Irregular verbs
248 English verbs whose past tense or past participle is irregular in British or American English, from Wiktionary, Appendix: English irregular verbs (revision of August 4, 2026); where two forms are shown, the first is the more usual.
Verbs with an irregular past
| Verb | Past | Past participle |
|---|---|---|
| be | was, were | been |
| have | had | had |
| can | could | none (a modal verb) |
| will | would | none (a modal verb) |
| do | did | done |
| get | got | gotten, got |
| know | knew | known |
| see | saw | seen |
| make | made | made |
| think | thought | thought |
| go | went | gone |
| may | might | none (a modal verb) |
| take | took | taken |
| say | said | said |
| come | came | come |
| find | found | found |
| give | gave | given |
| must | must | none (a modal verb) |
| show | showed | shown, showed |
| feel | felt | felt |
| keep | kept | kept |
| put | put | put |
| let (to allow) | let | let |
| set | set | set |
| read | read | read |
| mean | meant | meant |
| tell | told | told |
| run | ran | run |
| become | became | become |
| pay | paid | paid |
| win | won | won |
| hit | hit | hit |
| understand | understood | understood |
| leave | left | left |
| saw | sawed | sawed, sawn |
| light | lit | lit |
| buy | bought | bought |
| deal | dealt | dealt |
| bring | brought | brought |
| meet | met | met |
| cost | cost | cost |
| cut | cut | cut |
| fight | fought | fought |
| hold | held | held |
| break | broke | broken |
| learn | learned, learnt | learned, learnt |
| stand | stood | stood |
| drive | drove | driven |
| eat | ate | eaten |
| fall | fell | fallen |
| send | sent | sent |
| lose | lost | lost |
| forget | forgot | forgotten |
| sleep | slept | slept |
| build | built | built |
| shall | should | none (a modal verb) |
| speak | spoke | spoken |
| write | wrote | written |
| beat | beat | beaten, beat |
| speed | sped, speeded | sped, speeded |
| sell | sold | sold |
| spend | spent | spent |
| fit | fit, fitted | fit, fitted |
| hurt | hurt | hurt |
| spring | sprang, sprung | sprung |
| wear | wore | worn |
| choose | chose | chosen |
| dream | dreamed, dreamt | dreamed, dreamt |
| drink | drank | drunk |
| grow | grew | grown |
| sit | sat | sat |
| catch | caught | caught |
| ride | rode | ridden |
| begin | began | begun |
| lie (to rest) | lay | lain |
| throw | threw | thrown |
| draw | drew | drawn |
| rise | rose | risen |
| spread | spread | spread |
| bet | bet | bet |
| cast | cast | cast |
| shut | shut | shut |
| prove | proved | proved, proven |
| wake | woke, waked | woken, waked |
| fly | flew | flown |
| shoot | shot | shot |
| feed | fed | fed |
| mistake | mistook | mistaken |
| teach | taught | taught |
| strike | struck | struck |
| split | split | split |
| lay | laid | laid |
| seek | sought | sought |
| upset | upset | upset |
| hang | hung, hanged | hung, hanged |
| blow | blew | blown |
| hide | hid | hid, hidden |
| quit | quit | quit |
| sing | sang | sung |
| wet | wet, wetted | wet, wetted |
| burn | burned, burnt | burnt, burned |
| swear | swore | sworn |
| rid | rid | rid |
| smell | smelled, smelt | smelled, smelt |
| output | output | output |
| steal | stole | stolen |
| bid (to offer) | bid | bid |
| bid (to ask) | bade, bid | bidden, bid |
| string | strung | strung |
| broadcast | broadcast | broadcast |
| spin | spun | spun |
| input | input | input |
| tear | tore | torn |
| swing | swung | swung |
| shake | shook | shaken |
| bite | bit | bitten |
| slide | slid | slid |
| overcome | overcame | overcome |
| forgive | forgave | forgiven |
| shoe | shoed, shod | shoed, shod |
| shed | shed | shed |
| dig | dug | dug |
| sink | sank, sunk | sunk |
| swim | swam | swum |
| bless | blessed, blest | blessed, blest |
| shine | shined, shone | shined, shone |
| burst | burst | burst |
| podcast | podcast | podcast |
| lean | leaned (US), leant (UK) | leaned (US), leant (UK) |
| sweat | sweat, sweated | sweat, sweated |
| awake | awoke | awoken |
| bend | bent | bent |
| dive | dived, dove | dived |
| freeze | froze | frozen |
| forecast | forecast | forecast |
| breed | bred | bred |
