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Ring past tense: rang, rung

make bell sound, call

Ring is an irregular English verb: the past simple of ring is rang and the past participle is rung. Learn the three forms together — ring – rang – rung.

Verb forms

Base form

ring

/rɪŋ/

Past Simple

rang

/ræŋ/

Past Participle

rung

/rʌŋ/

Press the speaker button to hear each form. The transcription under each word shows the British pronunciation (IPA).

Example sentences

Base form · ring

The church bells ring every hour.

Past Simple · rang

The phone rang in the middle of the night.

Past Participle · rung

The alarm has rung three times already.

Key tenses

Present SimplePast SimplePresent Perfect
I ring
he / she / it rings
I rangI have rung
Present Continuous:I am ringing  ·  he / she / it is ringing
Learn when to use these forms:Past Simple lesson →Present Perfect lesson →

Grammar guide

Ring belongs to the ABC group: all three forms are different (ring – rang – rung), so each form has to be learnt separately.

  • Past simple – rang: a finished action at a definite time in the past. It is used on its own, without an auxiliary.
  • Past participle – rung: after have, has or had (present perfect, past perfect) and after be in the passive voice.
  • Questions and negatives in the past simple use did + the base form: Did you ring…? I didn’t ring.

Verbs with the same pattern

be — was/were — beendo — did — donego — went — goneknow — knew — knowntake — took — takensee — saw — seen

Quick quiz

Which sentence is correct?

Questions about ring

What is the past simple of ring?
The past simple of ring is rang.
What is the past participle of ring?
The past participle of ring is rung.
What are the three forms of ring?
The three forms are ring – rang – rung: base form, past simple and past participle.
Is ring a regular or an irregular verb?
Ring is irregular: its past simple is rang, not ringed.
Ring past tense: rang, rung — irregular verb forms