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Irregular Verbs

A sortable and searchable list of irregular verbs with examples of their use
A definitive list of irregular verbs with examples of their use

Regular verbs form the simple past tense and the past participle by adding a suffix (e.g. -ed) to the base form of the verb. Irregular verbs do not follow this pattern and so the forms of their past tense and past participle need to be learnt. Unfortunately, many of these verbs are very common; it helps to master these as soon as possible.

Here is a complete table of English irregular verbs for your reference.

This list is searchable and sortable on larger devices.

You can sort this table by the Base Form (alphabetically), CEFR, Frequency and Class by clicking on those headings in the table. Reclicking on a heading reverses the order. The CEFR levels range from A1 (the lowest level) to C2 (the highest level). Be aware that verbs can have many different meanings so the CEFR ranking given here is for the most common usage (the lowest level). Frequency means how often these words appear in text. This is based on the British National Corpus. "1" means the word appears in the most frequent 1000 words in English; "2" means the word appears in the second most frequent 1000 words, and so on. Class is a classification based on pronunciation given in (Quirk 1985). Reclicking on a heading reverses the order. You can also use the search bar to find individual words.

You can see examples of the use of most of these verbs in authentic texts by mousing over the verbs, and you can practise them by using the irregular verb exercise page. Clicking on the verb links takes you to the articles where these examples were found. Scroll down to see the full table.



