Pronunciation of some verbs, like read and dream, changes different from what would be expected from the spelling. In this list of irregular verbs, phonetic transcription of these verbs is given using the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA).
Some verbs have two forms for past or past participle. When separated by a slash, both forms are used equally. When one is placed between brackets, that form is less common. Remember though that preferences and rules like this tend to change over time and from region to region.
Modal verbs are included in this list because for instance could and would are the past of can and will respectively although they are often presented as independent modal verbs. A confusing aspect of modal verbs is that the past of a modal verb can have a very different meaning or is used in a very different way than its present form. Modal verbs don't have a past participle. Must doesn't even have a past form. For these reasons they are marked (modal).
In this list, a narrower IPA transcription is used than in most dictionaries, because many learners of English have difficulty with the pronunciation of for instance the letter 'r' in English. Writing [ ɹiːd ] and [ dɹiːm ] instead of / riːd / and / driːm / can help them overcome this problem. It shows that, in English, the letter 'r' is pronounced different from how it is pronounced in many other languages.
To hear the sounds indicated by these and other IPA characters, the best options are the clickable IPA charts of the International Phonetic Association and of Seeing Speech. Just click on a symbol in a chart to hear a recording of the corresponding sound. With the charts of the International Phonetic Association it is possible to hear variations in pronunciations by choosing different speakers. As the name Seeing Speech suggests, this site shows the movement of the mouth. There are videos of ultrasound and magnetic resonance imaging as well as animations.
https://www.internationalphoneticassociation.org/IPAcharts/inter_chart_2018/IPA_2018.html
https://www.seeingspeech.ac.uk/ click on [IPA charts]
If the phonetic characters don't show correctly in your browser, the pdf version of this verb list should show them.
| infinitive | past | past participle |
| arise | arose | arisen |
| awake | awoke | awoken |
| be | was - were | been |
| bear (bring forth) | bore | born |
| bear (carry) | bore | borne |
| beat | beat | beaten |
| become | became | become |
| begin | began | begun |
| bend | bent | bent |
| bet | bet | bet |
| bid (check dictionary for details) | bid / bade | bid / bidden |
| bind | bound | bound |
| bite | bit | bitten |
| bleed | bled | bled |
| blow | blew | blown |
| break | broke | broken |
| bread | bred | bred |
| bring | brought | brought |
| build | built | built |
| burn | burned / burnt | burned / burnt |
| burst | burst | burst |
| buy | bought | bought |
| can (modal) | could | - |
| can (to conserve in cans; is regular) | canned | canned |
| cast | cast | cast |
| catch | caught | caught |
| choose | chose | chosen |
| cling | clung | clung |
| clothe | clothed / clad | clothed / clad |
| come | came | come |
| cost | cost | cost |
| creep | crept | crept |
| cut | cut | cut |
| deal [ diːl ] | dealt [ dɛlt ] | dealt [ dɛlt ] |
| dig | dug | dug |
| dive | dived / dove | dived |
| do | did | done |
| draw | drew | drawn |
| dream [ dɹiːm ] | dreamed / dreamt [ dɹɛmt ] | dreamed / dreamt [ dɹɛmt ] |
| drink | drank | drunk |
| drive | drove | driven |
| dwell | dwelt / dwelled | dwelt / dwelled |
| eat | ate | eaten |
| fall | fell | fallen |
| feed | fed | fed |
| feel | felt | felt |
| fight | fought | fought |
| find | found | found |
| (note: these past and past-participle are homophone with the regular verb to found) | ||
| fit | fit | fit |
| flee | fled | fled |
| fling | flung | flung |
| fly | flew | flown |
| forbid | forbade / forbad | forbidden |
| forget | forgot | forgotten |
| forgive | forgave | forgiven |
| forsake | forsook | forsaken |
| found (regular) | founded | founded |
