Top Irregular English Verbs

Many of the most important verbs in English are irregular in the simple past and past participle forms. Irregular verbs don't follow a set pattern so they have to be learnt individually. The list below shows the most common irregular verbs, with the simple past and participle for each. Click on the verb name to see full conjugation tables.

Irregular forms are in red.

Verb Simple Past Past Participle
to break broke broken
to wear wore worn
to hit hit hit
to eat ate eaten
to teach taught taught
to catch caught caught
to draw drew drawn
to choose chose chosen
to seek sought sought
to deal dealt dealt
to fight fought fought
to throw threw thrown
to rise rose risen
to shoot shot shot
to lie lay / lied lain / lied
to prove proved proved / proven
to hang hung / hanged hung / hanged
to forget forgot forgotten
to shake shook shaken
to fly flew flown
to sing sang sung
to beat beat beaten
to cost cost cost
to hurt hurt hurt
to strike struck struck