English has only about two hundred irregular verbs, but they include the ones used most often: be, have, go, get, make, take. A learner who knows the regular -ed rule still needs to memorise “went”, “taken” and “brought” one by one.
The wheel offers two levels. “Everyday verbs” covers the irregular verbs met in the first years of learning. “Tricky verbs” gathers the ones that trip up even confident speakers, such as lie and lay or the British and American forms of get. Each description gives the base form, past simple and past participle, with a tip to remember them.
The third variant draws a tense, so you can practise the verb in a full sentence.
How to use it
- Spin the “Everyday verbs” or “Tricky verbs” variant to draw a verb.
- Say or write the past simple and past participle before revealing the description.
- For extra practice, switch to the “Tenses” variant, spin again and write a sentence with your verb in that tense.
- In pairs, one player answers and the other checks against the description; swap after five verbs.
All the options
- be
- be – was/were – been. The only verb with two past forms: I/he/she/it was, you/we/they were.
- have
- have – had – had. Also used as a helping verb in perfect tenses: “I have had enough.”
- go
- go – went – gone. “Went” comes from an old verb, wend, which is why it looks nothing like go. Use “been” instead of “gone” when you went and came back: “I have been to Rome.”
- do
- do – did – done. Also the helping verb for questions and negatives in the past: “Did you see it?”
- see
- see – saw – seen. Do not mix up “I saw” (past simple) and “I have seen” (present perfect).
- take
- take – took – taken. Same pattern as shake – shook – shaken and mistake – mistook – mistaken.
- come
- come – came – come. The past participle is identical to the base form: “She has come home.”
- know
- know – knew – known. Same pattern as grow – grew – grown and throw – threw – thrown.
- get
- get – got – got (British English) or gotten (American English). Both are correct in their own variety.
- give
- give – gave – given. The vowel changes from i to a, then the participle adds -n.
- write
- write – wrote – written. Notice the double t in the participle, as in ride – rode – ridden.
- eat
- eat – ate – eaten. “Ate” is pronounced like “eight” in American English and often like “et” in British English.
- buy
- buy – bought – bought. Part of the -ought family with bring – brought, think – thought and fight – fought.
- think
- think – thought – thought. Do not confuse with “taught”, from teach – taught – taught.
Frequently asked questions
How many irregular verbs are there in English?
Reference lists usually include around 200, many of them rare or old-fashioned. A core of 50 to 100 covers almost everything learners meet in everyday speech and writing.
Is it “got” or “gotten”?
Both are correct. British English uses “got” as the past participle (“I have got a cold”), while American English generally uses “gotten” (“I have gotten a cold”), keeping “have got” for possession.
What is the easiest way to learn irregular verbs?
Group them by pattern instead of learning them alphabetically: verbs that never change (cut, put, let), verbs with i-a-u (sing, sang, sung), the -ought family (buy, bring, think). Then test yourself a little every day rather than reading the list.
What is the difference between lie and lay?
Lie means to recline and takes no object: “I lie down.” Lay means to put something down and always needs an object: “I lay the plates on the table.” The confusion comes from the past simple of lie, which is “lay”.