120+ English Irregular Verbs: Searchable List, Patterns & Quiz

Every English learner meets the same wall: go becomes went, not “goed”. Irregular verbs refuse the normal -ed rule, and English has no shortcut around them — they are among the most frequent words in the language. The good news: they are not random. Almost all of them fall into a handful of change patterns, and learning by pattern is dramatically faster than memorizing an alphabetical list.

The searchable verb list

118 verbs covering virtually all everyday irregular usage. Type any form to filter instantly, tap 🔊 to hear the three forms pronounced, and click “Example” to see the verb in context.

Searchable verb list (118 verbs)

All (118)AAA (15)ABB (55)ABA (4)AAB (1)ABC (43)

Base form	Past simple	Past participle	Listen
cut	cut	cut	Example
put	put	put	Example
set	set	set	Example
hit	hit	hit	Example
shut	shut	shut	Example
cost	cost	cost	Example
hurt	hurt	hurt	Example
let	let	let	Example
bet	bet	bet	Example
spread	spread	spread	Example
read	read	read	Example
upset	upset	upset	Example
split	split	split	Example
quit	quit	quit	Example
burst	burst	burst	Example
beat	beat	beaten	Example
say	said	said	Example
pay	paid	paid	Example
lay	laid	laid	Example
make	made	made	Example
sell	sold	sold	Example
tell	told	told	Example
find	found	found	Example
stand	stood	stood	Example
understand	understood	understood	Example
have	had	had	Example
hear	heard	heard	Example
hold	held	held	Example
keep	kept	kept	Example
leave	left	left	Example
lose	lost	lost	Example
meet	met	met	Example
sit	sat	sat	Example
win	won	won	Example
feel	felt	felt	Example
mean	meant	meant	Example
sleep	slept	slept	Example
spend	spent	spent	Example
build	built	built	Example
lend	lent	lent	Example
send	sent	sent	Example
get	got	got	Example
lead	led	led	Example
feed	fed	fed	Example
dig	dug	dug	Example
hang	hung	hung	Example
stick	stuck	stuck	Example
strike	struck	struck	Example
swing	swung	swung	Example
shine	shone	shone	Example
shoot	shot	shot	Example
slide	slid	slid	Example
spin	spun	spun	Example
bend	bent	bent	Example
bring	brought	brought	Example
buy	bought	bought	Example
catch	caught	caught	Example
teach	taught	taught	Example
think	thought	thought	Example
seek	sought	sought	Example
fight	fought	fought	Example
kneel	knelt	knelt	Example
deal	dealt	dealt	Example
flee	fled	fled	Example
light	lit	lit	Example
forget	forgot	forgotten	Example
burn	burnt	burnt	Example
learn	learnt	learnt	Example
dream	dreamt	dreamt	Example
smell	smelt	smelt	Example
spell	spelt	spelt	Example
be	was/were	been	Example
do	did	done	Example
go	went	gone	Example
see	saw	seen	Example
eat	ate	eaten	Example
drink	drank	drunk	Example
write	wrote	written	Example
drive	drove	driven	Example
take	took	taken	Example
give	gave	given	Example
begin	began	begun	Example
sing	sang	sung	Example
swim	swam	swum	Example
ring	rang	rung	Example
sink	sank	sunk	Example
break	broke	broken	Example
choose	chose	chosen	Example
fall	fell	fallen	Example
fly	flew	flown	Example
freeze	froze	frozen	Example
grow	grew	grown	Example
hide	hid	hidden	Example
know	knew	known	Example
lie	lay	lain	Example
ride	rode	ridden	Example
rise	rose	risen	Example
shake	shook	shaken	Example
show	showed	shown	Example
speak	spoke	spoken	Example
steal	stole	stolen	Example
tear	tore	torn	Example
throw	threw	thrown	Example
wake	woke	woken	Example
wear	wore	worn	Example
blow	blew	blown	Example
draw	drew	drawn	Example
bite	bit	bitten	Example
forbid	forbade	forbidden	Example
forgive	forgave	forgiven	Example
mistake	mistook	mistaken	Example
overcome	overcame	overcome	Example
run	ran	run	Example
come	came	come	Example
become	became	become	Example
swear	swore	sworn	Example
shrink	shrank	shrunk	Example
spring	sprang	sprung	Example

Tip: verbs in blue-green ABB groups are the easiest to memorize — the last two forms are always identical.

The four change patterns (learn these, not the alphabet)

AAA — nothing changes. Cut, put, hit, cost, set, read (read is pronounced “red” in past forms). Easiest group — about 15 verbs.

ABB — the biggest group. Past and participle are identical: buy–bought–bought, teach–taught–taught, sell–sold–sold, keep–kept–kept. Master these endings and you know most of the list.

ABC — three different forms. The classic pattern learners fear: go–went–gone, write–wrote–written, see–saw–seen. Many follow vowel-change families: drink–drank–drunk, sing–sang–sung, swim–swam–swum — learn them as rhymes.

ABA — the base returns. A small odd family where the participle matches the base: come–came–come, run–ran–run, become–became–become.

The 30 verbs you actually need first

Frequency matters more than completeness. These verbs appear constantly in real English — prioritize them:

be, have, do, say, get, make, go, know, take, see, come, think, look (regular), want (regular), give, find, tell, become, leave, feel, put, mean, keep, let, begin, run, write, set, sit, stand.

Notice that three of the top thirty (look, want, ask, need, live…) are actually regular — most everyday verbs behave. The irregular ones dominate because they are old and essential, not because there are many of them.

Common mistakes with irregular verbs

Mistake	Why it happens	Fix
“I eated lunch”	Overapplying -ed	eat–ate–eaten
“She buyed a car”	Same overregularization	buy–bought–bought
“I have went home”	Past where participle is needed	have gone
“He stealed my phone”	Overapplying -ed	steal–stole–stolen
“I was forgetting to call” (meaning: forgot)	Continuous with a momentary mental event	I forgot to call
“She cutted her hair”	Cut never changes	cut–cut–cut

The last two rows matter most: using a past form where the participle belongs (“have went”, “have did”) is the single most frequent irregular-verb error, even among advanced learners.

How to memorize them without suffering

1. Learn patterns, not lists. Spend a week on ABB verbs — they are half the battle.
2. Rhyme the ABC families. Drink–drank–drunk, sing–sang–sung, sink–sank–sunk — chant them like a song.
3. Attach each verb to a personal sentence. “I ate sushi last Friday” beats a naked table row.
4. Use them in writing, not just reading. Write five sentences a day using past forms. Recognition is not recall.
5. Review with spaced repetition. Our flashcard tool is built for exactly this.

Practice: can you choose the right form?

10 questions targeting the forms learners actually get wrong.

Irregular Verbs Quiz

Question 1 of 10

Yesterday I ___ a really interesting book.

A.readedB.readC.redD.readed it

What to read next

• All 12 English tenses — where these forms actually live; the past participle powers every perfect tense.
• Present perfect vs past simple — the lesson that makes have + participle click.
• The most common English words — most of these verbs are already in the core list.
• Common English mistakes — more error patterns to avoid.

Sources and further reading: Cambridge Dictionary — irregular verbs, British Council LearnEnglish.