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Twins
Past simple and participle are the same word — learn two, not three. The model to keep in your head is have · had · had, and 73 of the 175 verbs on this site follow it.
Where this group comes from
By far the biggest group, and the least irregular of the lot. The past and the participle are the same word, exactly as they are for every regular verb — the only thing making these irregular is that the word is not the base plus -ed.
They get there by several routes. Some harden a -d into a -t (build · built, send · sent). Some shorten the vowel and add -t (keep · kept, sleep · slept). Some change the vowel and nothing else (find · found, win · won). And a few follow no route at all and simply have to be learned as a pair.
All 73 verbs in this pattern
| Base form | Past simple | Past participle |
|---|---|---|
| have | had | had |
| say | said | said |
| get | got | got / gotten |
| make | made | made |
| find | found | found |
| tell | told | told |
| leave | left | left |
| feel | felt | felt |
| keep | kept | kept |
| hear | heard | heard |
| mean | meant | meant |
| meet | met | met |
| pay | paid | paid |
| sit | sat | sat |
| stand | stood | stood |
| lose | lost | lost |
| win | won | won |
| send | sent | sent |
| spend | spent | spent |
| sleep | slept | slept |
| hold | held | held |
| sell | sold | sold |
| build | built | built |
| understand | understood | understood |
| hang | hung | hung |
| lend | lent | lent |
| shoot | shot | shot |
| swing | swung | swung |
| bend | bent | bent |
| burn | burnt / burned | burnt / burned |
| deal | dealt | dealt |
| dig | dug | dug |
| feed | fed | fed |
| lay | laid | laid |
| lead | led | led |
| stick | stuck | stuck |
| sweep | swept | swept |
| learn | learnt / learned | learnt / learned |
| strike | struck | struck / stricken |
| light | lit / lighted | lit / lighted |
| dream | dreamt / dreamed | dreamt / dreamed |
| wind | wound | wound |
| speed | sped / speeded | sped / speeded |
| bleed | bled | bled |
| smell | smelt / smelled | smelt / smelled |
| spell | spelt / spelled | spelt / spelled |
| spill | spilt / spilled | spilt / spilled |
| lean | leant / leaned | leant / leaned |
| dive | dived / dove | dived |
| plead | pleaded / pled | pleaded / pled |
| misunderstand | misunderstood | misunderstood |
| weep | wept | wept |
| bind | bound | bound |
| breed | bred | bred |
| cling | clung | clung |
| creep | crept | crept |
| dwell | dwelt / dwelled | dwelt / dwelled |
| flee | fled | fled |
| fling | flung | flung |
| grind | ground | ground |
| kneel | knelt / kneeled | knelt / kneeled |
| leap | leapt / leaped | leapt / leaped |
| shine | shone / shined | shone / shined |
| slide | slid | slid |
| spin | spun | spun |
| spit | spat / spit | spat / spit |
| sting | stung | stung |
| mislead | misled | misled |
| wring | wrung | wrung |
| sling | slung | slung |
| shave | shaved | shaved / shaven |
| behold | beheld | beheld |
| slink | slunk | slunk |
Covered in detail here
These 11 verbs are rare enough that a separate page would mostly repeat the explanation above. What is worth saying about each of them is said here instead.
spill · spilt / spilled · spilt / spilled
🫗 To let liquid fall out by accident. Number 110 of 175 by frequency — common in reading and television, less so in your own speech, and the past and the participle are both spilt. Recognising it is the priority.
- Past simple: He spilt coffee on his shirt.
- Past participle: Someone has spilt juice on the floor.
British and American English.
British English prefers the short -t ending, spilt; American English regularises it to spilled. Both are correct, and a whole group behaves this way — burn, learn, dream, smell, spell — so learning one teaches you the rest.
misunderstand · misunderstood · misunderstood
❓ To understand something the wrong way. Number 118 of 175 by frequency — common in reading and television, less so in your own speech, and the past and the participle are both misunderstood. Recognising it is the priority.
- Past simple: She misunderstood my question completely.
- Past participle: You have misunderstood me — I meant tomorrow.
