English UsageGrammar guide
Past Tense of Hear
“Hear” is irregular: hear → heard → heard. Forms such as “heared” are not the standard simple past or past participle.
The simple past of “hear” is “heard,” and the past participle is also “heard.”
Key details
Confusion Familyirregular verb forms
Rule Familyverb inflection
Termshear, heard
Variant ScopeThe same form “heard” serves as both simple past and past participle.
Further guidance
Core difference
Simple past: “heard.” Past participle: “heard.”
Fast Test
Use “heard” after a past-time subject (“I heard”) and after an auxiliary in perfect/passive constructions where the participle is required.
Usage Boundary
Do not regularize the verb as “heared.”
Sources and evidence
Sources are shown with the role they play in this guide. Historical or style-sensitive claims are kept within the evidence boundary described above.
- Hear — Cambridge Dictionary (opens in a new tab)Cambridge University Press · Learner-dictionary verb-form evidence that hear has past tense and past participle heard.