Random Verb Generator
Get random verbs for writing prompts, drama games, tense practice and charades. Choose everyday or rare verbs and filter by letter, length and syllables.
- 4,300+ verbs
- Base form, ready to conjugate
- Letter and syllable filters
- Charades mode
lighthouse
Every word comes up once before any repeats.
What is a random verb generator?
A verb is a word for an action (jump, write), a state (belong, seem) or an experience (enjoy, remember). This generator picks verbs at random from more than 4,300 English verbs in their base form, the form you find in a dictionary, so you can put each one into any tense yourself. Use common verbs for young learners and English practice, or rare ones to build vocabulary. For acting games, switch to the Pictionary and charades tab, which has ready-made actions like "brush your teeth" and "walk the dog".
How to use the random verb generator
- Word type is already set to Verbs. Choose how common they should be.
- Add a first letter, ending, length or syllable count if you need a pattern.
- Set how many verbs you want and press Generate.
- Tap a verb to copy it, or copy and save the whole list.
- To act the verbs out, open the Pictionary and charades tab and pick the Actions category.
Why use this verb generator
- Thousands of verbsMore than 4,300 verbs, from everyday ones to rare words for advanced learners.
- Base forms onlyNo tenses mixed in, so every word is ready for a conjugation exercise.
- Ready for dramaSwitch to charades mode for action phrases, a timer and team scores.
- PrivateThe list runs in your browser and nothing is sent to a server.
Ways to use random verbs
- Tense practice. Turn each verb into past, present and future forms.
- Writing prompts. Start a story with a random verb in the first sentence.
- Drama warm-ups. Act out a random verb and let the group guess it.
- ESL vocabulary. Learn five new verbs a day with Less common words.
- Song lyrics. Use a random action as the hook for a chorus.
Examples of common verbs by syllables
Common verbs from the list, grouped by syllable count. Short verbs are often the irregular ones, which makes them good for tense practice.
1-syllable verbs
blame, clip, edge, guess, log, pick, rock, smash, suck, wash, down, fade, see, bare
2-syllable verbs
bargain, costume, feather, mandate, preserve, rival, visit, adjust, commit, differ, fulfill, persist, resist, absent
3-syllable verbs
champion, evidence, photograph, vacation, analyse, continue, devastate, dominate, execute, interfere, operate, recognize, specialize, utilize
Where the words come from
The dictionary list was built from three free, openly licensed sources. Word frequency comes from the 12dicts word lists by Alan Beale (public domain), which sort English words into frequency classes. Parts of speech come from WordNet 3.0 from Princeton University, keeping only the word types each word is actually used as. Syllable counts come from the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary from Carnegie Mellon University. Rude, hateful and adult words were then removed. Licence texts are in this file.
| Level | Words | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Common | 4,950 | prior, odds, cigarette, academic, regret, become |
| Less common | 8,310 | wiry, fir, nighttime, melody, grotesque, misguide |
| Rare | 10,295 | Loaded only when you choose Rare or All levels |
Example: a tense practice drill
Set How common to Common and How many to 8, then press Generate. For each verb, write the past tense and the past participle, then use one of them in a sentence. Mark the irregular ones and press Generate until you have found three more.
What to expect from the result
Verbs appear once in their base form, so you get "run" rather than "ran" or "running". Phrasal verbs like "give up" are not in the word list, but the charades mode has plenty of action phrases. Many verbs are also nouns ("dance", "paint"), and they appear in both lists. Irregular verbs are not marked.
Random verb generator questions
What is a verb?
A verb tells you what someone or something does or is: an action (swim), a state (own) or a feeling (love). Every complete English sentence has at least one verb.
Can I get action verbs to act out?
Yes. Most common verbs can be acted, but for a game it is easier to open the Pictionary and charades tab and choose the Actions category, which has short phrases like "fly a kite" sorted into easy, medium and hard.
How do I get verbs that start with a certain letter?
Type the letter in Starts with. You can also use Ends with, for example "ate" for verbs like create and celebrate.
Are irregular verbs marked?
No. The list gives each verb in its base form without its past tense, so it works well for practice where students work out the forms themselves.
Is it free, and is anything sent to a server?
It is free with no sign-up, no limits and nothing to install. The word lists load into your browser and every pick happens on your device, so nothing you choose or type is sent anywhere. Once the page has loaded, it keeps working without a connection.
More random tools and party games
Draw a single random letter for a categories game, split players into random teams or spin a wheel of names to choose who goes first. For the holidays, print Christmas bingo cards, draw names for Secret Santa or run a White Elephant gift swap.