Irregular Verbs English: Your Ultimate Guide with 100+ Examples and Tips

Introduction

Irregular verbs English are unique words that do not follow the usual “–ed” pattern when changing from their base form to past tense and past participle. Mastering irregular verbs is a must for learners and candidates appearing for competitive examinations, as these verbs are frequently tested and vital for fluent English communication.

100+ Irregular Verbs English with Meanings

Base Form	Past Tense	Past Participle	Meaning
arise	arose	arisen	to get up or emerge
awake	awoke	awoken	to wake up
be	was/were	been	to exist
bear	bore	borne	to carry or endure
beat	beat	beaten	to defeat or hit
become	became	become	to turn into
begin	began	begun	to start
bend	bent	bent	to curve
bet	bet	bet	to wager
bind	bound	bound	to tie
bite	bit	bitten	to use teeth
bleed	bled	bled	to lose blood
blow	blew	blown	to move air
break	broke	broken	to separate into pieces
bring	brought	brought	to carry
build	built	built	to construct
buy	bought	bought	to purchase
catch	caught	caught	to grab
choose	chose	chosen	to select
come	came	come	to arrive
cost	cost	cost	to have a price
cut	cut	cut	to split
deal	dealt	dealt	to handle
dig	dug	dug	to make a hole
do	did	done	to perform
draw	drew	drawn	to sketch
drink	drank	drunk	to consume liquid
drive	drove	driven	to operate a vehicle
eat	ate	eaten	to consume food
fall	fell	fallen	to drop down
feed	fed	fed	to give food
feel	felt	felt	to sense
fight	fought	fought	to battle
find	found	found	to discover
fit	fit	fit	to match size
fly	flew	flown	to move in air
forget	forgot	forgotten	to not remember
forgive	forgave	forgiven	to pardon
freeze	froze	frozen	to turn to ice
get	got	got/gotten	to obtain
give	gave	given	to hand over
go	went	gone	to travel
grow	grew	grown	to increase
hang	hung	hung	to suspend
have	had	had	to possess
hear	heard	heard	to listen
hide	hid	hidden	to conceal
hit	hit	hit	to strike
hold	held	held	to grip
hurt	hurt	hurt	to cause pain
keep	kept	kept	to retain
know	knew	known	to be aware
lay	laid	laid	to put down
lead	led	led	to guide
leave	left	left	to depart
lend	lent	lent	to allow use temporarily
let	let	let	to permit
lie	lay	lain	to recline
lose	lost	lost	to not have anymore
make	made	made	to create
mean	meant	meant	to signify
meet	met	met	to encounter
pay	paid	paid	to give money
put	put	put	to place
read	read	read	to look at written text
ride	rode	ridden	to travel on
ring	rang	rung	to make a bell sound
rise	rose	risen	to move upward
run	ran	run	to move quickly
say	said	said	to speak
see	saw	seen	to look
sell	sold	sold	to exchange for money
send	sent	sent	to dispatch
set	set	set	to place in position
shake	shook	shaken	to move back and forth
show	showed	shown	to display
shut	shut	shut	to close
sing	sang	sung	to vocalize music
sink	sank	sunk	to go down
sit	sat	sat	to be seated
sleep	slept	slept	to rest
speak	spoke	spoken	to talk
spend	spent	spent	to use resources
spin	spun	spun	to rotate
stand	stood	stood	to be upright
steal	stole	stolen	to take unlawfully
stick	stuck	stuck	to attach
sting	stung	stung	to pierce
strike	struck	struck	to hit
swear	swore	sworn	to promise
sweep	swept	swept	to clean with a broom
swim	swam	swum	to move in water
swing	swung	swung	to move back and forth
take	took	taken	to obtain
teach	taught	taught	to instruct
tell	told	told	to narrate
think	thought	thought	to consider
throw	threw	thrown	to hurl
understand	understood	understood	to comprehend
wake	woke	woken	to stop sleeping
wear	wore	worn	to have clothing on
win	won	won	to achieve victory
write	wrote	written	to compose text

Note: This list includes the most frequently used irregular verbs in English, their three main forms, and a brief meaning for clarity.

Important Tips for Irregular Verbs English

Group them: Irregular verbs can be classified into three main groups: those with the same forms for all tenses, those with identical past and past participle forms, and those where all forms vary.
Practice regularly: Create flashcards, do online quizzes, and write sentences using new verbs.
Spot the pattern: If the verb in past tense does not end in “–ed”, it is almost always irregular.
Use in context: Making sentences with irregular verbs solidifies memory. Example: “She ate an apple” versus “She eated an apple”.
Memorise through stories and songs: Associating irregular verbs with songs or stories enhances recall.
Visual reminders: Keep lists and charts visible for daily revision.
Competitive exam tip: Irregular verbs are often used in error spotting, fill-in-the-blanks, and sentence correction parts of exams.

Conclusion

Irregular verbs English are essential for mastering grammar rules, speaking accurately, and succeeding in competitive examinations. With regular practice, contextual usage, and systematic study, learners can conquer the challenge posed by these rule breakers and excel in both written and spoken English.