Mistakes people make with “misunderstand”.
Not “misunderstanded”. Misunderstand does not take -ed — the past simple is misunderstood, however regular it feels to add the ending.
weep · wept · wept
😢 To cry. Number 120 of 175 by frequency — common in reading and television, less so in your own speech, and the past and the participle are both wept. Recognising it is the priority.
- Past simple: She wept when she heard the news.
- Past participle: He has wept over that letter many times.
Mistakes people make with “weep”.
Not “weeped”. Weep does not take -ed — the past simple is wept, however regular it feels to add the ending.
creep · crept · crept
🐛 To move slowly and quietly. Number 129 of 175 by frequency, so one of the rarer ones: the past and the participle are both crept. You will meet it in books and set phrases more than in conversation, and it can wait.
- Past simple: The cat crept toward the bird.
- Past participle: Fog has crept into the valley.
dwell · dwelt / dwelled · dwelt / dwelled
🏡 To live in a place; to keep thinking about something. Number 130 of 175 by frequency, so one of the rarer ones: the past and the participle are both dwelt. You will meet it in books and set phrases more than in conversation, and it can wait.
- Past simple: Monks dwelt in these caves long ago.
- Past participle: She has dwelt on that mistake too long.
British and American English.
British English prefers the short -t ending, dwelt; American English regularises it to dwelled. Both are correct, and a whole group behaves this way — burn, learn, dream, smell, spell — so learning one teaches you the rest.
fling · flung · flung
🥏 To throw something with force. Number 132 of 175 by frequency, so one of the rarer ones: the past and the participle are both flung. You will meet it in books and set phrases more than in conversation, and it can wait.
- Past simple: She flung her bag onto the sofa.
- Past participle: He has flung the window open.
Mistakes people make with “fling”.
Not “flinged”. Fling does not take -ed — the past simple is flung, however regular it feels to add the ending.
mislead · misled · misled
🗺️ To make someone believe something wrong. Number 152 of 175 by frequency, so one of the rarer ones: the past and the participle are both misled. You will meet it in books and set phrases more than in conversation, and it can wait.
- Past simple: The map misled us completely.
- Past participle: The ad has misled many buyers.
Mistakes people make with “mislead”.
Not “misleaded”. Mislead does not take -ed — the past simple is misled, however regular it feels to add the ending.
wring · wrung · wrung
🧽 To twist something to squeeze water out. Number 159 of 175 by frequency, so one of the rarer ones: the past and the participle are both wrung. You will meet it in books and set phrases more than in conversation, and it can wait.
- Past simple: She wrung the wet towel.
- Past participle: He has wrung every penny out of the deal.
Mistakes people make with “wring”.
Not “wringed”. Wring does not take -ed — the past simple is wrung, however regular it feels to add the ending.
shave · shaved · shaved / shaven
🪒 To cut hair off the skin. Number 164 of 175 by frequency, so one of the rarer ones: the past and the participle are both shaved. You will meet it in books and set phrases more than in conversation, and it can wait.
- Past simple: He shaved off his beard yesterday.
- Past participle: His head has been shaved clean.
British and American English.
Shaved for the verb. Shaven is now only an adjective: clean-shaven.
behold · beheld · beheld
👁️ To see something impressive (old use). Number 168 of 175 by frequency, so one of the rarer ones: the past and the participle are both beheld. You will meet it in books and set phrases more than in conversation, and it can wait.
- Past simple: They beheld a wonderful sight.
- Past participle: Such beauty has never been beheld.
Mistakes people make with “behold”.
Not “beholded”. Behold does not take -ed — the past simple is beheld, however regular it feels to add the ending.
slink · slunk · slunk
🐾 To move away quietly, as if guilty. Number 171 of 175 by frequency, so one of the rarer ones: the past and the participle are both slunk. You will meet it in books and set phrases more than in conversation, and it can wait.
- Past simple: The fox slunk away into the bushes.
- Past participle: The cat has slunk out again.
Mistakes people make with “slink”.
Not “slinked”. Slink does not take -ed — the past simple is slunk, however regular it feels to add the ending.
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