Base Past PP C i F Cla i i i
be was / were been A1 1 9 be was were been be
begin began begun A1 1 7A begin began begun begin
buy bought bought A1 1 3B buy bought buy
catch caught caught A1 1 3B catch caught catch
choose chose chosen A1 1 4Aa choose chose chosen choose
come came come A1 1 7B come came come
do did done A1 1 4Cc do did done do
draw drew drawn A1 1 4Bd draw drew drawn draw
drink drank drunk A1 1 7A drink drank drunk drink
drive drove driven A1 1 4Ca drive drove driven drive
eat ate eaten A1 1 4Bf eat ate eaten eat
feel felt felt A1 1 3A feel felt feel
find found found A1 1 6C find found find
fly flew flown A1 1 4Cb fly flew flown fly
forget forgot forgotten A1 1 4Ad forget forgot forgotten forget
get got got, gotten A1 1 6F get got gotten get
give gave given A1 1 4Bc give gave given give
ongoing went gone A1 1 7C go went gone go
have had had A1 1 1C have had had have
hear heard heard A1 1 3E hear heard heard hear
know knew known A1 1 4BA know knew known know
learn learnt, learned learnt, learned A1 1 1A learn learnt learned learn
make made made A1 1 1C make made make
meet met met A1 1 6A meet met meet
pay paid paid A1 1 pay paid pay
put put put A1 1 5 put put
read read read A1 1 6A read read
ride rode ridden A1 1 4Ca ride rode ridden ride
run ran run A1 1 7B run ran run
say said said A1 1 3F say said say
see saw seen A1 1 4Bg see saw seen see
send sent sent A1 1 1B send sent send
show showed shown, showed A1 1 2 show showed shown show
sing sang sung A1 1 7A sing sang sung sing
sit sat sat A1 1 6E sit sat sit
sleep slept slept A1 1 3A sleep slept sleep
speak spoke spoken A1 1 4Aa speak spoke spoken speak
swim swam swum A1 1 7A swim swam swum swim
take took taken A1 1 4Bb take took taken take
teach taught taught A1 1 3B teach taught teach
tell told told A1 1 3D tell told tell
think thought thought A1 1 3B think thought think
understand understood understood A1 1 6H understand understood understand
wake woke, waked woken, waked A1 1 4Aa wake woke waked woken wake
wear wore worn A1 1 4Ab wear wore worn wear
write wrote written A1 1 4Ca write wrote written write
become became become A2 1 7B become became become
break broke broken A2 1 4Aa break broke broken break
bring brought brought A2 1 3B bring brought bring
build built built A2 1 1B build built build
cost cost cost A2 1 5 cost cost
cut cut cut A2 1 5 cut cut
dream dreamt, dreamed dreamt, dreamed A2 1 3A dream dreamt dreamed dream
fall fell fallen A2 1 4Be fall fell fallen fall
grow grew grown A2 1 4Ba grow grew grown grow
hit hit hit A2 1 5 hit hit
hold held held A2 1 6A hold held hold
hurt hurt hurt A2 1 5 hurt hurt
keep kept kept A2 1 3A keep kept keep
leave left left A2 1 3A leave left left leave
let let let A2 1 5 let let
lie lay lain A2 1 4Ae lie lay lain lie
lose lost lost A2 1 3C lose lost lose
mean meant meant A2 1 3A mean meant mean
mistake mistook mistaken A2 1 4Bb mistake mistook mistaken mistake
ring rang rung A2 1 7A ring rang rung ring
sell sold sold A2 1 3D sell sold sell
shut shut shut A2 1 5 shut shut
spend spent spent A2 1 1B spend spent spend
stand stood stood A2 1 6H stand stood stand
steal stole stolen A2 1 4Aa steal stole stolen steal
throw threw thrown A2 1 4Ba throw threw thrown throw
win won won A2 1 6B win won win
lend lent lent A2 2 1B lend lent lend
sink sank sunk, sunken A2 2 7A sink sank sunk sunken sink
spell spelt, spelled spelt, spelled A2 2 1A spell spelt spelled spell
upset upset upset A2 2 5 upset upset
beat beat beaten B1 1 4D beat beaten beat
blow blew blown B1 1 4Ba blow blew blown blow
burn burnt, burned burnt, burned B1 1 1A burn burnt burned burn
dig dug dug B1 1 6B dig dug dig
feed fed fed B1 1 6A feed fed feed
fight fought fought B1 1 6G fight fought fight
freeze froze frozen B1 1 4Aa freeze froze frozen freeze
hang hung, hanged hung, hanged B1 1 6B hang hung hanged hang
hide hid hidden B1 1 4Ac hide hid hidden hide
lay laid laid B1 1 lay laid lay
lead led led B1 1 6A lead led lead
light lit, lighted lit, lighted B1 1 6D light lit lighted light
rebuild rebuilt rebuilt B1 1 1B rebuild rebuilt rebuild
rise rose risen B1 1 4Ca rise rose risen rise
set set set B1 1 5 set set
shake shook shaken B1 1 4Bb shake shook shaken shake
shoot shot shot B1 1 6F shoot shot shoot
smell smelt, smelled smelt, smelled B1 1 1A smell smelt smelled smell
stick stuck stuck B1 1 6B stick stuck stick
strike struck struck, stricken B1 1 6B strike struck stricken strike
tear tore torn B1 1 4Ab tear tore torn tear
bite bit bitten B1 2 4Ac bite bit bitten bite
bleed bled bled B1 2 6A bleed bled bleed
dive dived, dove dived B1 2 4E dive dived dove dive
forgive forgave forgiven B1 2 4Bc forgive forgave forgiven forgive
knit knitted, knit knitted, knit B1 2 5 knit knitted knit
prove proved proved, proven B1 2 2 prove proved proven prove
quit quitted, quit quitted, quit B1 2 5 quit quitted quit
sew sewed sewn, sewed B1 2 2 sew sewed sewn sew
shave shaved shaved, shaven B1 2 2 shave shaved clean-shaven shave
shine shone shone B1 2 6F shine shone shine
spoil spoilt, spoiled spoilt, spoiled B1 2 1A spoil spoilt spoiled spoil
spill spilt, spilled spilt, spilled B1 3 1A spill spilt spilled spill
bear bore born B2 1 4Ab bear bore born bear
