Irregular verbs

Irregular verbs do not follow the 'ed' rules for forming the past simple:

 

'walk' + 'ed' = walked [regular verb] 

 

Some irregular verbs stay the same in both forms, others change a vowel and some change completely. Sometimes there are two possible forms for the past simple; the difference is sometimes regional.

 

Note that the list does not include all the compound verbs because they follow the same rules as the root verb. For example:

 

Bare infinitive

Past Simple

eat/overeat

ate/overate

do/undo

did/undid

 

 

Bare infinitive

Past Simple

babysit

babysat

be

was, were

beat

beat

become

became

begin

began

bend

bent

bet

bet

bid [farewell]

bid/bade

bid [offer amount]

bid

bind

bound

bite

bit

bleed

bled

blow

blew

break

broke

breed

bred

bring

brought

broadcast

broadcast/broadcasted

build

built

burn

burnt/burned 

buy

bought

cast

cast

catch

caught

choose

chose

come

came

cost

cost

cut

cut

deal

dealt

do

did

draw

drew

dream

dreamt/dreamed

drink

drank

drive

drove

eat

ate

fall

fell

feed

fed

feel

felt

fight

fought

find

found

fit 

fitted/fit 

fly

flew

forbid

forbade

forecast

forecast

foresee

foresaw

forget

forgot

forgive

forgave

freeze

froze

get

got

give

gave

go

went

grow

grew

handwrite

handwrote

hang [execute]

hanged     'They hanged the murderer.'

hang [other uses]

hung         'They hung a picture on the wall.'

have

had

hear

heard

hide

hid

hit

hit

hold

held

hurt

hurt

input

input/inputted

keep

kept

kneel

knelt/kneeled

knit

knitted/knit

know

knew

lay

laid

lead

led

lean

leant/leaned 

leap

leapt/leaped 

learn

learnt/learned

leave

left

lend

lent

let

let

lie [not tell the truth]

lied

lie [recline]

lay

light

lit/lighted

lose

lost

make

made

mean

meant

meet

met

mislay

mislaid

mislead

misled

mistake

mistook

overcome

overcame

pay

paid

put

put

quit

quit 

read

read [sounds like 'red']

rid

rid

ride

rode

ring

rang

rise

rose

run

ran

say

said

see

saw

seek

sought

sell

sold

send

sent

set

set

shake

shook

shave

shaved

shine [make something shiny]

shined                 'He shined his shoes.' [regular]

shine [emit light]

shone/shined      'The sun shone.'

shoot

shot

shut

shut

sing

sang

sink

sank

sit

sat

sleep

slept

slide

slid

smell

smelt/smelled 

speak

spoke

speed

sped/speeded

spell

spelt/spelled 

spend

spent

spill

spilt/spilled 

split

split

spoil

spoilt/spoiled

spread

spread

spring

sprang/sprung

stand

stood

steal

stole

stick

stuck

sting

stung

stink

stank/stunk

strike

struck

sweep

swept

swim

swam

swing

swung

take

took

teach

taught

tear

tore

tell

told

think

thought

throw

threw

troubleshoot

troubleshot

understand

understood

undertake

undertook

upset

upset

wake

woke

wear

wore

weep

wept

wet

wet/wetted 

win

won

wind

wound

write

wrote