List of Irregular Verbs in English Grammar
How to learn irregular verbs in English
English verbs have five main forms: infinitive, simple present, simple past, past participle and present participle.
Regular verbs form the simple past and past participle with -ed.
Irregular verbs form the simple past and past participle differently. There are around 200 irregular verbs used in everyday English.
Unfortunately, it is not possible to immediately recognise an irregular verb, which makes it difficult to learn them.
However, we can categorise irregular verbs into three main types: verbs where all three forms are the same, verbs where the past simple and past participle are the same, and verbs where each form is different.
Use Lingolia’s lists of irregular verbs to check which irregular verbs you need to know for a beginner, pre-Intermediate, intermediate, upper intermediate or advanced language exam. The verbs are organised by type to make it easier to learn them by heart.
Not sure what your level is? Find out with Lingolia’s free level test!
Irregular Verbs by Level
Irregular Verbs for Beginner
Below is a list of the most common irregular verbs in English for Beginner level organised by type.
Type 1
The infinitive, past simple and past participle are all the same (same – same – same)
Infinitive | Past Simple | Past Participle |
---|---|---|
put | put | put |
read | read* | read* |
* the pronunciation of the infinitive read /ri:d/ becomes /red/ in the past simple and past participle forms
Type 2
The past simple and past participle forms are the same, but different to the infinitive (different - same - same)
Infinitive | Past Simple | Past Participle |
---|---|---|
can | could | (no participle) |
feel | felt | felt |
find | found | found |
get | got | got, gotten (US English) |
have | had | had |
hear | heard | heard |
learn | learnt, learned | learnt, learned |
leave | left | left |
make | made | made |
meet | met | met |
pay | paid | paid |
say | said | said |
send | sent | sent |
shall | should | (no participle) |
sit | sat | sat |
sleep | slept | slept |
teach | taught | taught |
tell | told | told |
think | thought | thought |
understand | understood | understood |
Type 3
The infinitive, the past simple and past participle are all different (different - different - different)
Infinitive | Past Simple | Past Participle |
---|---|---|
be | was/were | been |
come | came | come |
do | did | done |
draw | drew | drawn |
drink | drank | drunk |
drive | drove | driven |
eat | ate | eaten |
fly | flew | flown |
forget | forgot | forgotten |
give | gave | given |
go | went | gone |
know | knew | known |
run | ran | run |
see | saw | seen |
show | showed | shown |
sing | sang | sung |
speak | spoke | spoken |
swim | swam | swum |
take | took | taken |
wake up | woke up | woken up |
wear | wore | worn |
write | wrote | written |
Irregular Verbs for Pre-Intermediate
Below is a list of the most common irregular verbs in English that are new at Pre-Intermediate level organised by type. Go to the list above to see which irregular verbs you should already know.
Type 1
The infinitive, past simple and past participle are all the same (same – same – same)
Infinitive | Past Simple | Past Participle |
---|---|---|
cost | cost | cost |
cut | cut | cut |
hit | hit | hit |
hurt | hurt | hurt |
let | let | let |
shut | shut | shut |
Type 2
The past simple and past participle forms are the same, but different to the infinitive (different - same - same)
Infinitive | Past Simple | Past Participle |
---|---|---|
bring | brought | brought |
build | built | built |
catch | caught | caught |
hold | held | held |
keep | kept | kept |
lose | lost | lost |
may | might | (no participle) |
mean | meant | meant |
sell | sold | sold |
spend | spent | spent |
stand | stood | stood |
win | won | won |
Type 3
The infinitive, the past simple and past participle are all different (different - different - different)
Infinitive | Past Simple | Past Participle |
---|---|---|
become | became | become |
begin | began | begun |
break | broke | broken |
choose | chose | chosen |
ride | rode | ridden |
steal | stole | stolen |
throw | threw | thrown |
Irregular Verbs for Intermediate
Below is a list of the most common irregular verbs in English that are new at Intermediate level organised by type. Go to the lists above to see which irregular verbs you should already know.
