List of English irregular verbs

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This is list of irregular verbs in the English language. The citation form (the infinitive) comes first (with a link to the Wiktionary article on the verb), together with the present tense forms when they are different, then the preterite or simple past, and finally the past participle. The right hand column notes whether they are weak or strong and whether they belong to a subclass, and links to discussions elsewhere. Typical irregularities in weak verbs are the assimilation of dentals (bendedbent) and vowel reduction (*keepedkept).

It should be noted that many of these verbs are irregular in British or American English only; in many cases, such as spell (spelt vs. spelled), learn (learnt vs. learned), and spill (spilt vs. spilled), American English uses the regular form, while British English tends to favor the irregular. In other cases, the opposite is true (dived and sneaked in Britain, also dove and snuck in the U.S.); Australian English tends to follow British practice, while Canadian English often sides with American usage. See further at American and British English differences.

abide abided/abode abided/abidden Strong, class 1
arise arose arisen Strong, class 1
awake awoke awoken Strong, class 6
be (am, is, are) was (were) been Suppletive. See: Indo-European copula.
bear bore born/borne Strong, class 4
beat beat beaten/beat Strong, class 7
become became become Strong, class 4
befall befell befallen Strong, class 7
beget begot begotten
begin began begun Strong, class 3
behold beheld beheld/beholden Strong, class 7
bend bent bent Weak with assimilation of dentals
bereave bereaved/bereft/berove bereaved/bereft/bereaven Strong, class 6
beseech besought besought Weak with Rückumlaut and Germanic spirant law
beset beset beset Weak with assimilation of dentals
bet bet/betted bet/betted Weak with assimilation of dentals
bid (in cards, auctions, etc.) bid bid Weak with assimilation of dentals
bid (meaning to request or say) bade/bid/bidded bidden/bid/bidded Strong, class 5
bide bided/bode bided/bidden Strong, class 1
bind bound bound Strong, class 3
bite bit bitten Strong, class 1
bleed bled bled Weak with vowel reduction and assimilation of dentals
blow blew blown Strong, class 7
bode boded/bode boded/boden Strong, class 2
break broke broken Strong, class 4
breed bred bred Weak with vowel reduction and assimilation of dentals
bring brought brought Weak with Rückumlaut and Germanic spirant law
broadcast broadcast broadcast Weak
browbeat browbeat browbeaten Strong, class 7
build built built Weak with assimilation of dentals
burn burned/burnt burned/burnt Weak with assimilation of dentals
burst burst/bursted burst/bursted/bursten Strong, class 3
bust busted/bust busted/bust
buy bought bought/boughten Weak with Rückumlaut and Germanic spirant law
can could (none) Preterite-present; defective
cast cast cast Weak with assimilation of dentals
catch caught caught Weak - a French loanword conjugated perhaps by analogy with teach-taught
chide chid/chided/chode chidden/chided Strong, class 5
choose chose chosen Strong, class 2
cleave(split apart) clove cloven Strong, class 2
cleave(cling to) cleft/cleaved cleft/cleaved Weakwith vowel reduction
climb climbed/clomb climbed/clomben Strong, class 2
cling clung/clang clung Strong, class 3
come came come Strong, class 4
cost cost cost Weak with assimilation of dentals
creep crept crept Strong, class 2
cut cut cut Weak with assimilation of dentals
dare durst (none) Preterite-present; defective; he dare
dare dared dared Weak verb; to dare; he dares
deal dealt dealt Weak with vowel reduction and assimilation of dentals
dig dug dug
dive dived/dove dived/doven Strong, class 2
do did done Reduplication with p.p. springing from OE "gedon"
draw drew drawn Strong, class 6
dream dreamt/dreamed dreamt/dreamed Weak with vowel reduction assimilation of dentals
drink drank/drunk drunk/drunken Strong, class 3
drive drove driven Strong, class 1
dwell dwelt/dwelled dwelt/dwelled Weak with assimilation of dentals
eat ate eaten Strong, class 5
fall fell fallen Strong, class 7
fare fared/fore fared/faren Strong, class 6
feed fed fed Weak with vowel reduction and assimilation of dentals
feel felt felt Weak with assimilation of dentals
fight fought fought/foughten Strong, class 3
find found found/founden Strong, class 3
fit (in all meanings besides tailoring) fit fit Weak with assimilation of dentals
flee fled fled Weak with vowel reduction
fling flung/flang flung Strong, class 3
fly flew flown Strong, class 2
fold folded/feld folded/folden Strong, class 7
forbid forbade forbidden Strong, class 5
forecast forecast forecast Weak with assimilation of dentals
forego forewent foregone Suppletive. See: go (verb).
forgo forwent forgone Suppletive. See: go (verb).
foresee foresaw foreseen Strong, class 5
foretell foretold foretold Weak with Rückumlaut
forget forgot forgotten Strong, class 5
forgive forgave forgiven Strong, class 5
