The verb to swell · Conjugation
Past Simple of swell
The answer: swelled
A2
A finished action at a definite time in the past.
Quick answer
The Past Simple of the verb to swell is swelled.
Example: My foot swelled overnight.
Full conjugation in the Past Simple
| Pronoun | Form |
|---|---|
| I | swelled |
| You | swelled |
| He / She / It | swelled |
| We | swelled |
| You (pl.) | swelled |
| They | swelled |
Common mistakes to avoid
1. Two past participles: swollen / swelled
Swollen is more common, as an adjective and as a past participle. Swelled exists, but it is rare. My ankle is swollen ✓.
2. My ankle is swelled ❌
As an adjective, use swollen: My ankle is swollen. You hear it a lot at the doctor's: swollen glands, swollen feet, swollen eyes.
3. A swelling (noun)
A swelling = a part of the body that has become bigger. There's a swelling on my knee means one part of my knee is bigger than normal.
Practice quiz
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Frequently asked questions
What is the past tense of swell?+
The Past Simple of swell is swelled (regular). The past participle is swollen (irregular, with -en) or swelled (regular, also correct). Swell → swelled → swollen/swelled.
Is the past participle swollen or swelled?+
Swollen is more common, as an adjective and as a past participle. Swelled exists, but it is less frequent. My ankle is swollen. The river had swelled after the rain.
What does swollen mean?+
Swollen (adjective) means bigger than normal, because of an injury, an illness or water. Swollen eyes, a swollen ankle, a swollen river (with much more water than usual). You often hear it at the doctor's and in weather news.
Is it didn't swell or didn't swelled?+
Say didn't swell: My foot didn't swell after the fall. After didn't, the verb goes back to its base form (swell, not swelled).
Does swell mean great?+
Yes, in old American English! As an adjective, swell means great: That's swell! It was common in the 1940s and 1950s, so it sounds old-fashioned today. Modern words: awesome, great.
Related pages: swell Past Simple
Pages on a similar topic or with a similar use, so you can keep exploring.
Updated on 12 November 2026 by the Big Challenge teaching team. Every year, more than 500,000 students across Europe take part in our English contest, created in 1999. Our teaching approach →
The Big Challenge · Updated on 12 November 2026 · Source: www.thebigchallenge.com/bl/academy/learn-english/verbs/swell/past-simple
© The Big Challenge. Copying allowed for classroom use. Every year, more than 500,000 students across Europe take part in our English contest, created in 1999.
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More forms of the verb to swell are coming soon.