps
strike	struck	struck	to hit something hard
string	strung	strung	to put small things on a line, one after another
strive	strove	striven	to try very hard
swear	swore	sworn	to make a strong promise, or say a bad word
sweep	swept	swept	to clean the floor with a broom
swell	swelled	swollen	to become bigger, often after an injury
swim	swam	swum	to move in water using your arms and legs
swing	swung	swung	to move backward and forward
take	took	taken	to get something in your hand
teach	taught	taught	to help someone learn
tear	tore	torn	to pull something apart
tell	told	told	to give someone information by speaking
think	thought	thought	to use your mind
throw	threw	thrown	to send something through the air with your hand
thrust	thrust	thrust	to push something hard and fast
tread	trod	trodden	to put your foot down when you walk
unbind	unbound	unbound	to untie something
undergo	underwent	undergone	to go through something hard, like an operation
understand	understood	understood	to know what something means
undertake	undertook	undertaken	to start a big job
undo	undid	undone	to make something go back to how it was
unwind	unwound	unwound	to relax after being busy or stressed
uphold	upheld	upheld	to support a rule or a decision
upset	upset	upset	to make someone feel sad or angry
wake	woke	woken	to stop sleeping
wear	wore	worn	to have clothes on your body
weave	wove	woven	to make cloth by crossing threads
wed	wed	wed	to marry someone
weep	wept	wept	to cry
win	won	won	to be the best in a game
wind	wound	wound	to turn something around and around
withdraw	withdrew	withdrawn	to take money out of the bank, or to move back
withhold	withheld	withheld	to not give something to someone
withstand	withstood	withstood	to stay strong when something pushes against you
wring	wrung	wrung	to twist something to squeeze the water out
write	wrote	written	to make words on paper

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