Irregular verbs in English do not follow the usual -ed pattern when forming the past tense and past participle. For example, go becomes went and gone, while write changes to wrote and written. We use these verbs in everyday conversations, stories, and written communication, so knowing their different forms helps us express actions and events accurately.
In this article, I have compiled 200+ irregular verbs in English, including their base forms, past tense forms, past participles, and example sentences. We will explore common verbs as well as less familiar ones, with practical examples showing how they work in context. This list will help us recognize irregular verb patterns, build vocabulary, and use the correct verb forms when speaking and writing in English.
What are Irregular Verbs?
Irregular verbs are verbs that change their form in unusual ways when talking about the past or perfect tenses.
Base Verb | Past Simple | Past Participle |
|---|---|---|
go | went | gone |
eat | ate | eaten |
see | saw | seen |
Regular vs Irregular Verbs
Type | Rule | Example |
|---|---|---|
Regular Verb | Add -ed | walk → walked |
Irregular Verb | Changes differently | sing → sang |
Types of Irregular Verbs
Irregular verbs are easier to learn when they are grouped by pattern.
Completely Irregular Verbs
These verbs change fully in all forms.
Base | Past | Past Participle |
|---|---|---|
begin | began | begun |
drink | drank | drunk |
sing | sang | sung |
swim | swam | swum |
Verbs with the Same Base and Past Participle
The first and third forms stay the same.
Base | Past | Past Participle |
|---|---|---|
come | came | come |
run | ran | run |
become | became | become |
Verbs with the Same Past and Past Participle
The second and third forms match.
Base | Past | Past Participle |
|---|---|---|
buy | bought | bought |
teach | taught | taught |
build | built | built |
think | thought | thought |
Verbs That Stay the Same
All three forms are identical.
Base | Past | Past Participle |
|---|---|---|
cut | cut | cut |
put | put | put |
hit | hit | hit |
set | set | set |
List of Common Irregular Verbs
Base Form | Past Simple | Past Participle |
|---|---|---|
Go | Went | Gone |
Be | Was/Were | Been |
Get | Got | Got/Gotten |
Say | Said | Said |
See | Saw | Seen |
Think | Thought | Thought |
Make | Made | Made |
Take | Took | Taken |
Come | Came | Come |
Know | Knew | Known |
Irregular Verbs Examples in English
Here’s the list of unique irregular verbs in English:
Base Form | Past Simple | Past Participle |
|---|---|---|
Arise | Arose | Arisen |
Awake | Awoke | Awoken |
Be | Was/Were | Been |
Bear | Bore | Born |
Beat | Beat | Beaten |
Become | Became | Become |
Begin | Began | Begun |
Bend | Bent | Bent |
Bet | Bet | Bet |
Bind | Bound | Bound |
Bite | Bit | Bitten |
Bleed | Bled | Bled |
Blow | Blew | Blown |
Break | Broke | Broken |
Breed | Bred | Bred |
Bring | Brought | Brought |
Build | Built | Built |
Buy | Bought | Bought |
Catch | Caught | Caught |
Choose | Chose | Chosen |
Come | Came | Come |
Cost | Cost | Cost |
Cut | Cut | Cut |
Deal | Dealt | Dealt |
Dig | Dug | Dug |
Do | Did | Done |
Draw | Drew | Drawn |
Drink | Drank | Drunk |
Drive | Drove | Driven |
Eat | Ate | Eaten |
Fall | Fell | Fallen |
Feed | Fed | Fed |
Feel | Felt | Felt |
Fight | Fought | Fought |
Find | Found | Found |
Fly | Flew | Flown |
Forget | Forgot | Forgotten |
Forgive | Forgave | Forgiven |
Freeze | Froze | Frozen |
Get | Got | Got/Gotten |
Irregular Verb List with PDF
Base Form | Past Simple | Past Participle |
|---|---|---|
Give | Gave | Given |
Go | Went | Gone |
Grow | Grew | Grown |
Hang | Hung | Hung |
Have | Had | Had |
Hear | Heard | Heard |
Hide | Hid | Hidden |
Hit | Hit | Hit |
Hold | Held | Held |
Hurt | Hurt | Hurt |
Keep | Kept | Kept |
Know | Knew | Known |
Lead | Led | Led |
Leave | Left | Left |
Lend | Lent | Lent |
Let | Let | Let |
Lie | Lay | Lain |
Light | Lit | Lit |
Lose | Lost | Lost |
Make | Made | Made |
Mean | Meant | Meant |
Meet | Met | Met |
Pay | Paid | Paid |
Put | Put | Put |
Read | Read (pronounced “red”) | Read (pronounced “red”) |
Ride | Rode | Ridden |
Ring | Rang | Rung |
Rise | Rose | Risen |
Run | Ran | Run |
Say | Said | Said |
See | Saw | Seen |
Sell | Sold | Sold |
