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Irregular verb

write

/raɪt/

Base
write
Past simple
wrote
Past participle
written

Usage

wrote names a single occasion; written needs have/has/had — don't confuse write with the homophones right and rite.

Meaning

  • to create words or symbols on a surface

Example

I wrote her address in my notebook.

She wrote a short story for the competition.

He has written three novels so far.

Teaching note

Write has wrote for simple past and written for the participle; the silent-w spelling remains while the internal vowel and ending change.

Common mistake

Avoid ‘She has wrote three pages’, because wrote cannot follow the perfect auxiliary has.

Correction: Use ‘She wrote three pages yesterday’ or ‘She has written three pages today’, according to the time relationship.