A verb expresses action, occurrence or state of being. Regular verbs form the past tense by adding –d or– ed. Irregular verbs do not follow this typical pattern. Our list of irregular verbs contains over 125 verbs. We also identified the most common ones as well as offer free irregular past tense verbs worksheets to help a child comprehend these words.
List of Irregular Verbs
Present | Past | Past Participle * |
---|---|---|
am | was | been |
are | were | been |
beat | beat | beaten |
become | became | become |
begin | began | begun |
bend | bent or bended | bent or bended |
bet | bet | bet |
bite | bit | bitten |
bleed | bled | bled |
blow | blew | blown |
break | broke | broken |
bring | brought | brought |
build | built | built |
burst | burst | burst |
cast | cast | cast |
catch | caught | caught |
choose | chose | chosen |
come | came | come |
cost | cost | cost |
creep | crept | crept |
cut | cut | cut |
dig | dug | dug |
dive | dove or dived | dived |
do | did | done |
does | did | done |
draw | drew | drawn |
dream | dreamt or dreamed | dreamed or dreamt |
drink | drank | drunk |
drive | drove | driven |
eat | ate | eaten |
fall | fell | fallen |
feed | fed | fed |
feel | felt | felt |
fight | fought | fought |
fly | flew | flown |
forbid | forbade | forbidden |
forget | forgot | foegotten |
forgive | forgave | forgiven |
freeze | froze | frozen |
get | got | got or gotten |
give | gave | given |
go | went | gone |
grow | grew | grown |
grind | ground | ground |
hang | hung or hanged | hung |
has | had | had |
hear | heard | heard |
hide | hid | hidden |
hit | hit | hit |
hold | held | held |
hurt | hurt | hurt |
is | was | has been |
keep | kept | kept |
kneel | kneeled or knelt | kneeled or knelt |
know | knew | known |
lay | laid | laid |
leap | leaped or leapt | leaped or leapt |
leave | left | left |
lend | lent | lent |
let | let | let |
lie | lay | lain |
light | lit | lit |
lose | lost | lost |
make | made | made |
mean | meant | meant |
mow | mowed | mowed or mown |
put | put | put |
quit | quit | quit |
read | read | read |
ride | rode | ridden |
ring | rang | rung |
rise | rose | risen |
run | ran | run |
saw | sawed | sawed or sawn |
say | said | said |
see | saw | seen |
sell | sold | sold |
set | set | set |
sew | sewed | sewed or sewn |
shake | shook | shaken |
shed | shed | shed |
shine | shined or shone | shined or shone |
shoot | shot | shot |
show | showed | shown or showed |
shrink | shrank or shrunk | shrunk |
shut | shut | shut |
sing | sang | sung |
sink | sank | sunk |
sit | sat | sat |
sleep | slept | slept |
slide | slid | slid |
slit | slit | slit |
sow | sowed | sowed or sown |
speak | spoke | spoken |
spend | spent | spent |
spin | spun | spun |
spit | spit | spit |
split | split | split |
spread | spread | spread |
spring | sprang or sprung | sprung |
stand | stood | stood |
steal | stole | stolen |
stick | stuck | stuck |
sting | stung | stung |
strike | struck | struck |
string | strung | strung |
swear | swore | sworn |
sweat | sweat or sweated | sweat or sweated |
sweep | swept | swept |
swim | swam or swum | swum |
swing | swung | swung |
take | took | taken |
teach | taught | taught |
tear | tore | torn |
tell | told | told |
think | thought | thought |
throw | threw | thrown |
thrust | thrust | thrust |
understand | understood | understood |
wake | woke or waked | woken or waked |
wear | wore | worn |
weave | wove | woven |
weep | wept | wept |
wet | wet | wet |
win | won | won |
wind | wound | wound |
write | wrote | written |
* Note: The past participle also needs was, has, had or is.
To obtain a PDF of the entire list, please click on this link.
Worksheets and Activities
These irregular verbs worksheets and activities below provide entertaining exercises that reinforce these verbs, specifically their past and present tense as well as definition.
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List of Common Irregular Verbs
Dolch included 92 verbs on his sight word list, which represent 41% of his word list. Interestingly, over half of those verbs are irregular so we created the above fun activities to help a child comprehend these words. The table below lists these verbs that are included on Dolch’s sight word list. We excluded the auxiliary verbs, e.g. am, was, are, were, do, does, did, has, have, had, can, could. Dolch included 23 auxiliary verbs. When you combined both irregular verbs and the auxiliary verbs, they represent over 70% of Dolch’s verb.
Present | Past | Present | Past |
bring | brought* | know | knew* |
buy | bought* | let | let |
come | came | make | made |
cut | cut | put | put |
draw | drew* | read | read |
drink | drank* | ride | rode* |
eat | ate | run | ran |
fall | fell * | say | said |
find | found | see | saw |
fly | flew* | sing | sang* |
get | got | sit | sat* |
give | gave | sleep | slept* |
go, goes | went | take | took* |
grow | grew* | tell | told* |
hold | held* | think | thought* |
hurt | hurt | write | wrote* |
keep | kept |
*Not included on Dolch’s sight word list.
Sight word activities assist a child in developing a sight word vocabulary. They offer fun and entertaining ways to reinforce new sight words or previously learned ones.
Source: Fry, E.B., Ph.D. & Kress, J.E., Ed.D. (2006). The Reading Teacher’s Book of Lists 5th Edition. San Francisco, CA: Jossey Bass.
Yes! Finally someone writes about phrasal verbs.