deal dealt dealt B2 1 3A deal dealt deal
misunderstand misunderstood misunderstood B2 1 6H misunderstand misunderstood misunderstand
rewrite rewrote rewritten B2 1 4Ca rewrite rewrote rewritten rewrite
undo undid undone B2 1 4Cc undo undid undone undo
wind wound wound B2 1 6C wind wound wound wind
bend bent bent B2 2 1B bend bent bend
breed bred bred B2 2 6A breed bred breed
burst burst burst B2 2 5 burst burst
dare dared, durst dared B2 2 dare dared durst dare
lean leant, leaned leant, leaned B2 2 3A lean leant leaned lean
melt melted melted, molten B2 2 melt melted molten melt
slide slid slid B2 2 6D slide slid slide
split split split B2 2 5 split split split
swear swore sworn B2 2 4Ab swear swore sworn swear
sweep swept swept B2 2 3A sweep swept sweep
swing swung swung B2 2 6B swing swung swing
seek sought sought B2 2 3B seek sought seek
spread spread spread B2 2 5 spread spread spread
broadcast broadcast, broadcasted broadcast, broadcasted B2 3 5 broadcast broadcasted broadcast
overcome overcame overcome B2 3 7B overcome overcame overcome
forbid forbade, forbad forbidden B2 4 4Bc forbid forbade forbad forbidden forbid
kneel knelt knelt B2 4 3A kneel knelt kneel
repay repaid repaid B2 4 repay repaid repay
shrink shrank, shrunk shrunk, shrunken B2 4 7A shrink shrank shrunk shrunken shrink
overtake overtook overtaken B2 6 4Bb overtake overtook overtaken overtake
bet bet, betted bet, betted C1 1 5 bet betted bet
mislead misled misled C1 1 6A mislead misled mislead
shed shed shed C1 2 5 shed shed
spin spun span spun C1 2 6B spin spun span spin
arise arose arisen C1 3 4Ca arise arose arisen arise
flee fled fled C1 3 3A flee fled flee
withdraw withdrew withdrawn C1 3 4Bd withdraw withdrew withdrawn withdraw
dwell dwelt dwelt C1 4 1A dwell dwelt dwelt dwell
foresee foresaw foreseen C1 4 4Bg foresee foresaw foreseen foresee
thrive throve, thrived thiven C1 4 4E thrive throve thrived thiven thrive
sow sowed sown, sowed C1 5 2 E sow sowed sown sow
bind bound bound C2 2 6C bind bound bind
cast cast cast C2 2 5 cast cast
creep crept crept C2 2 3A creep crept creep
leap leapt, leaped leapt, leaped C2 2 3A leap leapt leaped leap
spring sprang sprung C2 2 7A spring sprang sprung spring
bid bade, bid bidden C2 3 5 bid bade bidden bid
cling clung clung C2 4 6B cling clung cling
spit spat spat C2 4 6E spit spat spit
weep wept wept C2 4 3A weep wept weep
strive strove striven C2 5 4Ca strive strove striven strive
overhear overheard overheard C2 6 overhear overheard overhear
withstand withstood withstood C2 6 6H withstand withstood withstand
redo redid redone 1 4Cc redo redid redone redo
remake remade remade 1 1C remake remade remake
rerun reran rerun 1 7B rerun reran rerun
retell retold retold 1 3D retell retold retell
rid rid, ridded rid, ridded 1 5 rid ridded rid
awake awoke awoken 2 4Aa awake awoke awoken awake
bless blessed, blest blessed, blest 2 bless blessed blest bless
misspell misspelt misspelt 2 1A misspell misspelt misspell
speed sped, speeded sped, speeded 2 6A speed sped speed
string strung strung 2 6B string strung string
unbend unbent unbent 2 1B unbend unbent unbend
unbind unbound unbound 2 6C unbind unbound unbind
blend blended, blent blended, blent 3 blend blended blent blend
forecast forecast, forecasted forecast, forecasted 3 5 forecast forecasted forecast
swell swelled swollen, swelled 3 2 swell swelled swollen swell
weave wove woven 3 4Aa weave wove woven weave
undergo underwent undergone 3 7C undergo underwent undergone undergo
undertake undertook undertaken 3 4Bb undertake undertook undertaken undertake
fling flung flung 4 6B fling flung fling
grind ground ground 4 6C grind ground grind
oversee oversaw overseen 4 4Bg oversee oversaw overseen oversee
saw sawed sawn, sawed 4 2 saw sawed sawn saw
shoe shod shod 4 6F shoe shod shoe
sting stung stung 4 6B sting stung sting
stride strode stridden 4 4Ca stride strode stridden stride
thrust thrust thrust 4 5 thrust thrust
cleave clove, cleft cloven, cleft 5 3A cleave clove cleft cloven cleave
heave heaved, hove heaved, hove 5 6J heave heaved hove heave
override overrode overridden 5 4Ca override overrode overridden override
overthrow overthrew overthrown 5 4Ba overthrow overthrew overthrown overthrow
stink stank, stunk stunk 5 7A stink stank stunk stink
tread trod trodden, trod 5 4Ad tread trod trodden, trod tread
withhold withheld withheld 5 6A withhold withheld withhold
abide abode, abided abode, abided 6 6I abide abode abided abide
behold beheld beheld 6 6A behold beheld behold
clothe clothed, clad clothed, clad 6 9 clothe clothed clad clothe
crow crowed, crew crowed 6 9 crow crowed crew crow
mow mowed mown, mowed 6 2 mow mowed mown mow
shear sheared sheared, shorn 6 2 shear sheared shorn shear
slay slew slain 6 4Bh slay slew slain slay
sling slung slung 6 6B sling slung sling
slit slit slit 6 5 slit slit
bereave bereaved, bereft bereaved, bereft 7 3A bereave bereaved bereft bereave
gild gilded, gilt gilded, gilt 7 9 gild gilded gilt gilded gild
overhang overhung overhung 7 6B overhang overhung overhang
overlay overlaid overlaid 7 9 overlay overlaid overlay
overrun overran overrun 7 7B overrun overran overrun
strew strewed strewn, strewed 7 2 strew strewed strewn strew
