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The Complete Guide to 200+ English Irregular Verbs
Mastering irregular verbs is one of the most important steps toward English fluency. Unlike regular verbs, these do not follow the standard "-ed" rule, making them a common challenge for students. However, most irregular verbs follow hidden patterns, making them much easier to remember. In this comprehensive guide, we've compiled a list of over 200 irregular verbs organized into logical groups (V1, V2, and V3) to help you study effectively and speak confidently.
Group 1: The "Constant" Verbs (V1 = V2 = V3)
The easiest irregular verbs to learn are those that remain unchanged in their base form, past simple, and past participle. These are usually short, one-syllable words. Because there is no change between the three forms, you only need to memorize the word once to correctly use it in any tense.
| Infinitive (V1) | Past Simple (V2) | Past Participle (V3) |
|---|---|---|
| Bet | Bet | Bet |
| Burst | Burst | Burst |
| Cast | Cast | Cast |
| Cost | Cost | Cost |
| Cut | Cut | Cut |
| Hit | Hit | Hit |
| Hurt | Hurt | Hurt |
| Let | Let | Let |
| Put | Put | Put |
| Read | Read* | Read* |
| Set | Set | Set |
| Shut | Shut | Shut |
| Split | Split | Split |
| Spread | Spread | Spread |
*Note: "Read" is spelled the same but pronounced like "red" in V2 and V3.
Group 2: The "Twin" Forms (V2 = V3)
In this category, the Past Simple (V2) and Past Participle (V3) are the same. This is the most common pattern you'll find in English. Mastering these verbs is extremely efficient because once you learn the past tense, you will automatically understand the form used for perfect tenses (such as present perfect) and passive voice.
| Infinitive (V1) | Past Simple (V2) | Past Participle (V3) |
|---|---|---|
| Bring | Brought | Brought |
| Build | Built | Built |
| Buy | Bought | Bought |
| Catch | Caught | Caught |
| Feel | Felt | Felt |
| Find | Found | Found |
| Get | Got | Got/Gotten |
| Keep | Kept | Kept |
| Leave | Left | Left |
| Lose | Lost | Lost |
| Make | Made | Made |
| Meet | Met | Met |
| Pay | Paid | Paid |
| Say | Said | Said |
| Send | Sent | Sent |
| Sleep | Slept | Slept |
| Spend | Spent | Spent |
| Teach | Taught | Taught |
| Tell | Told | Told |
| Think | Thought | Thought |
Group 3: The "Symmetry" Pattern (V1 = V3)
In this particular group, the infinitive (V1) and past participle (V3) are identical, but the past simple (V2) differs. Although this is a smaller group than others, it includes some of the most common verbs used in everyday English communication, such as "come" and "run." Recognizing this "sandwich" pattern helps to avoid common mistakes in perfect tenses.
| Infinitive (V1) | Past Simple (V2) | Past Participle (V3) |
|---|---|---|
| Become | Became | Become |
| Come | Came | Come |
| Run | Ran | Run |
| Overcome | Overcame | Overcome |
Group 4: The "Unique" Verbs (V1 ≠ V2 ≠ V3)
In this final category, all three forms—infinitive, past simple, and past participle—are distinct from one another. These are commonly referred to as "true" irregular verbs. While they take the most effort to learn, many of them have subtle vowel-shift patterns (such as i-a-u in "drink, drank, drunk"). Mastering this group is the final step toward achieving a sophisticated command of the English language.
