150+ irregular verbs in English: List, types, and how to learn them

Irregular verbs are one of the most important grammar topics in English. While they may seem challenging at first, learning the most common irregular verbs will help you speak, write, and understand English more accurately. In this guide, you'll find a complete list of 150+ most common irregular verbs in English, along with their base form, past simple, and past participle for easy reference and practice.

What are irregular verbs?

Irregular verbs are verbs which do not follow the standard rules of adding -d and -ed in their simple past and past participle forms. Currently there are more than 200 common irregular verbs in English. 

4 types of irregular verbs in English

Irregular verbs English usually fall into 4 groups: 

• All three forms are the same: The base form, past simple, and past participle are identical.
  • Example: put → put → put, cut → cut → cut
• Past simple and past participle are the same: The past simple and past participle have the same form, while the base form is different.
  • Example: buy → bought → bought, bring → brought → brought
• Past participle is the same as the base form: The base form and past participle are identical, while the past simple is different.
  • Example: run → ran → run, come → came → come
• All three forms are different: The base form, past simple, and past participle all have different forms.
  • Example: sing → sang → sung, go → went → gone

List of 150 most common irregular verbs in English

This irregular verbs list features 150 of the most common irregular verbs in English to help you prepare for exams, improve everyday communication, and quickly master essential verb forms.

5 tips to memorize irregular verbs faster

Here are some practical tips to help you learn irregular verbs English more effectively:

• Prioritize the most common verbs first to build a strong foundation for everyday English.
• Group verbs by pronunciation or pattern to make them easier to recognize and remember.
• Use flashcards to review regularly and reinforce long-term memory.
• Practice with complete sentences to learn how each verb is used in context.
• Study for a few minutes every day, and use free English learning apps like ELSA Speak to stay consistent and improve faster.

Irregular verbs exercises

Looking for an effective irregular past tense verbs worksheet? Explore these irregular verbs exercises to practice, review, and remember English irregular verbs more easily.

Exercise 1: Complete the sentences with the correct form of the verb in parentheses.

1. He ________ a letter to his friend in London yesterday. (write)
2. We have ________ breakfast already. (eat)
3. I ________ to school by bus this morning. (go)
4. She has never ________ that movie before. (see)
5. Jack ________ a new car last month. (buy)
6. She _______ that vase. (break)
7. We ________ Sarah a wonderful gift for her birthday. (give)
8. The children have ________ asleep. (fall)

Answer key: 

Exercise 2: Choose the correct answer

Answer key:

Exercise 3: Fill the missing word into the gaps

Answer key: 

1. Eat - eaten
2. Bought - bought
3. Come - came
4. Sing
5. Flew
6. Take - taken

We hope this guide, along with the list of the 150+ most common irregular verbs in English, helps you memorize verb forms more effectively and apply them correctly in everyday communication. To keep improving, explore more lessons in the Grammar category with ELSA Speak, where you can practice English every day through interactive, AI-powered learning experiences.