English UsageGrammar guide
Past Tense of Make
The past tense of “make” is “made,” and “made” is also its past participle. Use it for both simple-past and perfect constructions.
Use “made” as both the past simple and past participle of “make.”
Key details
Confusion Familyirregular verb form
Rule Familyverb forms
Termsmake, made
Variant Scope“Made” is both the past simple and past participle of “make.”
Further guidance
Core difference
The verb “make” changes to “made” in both the past simple and past participle.
Fast Test
Use “made” for a completed past action and after perfect auxiliaries: “she made,” “has made.”
Usage Boundary
Do not form the standard past as *maked*.
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.
- Make — Cambridge Dictionary (opens in a new tab)Cambridge University Press · Direct verb-form evidence that “made” is the past simple and past participle of “make.”