Send | Sent | Sent |
Shake | Shook | Shaken |
Shine | Shone | Shone |
Shoot | Shot | Shot |
Show | Showed | Shown |
Shut | Shut | Shut |
Sing | Sang | Sung |
Sit | Sat | Sat |
Sleep | Slept | Slept |
Speak | Spoke | Spoken |
Spend | Spent | Spent |
Stand | Stood | Stood |
Steal | Stole | Stolen |
Stick | Stuck | Stuck |
Swim | Swam | Swum |
Take | Took | Taken |
Teach | Taught | Taught |
Tear | Tore | Torn |
Tell | Told | Told |
Think | Thought | Thought |
Throw | Threw | Thrown |
Understand | Understood | Understood |
Wake | Woke | Woken |
Wear | Wore | Worn |
Win | Won | Won |
Write | Wrote | Written |
Examples of Irregular Verbs in Sentences
Base Form | Past Simple | Past Participle | Example Sentence |
|---|---|---|---|
Go | Went | Gone | She went to the store. |
Eat | Ate | Eaten | He has eaten his lunch. |
Write | Wrote | Written | They have written a letter. |
See | Saw | Seen | I have seen this before. |
Take | Took | Taken | She took my advice. |
Come | Came | Come | He came late to class. |
Give | Gave | Given | We have given our support. |
Speak | Spoke | Spoken | She has spoken to him. |
Begin | Began | Begun | The lesson began on time. |
Break | Broke | Broken | He has broken his phone. |
Bring | Brought | Brought | She brought a gift. |
Build | Built | Built | They have built a house. |
Buy | Bought | Bought | He bought a new car. |
Catch | Caught | Caught | She caught a cold. |
Choose | Chose | Chosen | He has chosen wisely. |
Drink | Drank | Drunk | She drank a glass of water. |
Drive | Drove | Driven | He has driven all night. |
Feel | Felt | Felt | She felt happy today. |
Find | Found | Found | He found his lost keys. |
Forget | Forgot | Forgotten | I have forgotten his name. |
Get | Got | Gotten | She has gotten a new job. |
Give | Gave | Given | He gave me a book. |
Grow | Grew | Grown | The tree has grown tall. |
Have | Had | Had | They had a great time. |
Hear | Heard | Heard | I heard the news today. |
Hide | Hid | Hidden | She has hidden her diary. |
Keep | Kept | Kept | He kept his promise. |
Know | Knew | Known | She has known him for years. |
Leave | Left | Left | He left early. |
Make | Made | Made | She made a cake. |
Meet | Met | Met | They met at the café. |
Pay | Paid | Paid | He paid the bill. |
Read | Read | Read | She has read the book. |
Run | Ran | Run | He ran five miles. |
Say | Said | Said | She said hello. |
See | Saw | Seen | He has seen that movie. |
Sell | Sold | Sold | She sold her old car. |
Send | Sent | Sent | He sent an email. |
Show | Showed | Shown | She has shown her work. |
Sit | Sat | Sat | He sat by the window. |
Sleep | Slept | Slept | She slept all night. |
Speak | Spoke | Spoken | He has spoken to her. |
Spend | Spent | Spent | She spent all her money. |
Stand | Stood | Stood | He stood in line. |
Steal | Stole | Stolen | She stole a glance at him. |
Swim | Swam | Swum | He has swum in the ocean. |
Teach | Taught | Taught | She has taught for years. |
Tell | Told | Told | He told a funny story. |
Think | Thought | Thought | She thought about it. |
Understand | Understood | Understood | He has understood the lesson. |
Win | Won | Won | She won the game. |
Write | Wrote | Written | He has written a poem. |
Related Articles:
- Types of Verbs with Definition and Examples
- 50 Present, Past, and Past Participle Irregular Verbs
- 400+ A to Z List of Verbs in English
FAQs About Irregular Verbs
An irregular verb is a verb that does not follow the normal -ed pattern in past tense. Examples include go → went, eat → ate, and write → wrote.
Twenty common irregular verbs are: be, become, begin, break, bring, buy, catch, choose, come, do, drink, drive, eat, fall, feel, find, get, give, go, have.
Irregular verbs are used in past or past participle forms. For example: I ate breakfast or She has written a letter.
Regular verbs add -ed for past tense, like talk → talked, while irregular verbs change form, like see → saw.
The most common irregular verbs are:
1. be
2. have
3. do
4. go
5. say
6. make
7. take
8. come
9. see
10. know
The past simple talks about a finished action in the past.
– She wrote a letter yesterday.
The past participle is often used with have, has, or had.
– She has written three letters today.






