Irregular verbs — complete list

Below is the table of English irregular verbs listed in alphabetical order. Irregular verbs are different from regular verbs in the way they form the past simple and the past participle. Whereas we simply add -ed at the end of regular verbs, there is no such unified rule for the irregular verbs. That's why we have to memorize their three forms. You can read a more detailed explanation of the irregular verbs and do some special exercises which will help you learn the most common and a bit more advanced verbs.

Full list of English irregular verbs

Are these really all existing irregular verbs?

No, in fact, there are even more. We left out rarely used words you will hardly hear today like shoe - shod - shod.

Besides, if we add a-, be-, for-, in-, inter-, mis-, off-, out-, over-, pre-, re-, un-, under-, up-, with- to the infinitive of an irregular verb, its past forms will stay the same. For example, overhear is the same as hear: overhear - overheard - overheard. And misunderstand has the same forms as understand: misunderstand - misunderstood - misunderstood.

Why do some irregular verbs have more than one past form? Should we learn both?

Like any other modern language, English is constantly changing and transforming. First of all, there is a difference between British and American English. Some verbs are irregular in BrE but regular in AmE. For example,

Therefore if you learn British English choose -t between -t and -ed: learnt, smelt, knelt, dreamt, dwelt etc.

However, there are more complex cases. Sometimes the form depends on the meaning or on the collocation in which the verb is used.

We say hanged, but not hung when referring to prosecution.

The verb knit also has two possible forms. Knitted is mostly used as a participial adjective.