Irregular verb
read
/riːd/
- Base
- read
- Past simple
- read
- Past participle
- read
Usage notes
read /red/ — Past simple and past participle
Pronounced differently in the past simple and past participle.
Usage
All three forms are spelled the same, but the past forms are pronounced /red/ rather than /riːd/.
Meaning
- to understand written words
Example
I read the whole book last weekend.
She read the letter twice before replying.
We have read every chapter so far.
Teaching note
Read keeps the same spelling in all three forms, but its past and participle are pronounced /red/, unlike the present/base pronunciation /riːd/.
Common mistake
Readers may pronounce yesterday’s ‘read’ like reed because spelling alone does not reveal the tense.
Correction: Pronounce ‘I read every day’ as /riːd/, but pronounce ‘I read it yesterday’ and ‘I have read it’ as /red/.