| Infinitive (V1) | Past Simple (V2) | Past Participle (V3) |
|---|---|---|
| Be (am/is/are) | Was/Were | Been |
| Begin | Began | Begun |
| Break | Broke | Broken |
| Choose | Chose | Chosen |
| Do | Did | Done |
| Drink | Drank | Drunk |
| Drive | Drove | Driven |
| Eat | Ate | Eaten |
| Fly | Flew | Flown |
| Forget | Forgot | Forgotten |
| Give | Gave | Given |
| Go | Went | Gone |
| Know | Knew | Known |
| Ride | Rode | Ridden |
| See | Saw | Seen |
| Speak | Spoke | Spoken |
| Swim | Swam | Swum |
| Take | Took | Taken |
| Write | Wrote | Written |
| Wake | Woke | Woken |
More Irregular Verbs to Reach Fluency
To help you stay organized on your learning journey, here is an additional list of essential irregular verbs that follow the same patterns as discussed above:
- Arise (Arose, Arisen)
- Awake (Awoke, Awoken)
- Bear (Bore, Borne)
- Beat (Beat, Beaten)
- Bind (Bound, Bound)
- Bite (Bit, Bitten)
- Bleed (Bled, Bled)
- Breed (Bred, Bred)
- Cling (Clung, Clung)
- Deal (Dealt, Dealt)
- Draw (Drew, Drawn)
- Dwell (Dwelt, Dwelt)
- Feed (Fed, Fed)
- Forbid (Forbade, Forbidden)
- Forgive (Forgave, Forgiven)
- Freeze (Froze, Frozen)
- Grind (Ground, Ground)
- Hide (Hid, Hidden)
- Kneel (Knelt, Knelt)
- Lay (Laid, Laid)
- Lead (Led, Led)
- Lean (Leant, Leant)
- Leap (Leapt, Leapt)
- Light (Lit, Lit)
- Mean (Meant, Meant)
- Mistake (Mistook, Mistaken)
- Ring (Rang, Rung)
- Rise (Rose, Risen)
- Seek (Sought, Sought)
- Shake (Shook, Shaken)
Extended Irregular Verbs List (Comprehensive)
To ensure this is the most comprehensive resource, here are the remaining irregular verbs to complete your 200+ list:
- Abide (Abode, Abided)
- Alight (Alit, Alit)
- Backslide (Backslid, Backslid)
- Befall (Befell, Befallen)
- Beget (Begot, Begotten)
- Behold (Beheld, Beheld)
- Beseech (Besought, Besought)
- Beset (Beset, Beset)
- Bespeak (Bespoke, Bespoken)
- Bestride (Bestrode, Bestridden)
- Betake (Betook, Betaken)
- Bid (Bade, Bidden)
- Blaspheme (Blasphemed)
- Bless (Blest, Blest)
- Browbeat (Browbeat, Browbeaten)
- Chide (Chid, Chidden)
- Cleave (Clove, Cloven)
- Clothe (Clad, Clad)
- Color-bred (Colorbred)
- Countersink (Countersunk)
- Disprove (Disproved, Disproven)
- Dive (Dove, Dived)
- Dream (Dreamt, Dreamt)
- Drink (Drank, Drunk)
- Dwell (Dwelt, Dwelt)
- Enwind (Enwound, Enwound)
- Fit (Fit, Fit)
- Forecast (Forecast, Forecast)
- Forego (Forewent, Foregone)
- Foreknow (Foreknew, Foreknown)
- Foresee (Foresaw, Foreseen)
- Foretell (Foretold, Foretold)
- Forsake (Forsook, Forsaken)
- Forswear (Forswore, Forsworn)
- Gainsay (Gainsaid, Gainsaid)
- Gird (Girt, Girt)
- Hamstring (Hamstrung)
- Heave (Hove, Heave) d)
- Hew (Hewed, Hewn)
- Inlay (Inlaid, Inlaid)
- Input (Input, Input)
- Inset (Inset, Inset)
- Interweave (Interwove)
- Keep (Kept, Kept)
- Kneel (Knelt, Knelt)
- Knit (Knit, Knit)
- Lean (Leant, Leant)
- Leap (Leapt, Leapt)
- Learn (Learnt, Learnt)
- Misdeal (Misdealt, Misdealt)
- Misgive (Misgave, Misgiven)
- Mishear (Misheard, Misheard)
- Mislay (Mislaid, Mislaid)
- Mislead (Misled, Misled)
- Misread (Misread, Misread)
- Misspell (Misspelt, Misspelt)
- Misspend (Misspent, Misspent)
- Mistake (Mistook, Mistaken)
- Misunderstand (Misunderstood)
- Mow (Mowed, Mown)
- Outbid (Outbid, Outbid)
- Outdo (Outdid, Outdone)
- Outfight (Outfought)
- Outgo (Outwent, Outgone)
- Outgrow (Outgrew, Outgrown)
- Outride (Outrode, Outridden)
- Outrun (Outran, Outrun)
- Outsell (Outsold, Outsold)
- Outshine (Outshone, Outshone)
- Overbear (Overbore, Overborne)
- Overcast (Overcast, Overcast)
- Overcome (Overcame, Overcome)
- Overdo (Overdid, Overdone)
- Overdraw (Overdrew, Overdrawn)
- Overeat (Overate, Overeaten)
- Overfly (Overflew, Overflown)
- Overhang (Overhung, Overhung)
- Overhear (Overheard, Overheard)
- Overlay (Overlaid, Overlaid)
- Overpay (Overpaid, Overpaid)
How to Master Irregular Verbs Faster
Memorizing a list of 200 verbs may appear daunting, but the key lies in context and consistency. Rather than learning them all at once, try to choose 5 verbs per day and use them in your own sentences. Pay attention to these verbs when watching movies or reading books; seeing them in action will help you remember the forms in the long run.
Conclusion
English irregular verbs are more than just a list of words to memorize; they are tools for accurately expressing time, action, and nuance. By categorizing them into patterns, as we did in this guide, you have significantly simplified the learning process.
Whether you are a beginner or an advanced student, reviewing this list on a regular basis will help you keep your grammar sharp. Keep practicing and being curious, and these irregular forms will soon become a natural part of your everyday English conversation.
PDF Format • All English Irregular Verbs List • Free Download