English irregular verbs: 25 essential forms with examples

A1–B125 words

Irregular verbs cannot be worked out from a rule, which is exactly why they suit flashcards: each past form has to be met again and again until it comes out automatically. The twenty-five below are the ones you will need in almost every past-tense sentence you say.

Where you will use it: Past tense in speaking, writing and exams.

Irregular Verbs — The word list

Word	Meaning
go — went — gone	To move or travel somewhere.“We went to the coast last weekend.”
take — took — taken	To carry or remove something.“She took the earlier train.”
come — came — come	To move towards the speaker.“They came home late.”
see — saw — seen	To perceive with your eyes.“I saw him at the station.”
make — made — made	To create or produce.“He made the whole dinner.”
give — gave — given	To hand something to someone.“She gave me her number.”
write — wrote — written	To put words on paper or screen.“I wrote three emails before nine.”
buy — bought — bought	To get something for money.“We bought the tickets online.”
bring — brought — brought	To carry something to a place.“He brought his laptop.”
think — thought — thought	To use your mind or hold an opinion.“I thought it was closed.”
leave — left — left	To go away from a place.“They left before the end.”
become — became — become	To start to be something.“It became a habit.”
begin — began — begun	To start something.“The meeting began at ten.”
break — broke — broken	To damage something so it stops working.“She broke her glasses yesterday.”
choose — chose — chosen	To select from several options.“We chose the cheaper route.”
drink — drank — drunk	To take liquid into your mouth.“He drank two glasses of water.”
drive — drove — driven	To control a vehicle.“I drove home in the rain.”
eat — ate — eaten	To consume food.“They ate before the film.”
feel — felt — felt	To experience an emotion or sensation.“I felt tired after the journey.”
find — found — found	To discover or locate something.“She found her keys downstairs.”
forget — forgot — forgotten	To fail to remember.“I forgot his surname.”
know — knew — known	To have information or familiarity.“We knew the answer.”
speak — spoke — spoken	To say words or have a conversation.“She spoke to the manager.”
wear — wore — worn	To have clothing on your body.“He wore a blue jacket.”
win — won — won	To be the best in a competition.“Our team won the final.”

Useful learning tips

Learn in small groupsTake five words at a time and review them before adding more.
Say the examples aloudReading each sentence aloud connects spelling, sound and meaning.
Write your own sentenceUse each word in a true sentence about your life or work.

How to study this list

Add five or six of these words a day rather than the whole list at once, keep the example sentence on the card, and review them when they come due. WordNest schedules each word across seven growing intervals — same day, then 1, 3, 7, 14, 30 and 60 days — so the list is still with you months later. Read how spaced repetition works if you want the reasoning behind those numbers.

Studying irregular verbs pairs well with our most common English words, essential phrasal verbs and B2 vocabulary list, or browse all free English word lists.

Related guides

Questions about this list

How can I practise Irregular Verbs?

Start with five words and say each example aloud. Then recall the word from its meaning and review it over several days.

Where can I use Irregular Verbs?

Past tense in speaking, writing and exams.

How many words are in this list?

This list contains 25 English words with definitions and example sentences. It is a starting set, not a complete syllabus.

Turn this list into flashcards

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