Thursday, June 7, 2012

List of Irregular Verbs

This list of irregular verbs will help you speak English correctly. Because if you learn the words in this list, you'll know almost all irregular past forms of English.


If you take a thorough look at this list of irregular verbs, you'll see patterns that will help you remember the past forms more easily.

For example, if you know the past forms of "get" (got, gotten), you know the past forms of "forget" (forgot, forgotten) too. Or if you know the past forms of "stand" (stood, stood), you know the past forms of "understand" (understood, understood) too.

Another pattern you might notice in this irregular verbs list is in connection with pronunciation. Several students have difficulty remembering how to pronounce the different past forms. But there is often a pattern here too.

For example, "fly" and "blow" belong to the same group/pattern. Their past forms are very similar: "flew, flown" and "blew, blown". And they are pronounced as "/fluː/, /floʊn/" and "/bluː/, /bloʊn/". You'll find many more examples for this in this list of irregular verbs.

In the first row of this list of irregular verbs you'll see the headers "Infinitive, Past Simple and Past Participle".


• You use the infinitive form in many cases, e.g. after modal verbs (must, can, should), after the infinitive "to" (want to, afford to).

• The past simple column is obvious, you use this form in the past simple tense.

• You use the past participle form in perfect tenses (I have been there, will have done, had done), past form of modal verbs (must have been, could have been) and in some other cases.

I'd been looking for a good list of irregular verbs for my students that includes the pronunciation of the different forms as well. Since I hadn't found any, I made one myself. I hope it helps you as much as it did for my students!
So here is the list of irregular verbs:

List of Irregular Verbs



InfinitivePast SimplePast Participle
be /biː/was /wɑːz/ - were /wɝː/been /biːn/
beat /biːt/beat /biːt/beaten /ˈbiː.tən/
become /bɪˈkʌm/became /bɪˈkeɪm/become /bɪˈkʌm/
begin /bɪˈgɪn/began /bɪˈgæn/begun /bɪˈgʌn/
bend /bend/bent /bent/bent /bent/
bet /bet/bet /bet/bet /bet/
bite /baɪt/bit /bɪt/bitten /ˈbɪt.ən/
bleed /bliːd/bled /bled/bled /bled/
blow /bloʊ/blew /bluː/blown /bloʊn/
break /breɪk/broke /broʊk/broken /ˈbroʊ.kən/
bring /brɪŋ/brought /brɑːt/brought /brɑːt/
broadcast /ˈbrɑːd.kæst/broadcast /ˈbrɑːd.kæst/broadcast /ˈbrɑːd.kæst/
build /bɪld/built /bɪlt/built /bɪlt/
burst /bɜrst/burst /bɜrst/burst /bɜrst/
buy /baɪ/bought /bɑːt/bought /bɑːt/
catch /kætʃ/caught /kɑːt/caught /kɑːt/
choose /tʃuːz/chose /tʃoʊz/chosen /ˈtʃoʊ.zən/
come /kʌm/came /keɪm/come /kʌm/
cost /kɑːst/cost /kɑːst/cost /kɑːst/
creep /kriːp/crept /krept/crept /krept/
cut /kʌt/cut /kʌt/cut /kʌt/
deal /dɪəl/dealt /delt/dealt /delt/
dig /dɪg/dug /dʌg/dug /dʌg/
do /duː/did /dɪd/done /dʌn/
draw /drɑː/drew /druː/drawn /drɑːn/
dream /driːm/dreamt /dremt/ - dreameddreamt /dremt/ - dreamed
drink /drɪŋk/drank /dræŋk/drunk /drʌŋk/
drive /draɪv/drove /droʊv/driven /ˈdrɪv.ən/
eat /iːt/ate /eɪt/eaten /'iː.tən/
fall /fɑːl/fell /fel/fallen /ˈfɑː.lən/
feed /fiːd/fed /fed/fed /fed/
feel /fiːl/felt /felt/felt /felt/
fight /faɪt/fought /fɑːt/fought /fɑːt/
find /faɪnd/found /faʊnd/found /faʊnd/
flee /fliː/fled /fled/fled /fled/
fly /flaɪ/flew /fluː/flown /floʊn/
forbid /fərˈbɪd/forbade /fərˈbeɪd/forbidden /fərˈbɪd·ən/
forget /fərˈget/forgot /fərˈgɑt/forgotten /fərˈgɑt·ən/
forgive /fərˈgɪv/forgave /fərˈgeɪv/forgiven /fərˈgɪv·ən/
freeze /friːz/froze /froʊz/frozen /ˈfroʊ.zən/
get /get/got /gɑːt/got /gɑːt/ - gotten /ˈgɑː.t ̬ən/
give /gɪv/gave /geɪv/given /ˈgɪv.ən/
go /goʊ/went /went/gone /gɑːn/
grow /groʊ/grew /gruː/grown /groʊn/
hang /hæŋ/hung /hʌŋ/hung /hʌŋ/
have /hæv/had /hæd/had /hæd/
hear /hɪr/heard /hɜrd/heard /hɜrd/
hide /haɪd/hid /hɪd/hidden /ˈhɪd·ən/
hit /hɪt/hit /hɪt/hit /hɪt/
hold /hoʊld/held /held/held /held/
hurt /hɜrt/hurt /hɜrt/hurt /hɜrt/
keep /kiːp/kept /kept/kept /kept/
kneel /niːl/knelt /nelt/ - kneeledknelt /nelt/ - kneeled
know /noʊ/knew /nuː/known /noʊn/
lay /leɪ/laid /leɪd/laid /leɪd/
lead /liːd/led /led/led /led/
leave /liːv/left /left/left /left/
lend /lend/lent /lent/lent /lent/
let /let/let /let/let /let/
lie /laɪ/lay /leɪ/lain /leɪn/
light /laɪt/lit /lɪt/lit /lɪt/
lose /luːz/lost /lɑːst/lost /lɑːst/
make /meɪk/made /meɪd/made /meɪd/
mean /miːn/meant /ment/meant /ment/
meet /miːt/met /met/met /met/
pay /peɪ/paid /peɪd/paid /peɪd/
prove /pruːv/provedproved - proven /ˈpruː.vən/
put /pʊt/put /pʊt/put /pʊt/
quit /kwɪt/quit /kwɪt/quit /kwɪt/
read /riːd/read /red/read /red/
ride /raɪd/rode /roʊd/ridden /ˈrɪd.ən/
ring /rɪŋ/rang /ræŋ/rung /rʌŋ/
rise /raɪz/rose /roʊz/risen /ˈrɪz·ən/
run /rʌn/ran /ræn/run /rʌn/
say /seɪ/said /sed/said /sed/
see /siː/saw /sɑː/seen /siːn/
seek /siːk/sought /sɑːt/sought /sɑːt/
sell /sel/sold /soʊld/sold /soʊld/
send /send/sent /sent/sent /sent/
set /set/set /set/set /set/
sew /soʊ/sewedsewn /soʊn/ - sewed
shake /ʃeɪk/shook /ʃʊk/shaken /ˈʃeɪ·kən/
shine /ʃɑɪn/shone /ʃoʊn/shone /ʃoʊn/
shoot /ʃuːt/shot /ʃɑːt/shot /ʃɑːt/
show /ʃoʊ/showedshown /ʃoʊn/ - showed
shrink /ʃrɪŋk/shrank /ʃræŋk/shrunk /ʃrʌŋk/
shut /ʃʌt/shut /ʃʌt/shut /ʃʌt/
sing /sɪŋ/sang /sæŋ/sung /sʌŋ/
sink /sɪŋk/sank /sæŋk/sunk /sʌŋk/
sit /sɪt/sat /sæt/sat /sæt/
sleep /sliːp/slept /slept/slept /slept/
slide /slaɪd/slid /slɪd/slid /slɪd/
speak /spiːk/spoke /spoʊk/spoken /ˈspoʊ.kən/
spell /spel/spelt /spelt/ - spelledspelt /spelt/ - spelled
spend /spend/spent /spent/spent /spent/
spit /spɪt/spat /spæt/spat /spæt/
split /splɪt/split /splɪt/split /splɪt/
spread /spred/spread /spred/spread /spred/
spring /sprɪŋ/sprang /spræŋ/sprung /sprʌŋ/
stand /stænd/stood /stʊd/stood /stʊd/
steal /stiːl/stole /stoʊl/stolen /ˈstoʊ.lən/
stick /stɪk/stuck /stʌk/stuck /stʌk/
sting /stɪŋ/stung /stʌŋ/stung /stʌŋ/
stink /stɪŋk/stank /stæŋk/stunk /stʌŋk/
strike /straɪk/struck /strʌk/struck /strʌk/
swear /swer/swore /swɔːr/sworn /swɔːrn/
sweep /swiːp/swept /swept/swept /swept/
swim /swɪm/swam /swæm/swum /swʌm/
swing /swɪŋ/swung /swʌŋ/swung /swʌŋ/
take /teɪk/took /tʊk/taken /ˈteɪ.kən/
teach /tiːtʃ/taught /tɑːt/taught /tɑːt/
tear /ter/tore /tɔːr/torn /tɔːrn/
tell /tel/told /toʊld/told /toʊld/
think /θɪŋk/thought /θɑːt/thought /θɑːt/
throw /θroʊ/threw /θruː/thrown /θroʊn/
understand /ˌʌn·dərˈstænd/understood /ˌʌn·dərˈstʊd/understood /ˌʌn·dərˈstʊd/
wake /weɪk/woke /woʊk/woken /ˈwoʊ·kən/
wear /weər/wore /wɔr/worn /wɔrn
weep /wiːp/wept /wept/wept /wept/
win /wɪn/won /wʌn/won /wʌn/
write /raɪt/wrote /roʊt/written /ˈrɪt.ən/

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