forsake forsook forsaken Strong, class 6
freeze froze frozen Strong, class 2
get got gotten/got Strong, class 5
give gave given Strong, class 5
go went gone Suppletive. See: go (verb).
grind (all senses besides dancing) ground ground
grow grew grown Strong, class 7
hang hung/hanged hung/hanged Preterit present strong preterit comes from the old p.p.
have (has) had had
hear heard heard Weak with vowel reduction and assimilation of dentals
hew hewed hewn Strong, class 7
hide hid hidden
hit hit hit Weak with assimilation of dentals
hold held held/holden Strong, class 7
hurt hurt hurt Weak with assimilation of dentals
input input input Weak with assimilation of dentals
inset inset inset Weak with assimilation of dentals
interbreed interbred interbred Weak with vowel reduction and assimilation of dentals
interweave interwove interwoven Strong, class 7
keep kept kept Weak with vowel reduction and assimilation of dentals
kneel knelt/kneeled knelt\kneeled Weak with vowel reduction and assimilation of dentals
knit knit/knitted knit/knitted Weak with assimilation of dentals
know knew known Strong, class 7
lay laid laid Weak; irregular only in spelling
lead led led Weak with vowel reduction and assimilation of dentals
lean leaned/leant leaned/leant Weak with vowel reduction and assimilation of dentals
leap leaped/leapt/lope leaped/leapt/lopen Strong, class 7
learn learned/learnt learned/learnt Weak with assimilation of dentals
leave left left Weak with vowel reduction and assimilation of dentals
lese lore lorn Strong, class 2
lend lent lent Weak with vowel reduction and assimilation of dentals
let let let Strong, class 7
lie (in all senses besides speaking a non-truth) lay lain Strong, class 5
light lit/lighted lit/lighted Weak with vowel reduction and assimilation of dentals
lose lost lost Weak with vowel reduction and assimilation of dentals
make made made Weak
may might (none) Preterite-present; defective
mean meant meant Weak with vowel reduction and assimilation of dentals
meet met met Weak with vowel reduction and assimilation of dentals
mete meted meted Strong, class 5
mishear misheard misheard Weak with vowel reduction and assimilation of dentals
mislay mislaid mislaid Weak; irregular only in spelling
mislead misled misled Weak with vowel reduction and assimilation of dentals
misread misread misread Weak with vowel reduction and assimilation of dentals
misspell misspelled/misspelt misspelled/misspelt Weak with vowel reduction and assimilation of dentals
mistake mistook mistaken Strong, class 6
misunderstand misunderstood misunderstood/misunderstanden Strong, class 6
mow mowed/mew mowed/mown Strong, class 7
must must (none) Preterite-present; defective
need needed needed Weak verb; to need; he needs
outbid outbid outbid Weak with assimilation of dentals
outdo outdid outdone
outgrow outgrew outgrown Strong, class 7
outrun outran outrun Strong, class 3
outsell outsold outsold Weak with Rückumlaut
overcast overcast overcast Weak with assimilation of dentals
overcome overcame overcome Strong, class 4
overdo overdid overdone
overdraw overdrew overdrawn Strong, class 6
overeat overate overeaten Strong, class 5
overhang overhung/overhanged overhung/overhanged Preterit present strong preterit comes from the old p.p.
overhear overheard overheard Weak with vowel reduction and assimilation of dentals
overlay overlaid overlaid Weak; irregular only in spelling
overlie overlay overlain Strong, class 5
overpay overpaid overpaid Weak; irregular only in spelling
override overrode overridden Strong, class 1
overrun overran overrun Strong, class 3
oversee oversaw overseen Strong, class 5
oversell oversold oversold Weak with Rückumlaut
overshoot overshot overshot/overshotten Strong, class 2
oversleep overslept overslept Strong, class 7
overtake overtook overtaken Strong, class 6
overthrow overthrew overthrown Strong, class 7
owe owed/ought owed/ought Weak
partake partook partaken Strong, class 6
pay paid paid Weak; irregular only in spelling
plead pleaded/pled pleaded/pled Weak with vowel reduction and assimilation of dentals
proofread proofread proofread Weak with vowel reduction and assimilation of dentals
prove proved/prove proved/proven borrowed French verb
put put put Weak with assimilation of dentals
quit quit quit Weak with assimilation of dentals
read read read Weak with vowel reduction and assimilation of dentals
reave reft/rove reft/reaven Strong, class 6
rebuild rebuilt rebuilt Weak with assimilation of dentals
recast recast recast Weak with assimilation of dentals
rend rent rent Weak with assimilation of dentals
redo redid redone
re-lay re-laid re-laid Weak; irregular only in spelling
remake remade remade Weak
repay repaid repaid Weak; irregular only in spelling
rerun reran rerun Strong, class 3
resell resold resold Weak with Rückumlaut
reset reset reset Weak with assimilation of dentals
rethink rethought rethought Weak with Rückumlaut and Germanic spirant law
rewind rewound rewound/rewounden
