What’s the past tense of “ring”?
Is it, the phone rang or rung? More specifically, what’s the correct past tense of the verb, ring?
Let’s ring in on this lesson, folks, in the sections below.
The telephone rang loudly, startling me from my sleep.
I rang my mother earlier to wish her a happy birthday.
The bell rung three times before anyone answered.
She rung me up to discuss the project details.
Meaning + forms of “ring”
As a transitive or intransitive verb, to ring means when something “sounds resonantly or sonorously: the doorbell rang“. Also, in regular conversation it can mean to phone or call someone: I’ll ring you later, means call you later.
Of course, this is distinct from its definition as a noun and piece of jewelry, (the one you wear your fingers, such as an engagement ring).
| present | past | future | |
|---|---|---|---|
| simple | I ring | I rang | I will ring |
| continuous | I am ringing | I was ringing | I will be ringing |
| perfect | I have rung | I had rung | I will have rung |
| perfect continuous | I have been ringing | I had been ringing | I will have been ringing |
When to use rang vs. rung
simple past: Have you rang the doorbell?
past perfect tense: She had rung the doorbell twice before someone finally opened it.
To communicate in the passive voice, we use the past perfect tense which has a sentence object. It’s formation is had + rung [past participle]. The same is true for all other verbs, but note that regular verbs ending in “-ed” appear the same as a past tense and past participle verb form.
Irregular verbs like “ring”
These other verbs behave the same way as “ring”, and likewise switch in form from the present, past and past participle. Conveniently, a quick way to learn your irregular verbs is by grouping them into similar sounding conjugation patterns (as you’ll see from the chart below).
| base verb | past tense | past participle |
|---|---|---|
| stink | stank | stunk |
| shrink | shrank | shrunk |
| sing | sang | sung |
| sink | sank | sunk |
| ring | rang | rung |
| spring | sprang | sprung |
| drink | drank | drunk |
Note that not all verbs that rhyme with ring follow the same verb conjugation pattern; bring and sting, for example, are brought and stung respectively, for both their simple past and past participle forms.
“Ring” used in the present & past tense
Remember that “rang” is the simple past tense of “ring,” while “rung” is the past participle (used with “have,” “has,” or “had”). Focus on the context of the sentence to determine which form is appropriate.
| Sentence examples: ring in the present tense |
|---|
| We were startled by the ring of my cell phone.Just ring for the nurse if you need her!I’m just waiting for the phone to ring.No good calls ring in at that time of night.Will you answer the telephone if starts ringing? |
| Sentence examples: ring in the past tense |
|---|
| His phone rang as he reached for a dumbbell.The phone rang ten times before Lisa gave up.The church bells rang.She realized the doorbell had rung not once but twice.The bell has rung for a long time. |
Practice questions: forms of “ring”
| Questions | Answer options: |
|---|---|
| 1. True or false: “Ring” is a regular verb. | a. true b. false |
| 2. True or false: “To ring” looks the same in the present and past tense. | a. true b. false |
| Choose the correct verb form to complete each sentence: | |
| 3. I can ___ the doorbell when I arrive. | rung b.rang c.ringd.ringing |
| 4. I have ___ the alarm bell several times during fire drills. | rung b.rang c.ringingd.rings |
| 5. Yesterday, I ___ my friend’s phone but she didn’t answer. | ringing b.ring c.rangd.rings |
| 6. I am ___ the dinner bell to call everyone to the table. | ringing b.rung c.rangd.ring |
| 7. She ___ the bell three times before I was near. | had rungb.have rungc.is ringingd.was ringing |
| 8. The bells of the churches ___ as they passed. | are rungb.were rungc.is ringingd.was ringing |
| 9. She ___ up to discuss the divorce. | had rungb.ringsc.ringingd.was ringing |
| 10. He said he ___ from London. | rangb.ringsc.ringingd.was ringing |
Answers
- b
- b
- c
- a
- c
- a
- b
- b
- a
- d
Origin of the word/verb “ring”
From etymology online on ring (v.):
Old English hringan “cause (a bell) to sound;” also “announce or celebrate by the ringing of bells,” from Proto-Germanic *khrengan.
Work Sheet
According to the post, what is the simple past tense of the verb “ring”?
In which tense is “rung” typically used as the past participle form of “ring”?
Which of the following sentences correctly uses the simple past tense of “ring”?
Which sentence correctly uses the past participle “rung”?
Like other irregular verbs mentioned, how does the form of “ring” change from present to simple past to past participle?
The school bell five minutes ago.
Have you the doorbell yet?
She had already him twice that day.
When I arrived, the phone right away.
Someone has the alarm!
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the simple past of ring?
+
When should I use ‘rung’?
+
Can ‘rung’ be used alone?
+
How is ‘rang’ used?
+
Is ‘ring’ an irregular verb?
+
Yash, D. "Is it Rang or Rung? What’s the Past Tense of Ring?." Grammarflex, Jun 20, 2025, https://www.grammarflex.com/is-it-rang-or-rung-whats-the-past-tense-of-ring/.
Sources
-
Etymology online, origin of ring.