| (note: the word found is a confusing word; it can be the infinitive or base form of one verb, the regular verb to found but also the past or past participle of another verb, the irregular verb to find; the regular verb to found means - lay a foundation, - set up an organisation.) | ||
| freeze | froze | frozen |
| get | got | got / gotten |
| give | gave | given |
| go | went | gone |
| grind | ground | ground |
| grow | grew | grown |
| hang (suspend) | hung | hung |
| hang (kill) | hanged | hanged |
| have | had | had |
| hear [ hɪɹ ] | heard [ həɹd ] | heard [ həɹd ] |
| hew | hewed | hewn / hewed |
| hide | hid | hidden / hid |
| hit | hit | hit |
| hold | held | held |
| hurt | hurt | hurt |
| keep | kept | kept |
| kneel | knelt (kneeled) | knelt (kneeled) |
| know | knew | known |
| lay (put, place, prepare) | laid | laid |
| lead | led | led |
| lean | lent / leaned | lent / leaned |
| leap | leapt [ lɛpt || li:pt ] / leaped | leapt [ lɛpt || li:pt ] / leaped |
| learn | (learnt) learned | (learnt) learned |
| leave | left | left |
| lend | lent | lent |
| let | let | let |
| lie (tell untruth) | lied | lied |
| lie (recline, be situated) | lay | lain |
| light | lighted / lit | lighted / lit |
| lose | lost | lost |
| make | made | made |
| may (modal) | might | - |
| (note: the following two lines give clear examples of illogical English spelling) | ||
| mean [ miːn ] | meant [ mɛnt ] | meant [ mɛnt ] |
| meet [ miːt ] | met [ mɛt ] | met [ mɛt ] |
| mow | mowed | mown / mowed |
| must (modal) | - | - |
| pay | paid | paid |
| plead | pleaded / pled | pleaded / pled |
| prove | proved | proved / proven |
| put | put | put |
| quit | quit / quitted | quit / quitted |
| read [ ɹiːd ] | read [ ɹɛd ] | read [ ɹɛd ] |
| relay (lay again) | relaid | relaid |
| relay (transmit, channel electricity or signal; next person or team of animals taking place; is regular) | relayed | relayed |
| rid | rid | rid |
| ride | rode | ridden |
| ring | rang | rung |
| rise | rose | risen |
| run | ran | run |
| saw | saw | saw |
| say | said [ sɛd ] | said [ sɛd ] |
| see | saw | seen |
| seek | sought | sought |
| sell | sold | sold |
| send | sent | sent |
| set (place, put) | set | set |
| sew | sewed | sewn / sewed |
| shake | shook | shaken |
| shall (modal) | should | - |
| shed | shed | shed |
| shine | shone | shone |
| shoot | shot | shot |
| show | showed | shown / showed |
| shrink | shrank / shrunk | shrunk / shrunken |
| shut | shut | shut |
| sing | sang | sung |
| sink | sank | sunk / sunken |
| sit | sat | sat |
| slay | slew | slain |
| sleep | slept | slept |
| slide | slid | slid |
| sling | slung | slung |
| slink | slunk | slunk |
| slit | slit | slit |
| smell | smelled / smelt | smelled / smelt |
| sneak | sneaked (snuck) | sneaked (snuck) |
| snow | sowed | sown (sowed) |
| speak | spoke | spoken |
| speed | sped | sped |
| spell | spelt (spelled) | spelt (spelled) |
| spend | spent | spent |
| spill | spilt / spilled | spilt / spilled |
| spin | spun | spun |
| spit | spat (US spit) | spat (US spit) |
| split | split | split |
| spoil | spoilt / spoiled | spoilt / spoiled |
| spread | spread | spread |
| spring | sprang | sprung |
| stand | stood | stood |
| steal | stole | stolen |
| stick | stuck | stuck |
| sting | stung | stung |
| stink | stunk / stank | stunk |
| strew | strewed | strewn / strewed |
| stride | strode | stridden |
| strike | struck | struck |
| string | strung | strung |
| strive | strove / strived | striven / strived |
| swear | swore | sworn |
| sweep | swept | swept |
| swell | swelled | swelled / swollen |
| swim | swam | swum |
| swing | swung | swung |
| take | took | taken |
| teach | taught | taught |
| tear | tore | torn |
| tell | told | told |
| think | thought | thought |
| throw | threw | thrown |
| thrust | thrust | thrust |
| tread | trod | trod / trodden |
| understand | understood | understood |
| upset | upset | upset |
| wake | woke | woken |
| wear | wore | worn |
| weave | wove / weaved | woven / weaved |
| wed | wed / wedded | wed / wedded |
| weep | wept | wept |
| wet | wet (wetted) | wet (wetted) |
| whet (sharpen; is regular) | whetted | whetted |
| will (modal) | would | - |
| win | won | won |
| wind | wound | wound |
| wring | wrung | wrung |
| write | wrote | written |
