Irregular verb
The verb to wake
wake → woke → woken
B1Meaning: to stop sleeping; to make someone stop sleeping · Type: irregular · Frequency: Top 100 English verbs
Key points to remember
- Present Simple:
I/you/we/they wake·he/she/it wakes - Past Simple:
woke - Past participle:
woken(not the same as the Past Simple) - -ing form:
waking
Conjugation of the verb to wake
Present Simple
| I | wake |
| You | wake |
| He / She / It | wakes |
| We | wake |
| You (pl.) | wake |
| They | wake |
Past Simple
| I | woke |
| You | woke |
| He / She / It | woke |
| We | woke |
| You (pl.) | woke |
| They | woke |
All the forms of the verb to wake
Present Simple
Full pagewake / wakes
“I wake at 7 a.m.”
See the pagePresent Continuous
Full pageam / is / are waking
“I am waking up early right now.”
See the pagePast Simple
Full pagewoke
“I woke up at 6 a.m.”
See the pagePast Continuous
Full pagewas / were waking
“I was waking up early when the phone rang.”
See the pagePresent Perfect
Full pagehave / has woken
“I have already woken up early.”
See the pagePast Perfect
Full pagehad woken
“She had already woken up early when I arrived.”
See the pageFuture Simple
Full pagewill wake
“I will wake up early tomorrow.”
See the pageGoing to Future
Full pageam / is / are going to wake
“I'm going to wake up early this weekend.”
See the pageConditional (would)
Full pagewould wake
“I would wake up early if I had time.”
See the pageHow to use to wake
1. Waking up (no object)
Most often with up.
- I wake up at 7.
- She woke up early.
2. Waking someone up
Wake (someone) up: the person goes between wake and up.
- Wake me up at 7.
- The noise woke me up.
Common mistakes to avoid
1. I'm wake now ❌
Wake up is a verb: I wake up at 7. Awake is an adjective (not sleeping): I'm awake now.
2. Woke = always the past of wake ❌
Woke is usually the Past Simple of wake: I woke up early. In modern slang, woke is also an adjective: it describes people who pay attention to injustice. People often use this meaning in political debates, so be careful with it.
What's next?
You can conjugate to wake. Now say it out loud.
This page explained everything. On PLAY, you practise this verb out loud in 3 minutes, until it comes naturally.
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Related pages: wake
Pages on a similar topic or with a similar use, so you can keep exploring.
Frequently asked questions
What is the past simple of wake?+
The Past Simple of wake is woke. The past participle is woken. Wake → woke → woken.
What is the difference between wake and wake up?+
In everyday English, people almost always say wake up (a phrasal verb): I wake up at 7. Wake alone exists, but it sounds literary, like in books or poems. The dog wakes the family is rare. The dog wakes the family up is more natural.
What is the difference between wake up and get up?+
Wake up means to open your eyes and stop sleeping. Get up means to get out of bed. I woke up at 7, but I got up at 7.30.
How do you ask someone to wake you up?+
Say Wake me up at 7: wake + person + up. Could you wake me up at 7? is more polite. To use a clock, say set an alarm: I set an alarm for 7.
Can you say waked?+
Wake is an irregular verb: its Past Simple is woke and its past participle is woken. Waked exists in American English, but it is rare: learn woke and woken.
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/wake
© 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.