Type 1
The infinitive, past simple and past participle are all the same (same – same – same)
Infinitive | Past Simple | Past Participle |
---|---|---|
quit | quit | quit |
split up | split up | split up |
wet | wet | wet |
Type 2
The past simple and past participle forms are the same, but different to the infinitive (different – same – same)
Infinitive | Past Simple | Past Participle |
---|---|---|
bleed | bled | bled |
burn | burnt, burned | burnt, burned |
deal | dealt | dealt |
dig | dug | dug |
dream | dreamt, dreamed | dreamt, dreamed |
feed | fed | fed |
fight | fought | fought |
hang | hung | hung |
kneel | knelt, kneeled | knelt, kneeled |
lay | laid | lain |
lead | led | led |
lend | lent | lent |
seek | sought | sought |
shine | shone | shone |
shoot | shot | shot |
spin | spun | spun |
spoil | spoilt, spoiled | spoilt, spoiled |
stick | stuck | stuck |
Type 3
The infinitive, the past simple and past participle are all different (different – different – different)
Infinitive | Past Simple | Past Participle |
---|---|---|
beat | beat | beaten |
bite | bit | bitten |
blow | blew | blown |
fall | fell | fallen |
grow | grew | grown |
hide | hid | hidden |
prove | proved | proven, proved |
ring | rang | rung |
sew | sewed | sewn |
shake | shook | shaken |
sink | sank | sunk |
speak | spoke | spoken |
stink | stank | stunk |
swell | swelled | swollen |
Irregular Verbs for Upper Intermediate
Below is a list of the most common irregular verbs in English that are new at Upper Intermediate level organised by type. Go to the lists above to see which irregular verbs you should already know.
Type 1
The infinitive, past simple and past participle are all the same (same – same – same)
Infinitive | Past Simple | Past Participle |
---|---|---|
bet | bet | bet |
broadcast | broadcast, broadcasted | broadcast, broadcasted |
burst | burst | burst |
forecast | forecast | forecast |
spread | spread | spread |
sweat | sweat, sweated | sweat, sweated |
wed | wed | wed |
Type 2
The past simple and past participle forms are the same, but different to the infinitive (different – same – same)
Infinitive | Past Simple | Past Participle |
---|---|---|
bend | bent | bent |
breed | bred | bred |
flee | fled | fled |
leap | leapt, leaped | leapt |
light | lit, lighted | lit, lighted |
slide | slid | slid |
speed | sped, speeded | sped, speeded |
sting | stung | stung |
strike | struck | struck |
sweep | swept | swept |
swing | swung | swung |
weep | wept | wept |
wind | wound | wound |
Type 3
The infinitive, the past simple and past participle are all different (different – different – different)
Infinitive | Past Simple | Past Participle |
---|---|---|
awake | awoke | awoken |
bear | bore | borne |
freeze | froze | frozen |
rise | rose | risen |
shrink | shrank | shrunk |
sing | sang | sung |
spring | sprang | sprung |
swear | swore | sworn |
tear | tore | torn |
Irregular Verbs for Advanced
Below is a list of the most common irregular verbs in English that are new at Advanced level organised by type. Go to the lists above to see which irregular verbs you should already know.
Type 1
The infinitive, past simple and past participle are all the same (same – same – same)
Infinitive | Past Simple | Past Participle |
---|---|---|
bid | bid | bid |
cast | cast | cast |
rid | rid | rid |
shed | shed | shed |
shred | shred | shred |
slit | slit | slit |
thrust | thrust | thrust |
Type 2
The past simple and past participle forms are the same, but different to the infinitive (different – same – same)
Infinitive | Past Simple | Past Participle |
---|---|---|
bind | bound | bound |
cling | clung | clung |
creep | crept | crept |
fling | flung | flung |
grind | ground | ground |
plead | pled, pleaded | pled, pleaded |
shoe | shod, shoed | shod, shoed |
sling | slung | slung |
slink | slunk | slunk |
spit | spat | spat |
string | strung | strung |
wring | wrung | wrung |
Type 3
The infinitive, the past simple and past participle are all different (different – different – different)
Infinitive | Past Simple | Past Participle |
---|---|---|
arise | arose | arisen |
forsake | forsook | forsaken |
saw | sawed | sawn |
shear | sheared | shorn |
sow | sowed | sown |
stride | strode | stridden |
strive | strove | striven |
tread | trod | trodden |
weave | wove | woven |