Irregular Verbs List

Remembering each irregular verb pattern in English grammar is no small feat. As you’ll see from the list below, English has a ton of irregular verbs, and they trip up even the best of us.

We’ve found that the easiest way to master irregular English verbs is by remembering their patterns. To help, we list each irregular verb in the chart below.

Regular vs. irregular verbs

What’s the difference between a regular and an irregular verb in English?

• Regular verbs end in –ed in their past tenses: walk is walked in the past, talk becomes talked, laugh is laughed, and so on.

• Irregular verbs end in something other than –ed in the past; e.g., wrote/written, spoke/spoken, tore/torn.

Irregular verb patterns

Irregular verbs are grouped into three main classes or kinds:

1. Those with 1 form in the simple present and past tenses. Examples include bet, cut, shut, and spread.
   
   
2. Those with 2 forms in the simple present and past tenses. Examples are build/built, buy/bought, catch/caught.
   
   
3. Those with 3 forms, or those that switch from the simple present, simple past, and past participle. Examples are draw (the past tenses are drew and drawn); drink is drank and drunk, and so forth.

A comprehensive list of irregular verbs in English

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• What’s the difference between they’re, their, and there?
• Whose vs who’s?

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Sources

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1. English Grammar and Composition, P.C. Wren and Martin.

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