rewrite rewrote rewritten Strong, class 1
rid rid/ridded rid/ridden/ridded
ride rode ridden Strong, class 1
ring rang rung Strong, class 3
rise rose risen Strong, class 1
rive rived/rove rived/riven Strong, class 1
run ran run Strong, class 3
saw sawed sawed/sawn
say said said Weak
see saw seen Strong, class 5
seek sought sought Weak with Rückumlaut and Germanic spirant law
sell sold sold Weak with Rückumlaut
send sent sent Weak with assimilation of dentals
set set set Weak
sew sewed sewed/sewn
shake shook shaken Strong, class 6
shall should (none) Preterite-present; defective; see also Shall and will
shave shaved/shove shaved/shaven Strong, class 6
shear sheared/shore sheared/shorn Strong, class 4
shed shed/shedded shed/shedded Strong, class 7
shine shined/shone shined/shone Strong, class 1
shit or shite, shit/shat/shitted shit/shat/shitted Strong, class 1; also regular: shitted/shited shitted/shited
shoe shoed/shod shoed/shod Weak with vowel reduction
shoot shot shot/shotten Strong, class 2
show showed shown/showed
shrink shrank/shrunk shrunk/shrunken Strong, class 3
shut shut shut Weak
sing sang sung Strong, class 3
sink sank/sunk sunk/sunken Strong, class 3
sit sat sat/sitten/setten Strong, class 5
slay slew/slayed slain/slayed Strong, class 6
sleep slept slept Strong, class 7
slide slid slid Strong, class 1
sling slung/slang slung Strong, class 3
slink slunk/slank slunk Strong, class 3
slit or slite slit slit/slitten Strong, class 1
smell smelled/smelt smelled/smelt Weak with assimilation of dentals
smite smote/smit smitten Strong, class 1
sneak sneaked/snuck sneaked/snuck Weakwith naturally developing intransitive strong form
sow sowed/sew sowed/sown Strong, class 7
speak spoke spoken Strong, class 5
speed sped/speeded sped/speeded Weak with vowel reduction and assimilation of dentals
spell spelled/spelt spelled/spelt Weak
spend spent spent Weak
spill spilled/spilt spilled/spilt Weak
spin span spun strong, class 3
spit spit/spat spit/spitten
split split split Weak
spoil spoiled/spoilt spoiled/spoilt Weak
spread spread spread Weak with assimilation of dentals
spring sprang/sprung sprung Strong, class 3
stand stood stood/standen Strong, class 6
steal stole stolen Strong, class 4
stick stuck stuck
sting stung/stang stung Strong, class 3
stink stunk/stank stunk Strong, class 3
strew strewed strewn/strewed
stride strided/strode strided/stridden Strong, class 1
strike struck struck/stricken
string strung strung Weakwith naturally developing intransitive strong form
strive strove/strived striven/strived Strong, class 1
swear swore sworn Strong, class 6
sweep swept swept Weak with vowel reduction and assimilation of dentals
swell swelled/swoll swelled/swollen Strong, class 3
swim swam swum Strong, class 3
swing swung/swang swung Strong, class 3
take took taken Strong, class 6
teach taught taught Weak with Rückumlaut and Germanic spirant law
tear tore torn Strong, class 4
tell told told Weak with Rückumlaut
think thought thought Weak with Rückumlaut and Germanic spirant law
thrive thrived/throve thrived/thriven Strong, class 1
throw threw thrown Strong, class 7
thrust thrusted/thrust thrusted/thrust
tread trod/treaded trodden/trod/treaded Strong, class 5
unbind unbound unbound/unbounden Strong, class 3
underlie underlay/underlied underlain/underlied Strong, class 5
understand understood understood/understanden Strong, class 6
undertake undertook undertaken Strong, class 6
underwrite underwrote underwritten Strong, class 1
undo undid undone
unwind unwound unwound/unwounden Strong, class 3
uphold upheld upheld/upholden Strong, class 7
upset upset/upsetted upset/upsetted Weak with assimilation of dentals
wake woke woken Strong, class 6
waylay waylaid waylaid Weak; irregular only in spelling
wear wore worn
weave wove woven Strong, class 7
wed wed/wedded wed/wedded Weak with assimilation of dentals
weep wept/wop wept/wopen Strong, class 7
wet wet/wetted wet/wetted Weak with assimilation of dentals
will (except as a transitive verb) would (none) Preterite-present; defective; see also Shall and will
win won won Strong, class 3
wind wound wound/wounded Strong, class 3
withdraw withdrew withdrawn Strong, class 6
withhold withheld withheld/withholden Strong, class 7
withstand withstood withstood/withstanden Strong, class 6
work worked worked/wrought (archaic) Weak
wring wrang/wrung wrung Strong, class 3
write wrote/writ written Strong, class 1
yield yielded/yold yielded/yolden Strong, class3

Additional note: These verbs from the list above are spelled the same in the simple past as in the present tense (excluding compounds such as set, beset, inset, upset etc.): beat, bet, burst, cast, cost, cut, hit, hurt, let, put, read, rid, set, shed, shut, slit, split, spread. (Note that of all the preceding, only "read" is pronounced differently in the past than in the present.)

See also: Wiktionary list of irregular verbs or the Wiktionary English irregular verbs category.

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