wring wrung wrung 7 6B wring wrung wring
beset beset beset 8 5 beset beset beset
hamstring hamstrung hamstrung 8 6B hamstring hamstrung hamstring
overdo overdid overdone 8 4Cc overdo overdid overdone overdo
reset reset reset 8 6B reset reset
stave staved, stove staved, stove 8 9 stave staved stove stave
befall befell befallen 9 4Be befall befell befallen befall
chide chided, chid chided, chidden 9 4Ac chide chided chid chidden chide
forsake forsook forsaken 9 4Bb forsake forsook forsaken forsake
inlay inlaid inlaid 9 9 inlay inlaid inlay
outgrow outgrew outgrown 9 4Ba outgrow outgrew outgrown outgrow
partake partook partaken 9 4Bb partake partook partaken partake
slink slunk slunk 9 6B slink slunk slunk slink
beget begot, begat begottten 10 6F beget begot begat begotten beget
outdo outdid outdone 10 4Cc outdo outdid outdone outdo
overcast overcast overcast 10 5 overcast overcast
recast recast recast 10 5 recast recast
smite smote smitten 10 4Ca smite smote smitten smite
foretell foretold foretold 11 3D foretell foretold foretell
outrun outran outrun 11 7B outrun outran outrun
overbear overbore overborne 11 4Ab overbear overbore overborne overbear
overlie overlay overlain 11 9 overlie overlay overlain overlie
beseech besought besought 12 3B beseech besought beseech
forbear forbore forborne 12 4Ab forbear forbore forborne forbear
outshine outshone outshone 12 6F outshine outshone outshine
overshoot overshot overshot 12 6F overshoot overshot overshoot
rive rived riven, rived 12 9 rive rived riven rive
gird girded, girt girded, girt 13 gird girded girt girded gird
hew hewed hewed, hewn 13 2 hew hewed hewn hew
waylay waylaid waylaid 13 9 waylay waylaid waylay
outbid outbid outbid, outbidden 14 5 outbid outbidden outbid
rend rent rent 14 1B rend rent rend
forswear forswore forsworn 15 4Ab forswear forswore forsworn forswear
mislay mislaid mislaid 15 9 mislay mislaid mislay
gainsay gainsaid gainsaid 16 3F gainsay gainsaid gainsay
betake betook betaken 21 4Bb betake betook betaken betake
shrive shrove, shrived shriven, shrived 21 4E shrive shrove shrived shriven shrive
bethink bethought bethought Rare 9 bethink bethought bethink
foreknow foreknew foreknown Rare 9 foreknow foreknew foreknown foreknow
lade laded laden Rare 9 lade laded laden lade
bestrew bestrew bestrewn Rare 9 bestrew bestrew bestrewn bestrew
underlie underlay underlain Rare 9 underlie underlay underlain underlie
relay relaid relaid Rare 9 relay relaid relay
undercut undercut undercut Rare 9 undercut undercut undercut
typecast typecast typecast Rare 9 typecast typecast typecast
sublet sublet sublet Rare 9 sublet sublet sublet
spotlight spotlighted, spotlit spotlighted, spotlit Rare 9 spotlight spotlighted spotlit spotlight
sneak sneaked, snuck sneaked, snuck Rare 9 sneak sneaked snuck sneak
underpay underpaid underpaid Rare 9 underpay underpaid underpay
resit resat resat Rare 9 resit resat resit
bust bust, busted bust, busted Rare 5 bust bust
underwrite underwrote underwritten Rare 4Ca underwrite underwrote underwritten underwrite
undersell undersold undersold Rare 9 undersell undersold undersell
unwind unwound unwound Rare 6C unwind unwound unwind
uphold upheld upheld Rare 6A uphold upheld uphold
wet wet, wetted wet, wetted Rare 5 wet wetted wet
refit refit, refitted refit, refitted Rare 9 refit refitted refit
preset preset preset Rare preset preset preset
plead pleaded, pled pleaded, pled Rare 9 plead pleaded pled plead
overwrite overwrote overwritten Rare 9 overwrite overwrote overwritten overwrite
overspend overspent overspent Rare 9 overspend overspent overspend
overpay overpaid overpaid Rare 9 overpay overpaid overpay
overload overloaded overloaded, overladen Rare 9 overload overloaded overladen overload
overeat overate overeaten Rare 4Bf overeat overate overeaten overeat
overdraw overdrew overdrawn Rare 9 overdraw overdrew overdrawn overdraw
overbid overbid overbid Rare 9 overbid overbid overbid
outfight outfought outfought Rare 6G outfight outfought outfight
offset offset offset Rare 5 offset offset offset
mimic mimicked mimicked Rare 9 mimic mimicked mimic
mishear misheard misheard Rare 3E mishear misheard mishear
lip-read lip-read lip-read Rare 9 lip-read lip-read lip-read
interweave interwove interwoven Rare 9 interweave interwove interwoven interweave
interbreed interbred interbred Rare 9 interbreed interbred interbreed
input input input Rare 9 input input input
forgo forwent forgone Rare 7C forgo forwent forgone forgo
bestride bestrode bestridden Rare 4Ca bestride bestrode bestridden bestride
miscast miscast miscast Rare 5 miscast miscast
misdeal misdealt misdealt Rare 3A misdeal misdealt misdeal
misgive misgave misgiven Rare 4Bc misgive misgave misgiven misgive
misspend misspent misspent Rare 1B misspend misspent misspend
outgo outwent outgone Rare 9 outgo outwent outgone outgo
outride outrode outridden Rare 9 outride outrode outridden outride
overleap overleapt, overleaped overleapt, overleaped Rare 9 overleap overleapt overleaped overleap
oversleep overslept overslept Rare 3A oversleep overslept oversleep
rebind rebound rebound Rare 6C rebind rebound rebind
underbid underbid underbid Rare 5 underbid underbid underbid
wreak wrought wrought Rare wreak wrought wreak
 
