Irregular verbs and past participles
Irregular verbs do not follow the 'ed' rules for forming the past simple or past participle:
'walk' + 'ed' = walked [regular verb]
Some irregular verbs stay the same in all forms, others change a vowel and some change completely. Some verbs have two possible forms; the difference might be regional or a personal choice, sometimes depending on whether we are speaking or writing. It is important to choose the correct one if the choice depends on different meanings or transitive and intransitive forms. If in doubt, check in a good dictionary.
Where a verb has two meanings and one meaning has regular form, this is included in the list for comparison.
Note that the list does not include all compound verbs because they follow the same rules as the root verb. For example:
| Bare Infinitive | Past Simple | Past Participle |
| eat/overeat | ate/overate | eaten/overeaten |
| do/undo | did/undid | done/undone |
| Bare Infinitive | Past Simple | Past Participle |
| arise | arose | arisen |
| awake | awoke/awakened | awoken/awakened |
| babysit | babysat | babysat |
| be | was, were | been |
| bear | bore | born/borne |
| beat | beat | beaten |
| become | became | become |
| befall | befell | befallen |
| begin | began | begun |
| behold | beheld | beheld |
| bend | bent | bent |
| bet | bet | bet |
| bid [farewell] | bid/bade | bid/bidden |
| bid [offer amount] | bid | bid |
| bind | bound | bound |
| bite | bit | bitten |
| bleed | bled | bled |
| blow | blew | blown |
| break | broke | broken |
| breed | bred | bred |
| bring | brought | brought |
| broadcast | broadcast/broadcasted | broadcast/broadcasted |
| build | built | built |
| burn | burnt/burned | burnt/burned |
| burst | burst | burst |
| buy | bought | bought |
| cast | cast | cast |
| catch | caught | caught |
| choose | chose | chosen |
| cling | clung | clung |
| clothe | clothed | clothed/clad** |
| come | came | come |
| cost | cost | cost |
| creep | crept | crept |
| cut | cut | cut |
| deal | dealt | dealt |
| dig | dug | dug |
| dive | dived/dove | dived |
| do | did | done |
| draw | drew | drawn |
| dream | dreamt/dreamed | dreamt/dreamed |
| drink | drank | drunk |
| drive | drove | driven |
| dwell | dwelt/dwelled | dwelt/dwelled |
| eat | ate | eaten |
| fall | fell | fallen |
| feed | fed | fed |
| feel | felt | felt |
| fight | fought | fought |
| find | found | found |
| fit | fitted/fit | fitted/fit |
| flee | fled | fled |
| fling | flung | flung |
| fly | flew | flown |
| forbear | forbore | forborne |
| forbid | forbade | forbidden |
| forecast | forecast | forecast |
| foresee | foresaw | foreseen |
| forget | forgot | forgotten |
| forgive | forgave | forgiven |
| forsake | forsook | forsaken |
| freeze | froze | frozen |
| get | got | got/gotten |
| give | gave | given |
| go | went | gone [not returned]/been [returned] |
| grind | ground | ground |
| grow | grew | grown |
| handwrite | handwrote | handwritten |
| hang [execute] | hanged 'They hanged a killer.' | hanged |
| hang [other uses] | hung 'They hung a picture.' | hung |
| have | had | had |
| hear | heard | heard |
| hide | hid | hidden |
| hit | hit | hit |
| hold | held | held |
| hurt | hurt | hurt |
| input | input/inputted | input/inputted |
| keep | kept | kept |
| kneel | knelt/kneeled | knelt/kneeled |
| knit | knitted/knit | knitted/knit |
| know | knew | known |
| lay | laid | laid |
| lead | led | led |
| lean | leant/leaned | leant/leaned |
| leap | leapt/leaped | leapt/leaped |
| learn | learnt/learned | learnt/learned |
| leave | left | left |
| lend | lent | lent |
| let | let | let |
| lie [not tell the truth] | lied | lied |
| lie [recline] | lay | lain |
| light | lit/lighted | lit/lighted |
| lose | lost | lost |
| make | made | made |
| mean | meant | meant |
| meet | met | met |
| mislay | mislaid | mislaid |
| mislead | misled | misled |
| mistake | mistook | mistaken |
| mow | mowed | mowed/mown* |
| offset | offset | offset |
| outbid | outbid | outbid |
| overcome | overcame | overcome |
| partake | partook | partaken |
| pay | paid | paid |
| prove | proved | proved/proven |
| put | put | put |
| quit | quit | quit |
| read | read [sounds like 'red'] | read [sounds like 'red'] |
| rid | rid | rid |
| ride | rode | ridden |
| ring | rang | rung |
| rise | rose | risen |
| run | ran | run |
| saw | sawed | sawed/sawn* |
| say | said | said |
| see | saw | seen |
| seek | sought | sought |
| sell | sold | sold |
| send | sent | sent |
| set | set | set |
| sew | sewed | sewed/sewn* |
| shake | shook | shaken |
| shave | shaved | shaved/shaven** |
| shear | sheared | sheared/shorn* |
| shed | shed | shed |
| shine [make shiny] | shined 'He shined his shoes.' | shined |
| shine [emit light] | shone/shined 'The sun shone.' | shone/shined |
| shoe | shod | shod |
| shoot | shot | shot |
| show | showed | showed/shown* |
| shrink | shrank | shrunk |
| shut | shut | shut |
| sing | sang | sung |
| sink | sank | sunk |
| sit | sat | sat |
| sleep | slept | slept |
| slide | slid | slid |
| sling | slung | slung |
| slit | slit | slit |
| smell | smelt/smelled | smelt/smelled |
| sneak | sneaked/snuck | sneaked/snuck |
| sow | sowed | sowed/sown* |
| speak | spoke | spoken |
| speed | sped/speeded | sped/speeded |
| spell | spelt/spelled | spelt/spelled |
| spend | spent | spent |
| spill | spilt/spilled | spilt/spilled |
| spin | spun/span | spun |
| spit | spit/spat | spit |
| split | split | split |
| spoil | spoilt/spoiled | spoilt/spoiled |
| spread | spread | spread |
| spring | sprang/sprung | sprung |
| stand | stood | stood |
| steal | stole | stolen |
| stick | stuck | stuck |
| sting | stung | stung |
| stink | stank/stunk | stunk |
| strew | strewed | strewn/strewed |
| stride | strode | stridden |
| strike | struck | struck |
| string | strung | strung |
| strive | strove/strived | strived/striven |
| swear | swore | sworn |
| sweat | sweated/sweat | sweated/sweat |
| sweep | swept | swept |
| swell | swelled | swelled/swollen |
| swim | swam | swum |
| swing | swung | swung |
| take | took | taken |
| teach | taught | taught |
| tear | tore | torn |
| tell | told | told |
| think | thought | thought |
| thrive | thrived/throve | thrived/thriven |
| throw | threw | thrown |
| thrust | thrust | thrust |
| tread | trod | trodden/trod |
| troubleshoot | troubleshot | troubleshot |
| understand | understood | understood |
| undertake | undertook | undertaken |
| uphold | upheld | upheld |
| upset | upset | upset |
| wake | woke | woken |
| wear | wore | worn |
| weave | wove | woven |
| wed | wed/wedded | wedded/wed* |
| weep | wept | wept |
| wet | wet/wetted | wet/wetted |
| win | won | won |
| wind | wound | wound |
| wring | wrung | wrung |
| write | wrote | written |
* Both forms can be used for perfect tenses but the second is preferred for passives.
** The second form is only used for passives.