| withdraw | withdrew | withdrawn |
| bust | bust, busted | bust, busted |
| offset | offset | offset |
| sneak | sneaked, snuck | sneaked, snuck |
| sweep | swept | swept |
| grind | ground, grinded | ground |
| leap | leaped, leapt | leaped, leapt |
| arise | arose | arisen |
| lend | lent | lent |
| rebuild | rebuilt | rebuilt |
| thrust | thrust | thrust |
| spit | spit | spit |
| creep | crept, creeped | crept, creeped |
| spill | spilled, spilt | spilled, spilt |
| reset | reset | reset |
| shave | shaved | shaven, shaved |
| flee | fled | fled |
| undergo | underwent | undergone |
| spoil | spoiled, spoilt | spoiled, spoilt |
| sting | stung | stung |
| remake | remade | remade |
| behold | beheld | beheld |
| bind | bound | bound |
| shrink | shrank, shrunk | shrunk, shrunken |
| undertake | undertook | undertaken |
| bleed | bled | bled |
| strive | strove, strived | striven, strived |
| forbid | forbad, forbade, forbid | forbid, forbidden |
| knit | knit, knitted | knit, knitted |
| repay | repaid | repaid |
| wed | wed, wedded | wed, wedded |
| withstand | withstood | withstood |
| swell | swelled | swelled, swollen |
| overthrow | overthrew | overthrown |
| abide | abided, abode | abided |
| undo | undid | undone |
| dwell | dwelt, dwelled | dwelt, dwelled |
| weave | weaved, wove | woven |
| uphold | upheld | upheld |
| tread | trod | trodden, trod |
| oversee | oversaw | overseen |
| cling | clung | clung |
| slit | slit | slit |
| rethink | rethought | rethought |
| rewrite | rewrote | rewritten |
| stink | stank, stunk | stunk |
| sew | sewed | sewed, sewn |
| stride | strode | stridden |
| override | overrode | overridden |
| shear | sheared | shorn, sheared |
| sow | sowed | sowed, sown |
| weep | wept | wept |
| overrun | overran | overrun |
| slay | slew, slayed | slain, slayed |
| sling | slung | slung |
| fling | flung | flung |
| shred | shredded, shred | shredded, shred |
| overtake | overtook | overtaken |
| withhold | withheld | withheld |
| retake | retook | retaken |
| kneel | knelt, kneeled | knelt, kneeled |
| overlay | overlaid | overlaid |
| rewind | rewound | rewound |
| partake | partook | partaken |
| mislead | misled | misled |
| redo | redid | redone |
| overdrive | overdrove | overdriven |
| foresee | foresaw | foreseen |
| hamstring | hamstrung | hamstrung |
| misunderstand | misunderstood | misunderstood |
| undercut | undercut | undercut |
| mow | mowed | mowed, mown |
| unwind | unwound | unwound |
| beset | beset | beset |
| overcast | overcast | overcast |
| babysit | babysat | babysat |
| alight | alit, alighted | alit, alighted |
| reread | reread | reread |
| forgo | forwent | forgone |
| webcast | webcast | webcast |
| misread | misread | misread |
| outrun | outran | outrun |
| recast | recast | recast |
| preset | preset | preset |
| resell | resold | resold |
| smite | smote | smitten |
| forsake | forsook | forsaken |
| heave | heaved, hove | heaved, hove |
| rerun | reran | rerun |
| cleave (to split) | clove | cloven, cleft |
| cleave (to cling) | cleft, cleaved | cleft, cleaved |
| inset | inset | inset |
| overdo | overdid | overdone |
| forego | forewent | foregone |
| breastfeed | breastfed | breastfed |
| overhang | overhung | overhung |
| wring | wrung | wrung |
| beseech | besought | besought |
| outdo | outdid | outdone |
| befall | befell | befallen |
| inlay | inlaid | inlaid |
| underlie | underlay | underlain |
| outgrow | outgrew | outgrown |
| bide | bided, bode | bided |
| outbid | outbid | outbid |
| redraw | redrew | redrawn |
| hew | hewed | hewn |
| proofread | proofread | proofread |
| underwrite | underwrote | underwritten |
| simulcast | simulcast | simulcast |
| overshoot | overshot | overshot |
| outshine | outshined, outshone | outshined, outshone |
Source: Wiktionary, Appendix: English irregular verbs (revision of August 4, 2026, read September 30, 2026; CC BY-SA 4.0), checked against each verb's own entry in the English Wiktionary dump of September 2, 2026: archaic, dialect and nonstandard forms are left out, and a second form is shown when it is in written use (wordfreq 3.1); common verbs first (written frequency).