 

Participial Adjectives

Ed-participles (as well as ing-participles) are often used as adjectives (complicated question, worried parent etc.). But ed-participles also include the irregular forms (chosen, fallen, mistaken, stolen, burnt, etc) and these, too, are often used as adjectives. A few of them are used almost exclusively as adjectives rather than past participles. Some of them can be used both as predicative and attributive adjectives but the attributive use is more common. Here are some examples:

  • broken link, heart
  • burnt offerings, toast, remains
  • chosen field, profession
  • cleft palate, lip
  • cloven hoof, foot
  • forbidden fruit, city
  • mistaken identity, belief
  • molten metal, rock, core, lead
  • mown grass, hay
  • overcast sky, day
  • proven ability, technology
  • sawn timber
  • shaven head, face
  • shorn lamb, sheep, head, hair
  • shrunken head, settlement, face
  • stolen property, goods, vehicles
  • sunken eyes, treasure, ships
  • swollen glands, joints
  • sworn enemy, statement, testimony
  • unbent state, knees, position
  • wrought iron, ironwork, gold

Many of these ed-participles are combined with adverbs, nouns, other adjectives, or adverbial particles to form adjectival compounds. For example:

  • new-born child, infant
  • well-chosen words, examples
  • well-shod feet, foot
  • half-eaten sandwich, apple
  • heart-felt thanks, gratitude
  • long-forgotten past, memories
  • far-flung places, areas
  • by-gone days, era
  • fully-grown adult, trees
  • firmly-held belief, principles
  • well-kept secret, gardens
  • well-known fact, example
  • long-lost brother, friend
  • ready-made clothing, solutions, meals
  • left-over food, pieces
  • state-run media, television, enterprises
  • long-sought goal, opportunity
  • poverty-stricken people, areas
  • self-taught artist, musician
  • cloven-hoofed animals, mammals
 

Further Notes

  • hove is a nautical term meaning to move into a particular position
  • stricken is often used by journalists to describe disasters, as in the stricken vessel, aircraft, village etc. It is also used in adjectival compounds: flood-stricken, crisis-stricken, drought-stricken, fire-stricken, etc.
  • wrought is an adjective derived from an archaic form of the verb 'work', meaning to create a particular form or shape by exerting force on a substance (usually a metal).
 

If you want to see more examples of how a word is used in context, you can use a web based corpus site such as Netspeak, or English-Corpora. Netspeak is simple and easy to use. English-Corpora requires you to sign up but offers many more options for research.

Adam Kilgarriff provides a useful set of frequency lists: BNC database and word frequency lists.

 

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