Word Forms

The 7ESL Word Forms tool shows you every inflected and derived form of an English word in one quick lookup. Type a word in any form -- a base word like run, a plural like children, or an ending like running -- and the tool finds its dictionary lemma and lists the related forms built from it. It is ideal for learners who need to see how a word changes across plurals, tenses, and comparatives, and for writers who want the correct form at a glance.

How to use the Word Forms tool

Enter a word and press Show forms. The tool first identifies the headword (the lemma), then displays the forms it has on record. You do not need to enter the base form yourself: type whatever version you have, and the tool traces it back to its root before listing the rest. Results update as you type, so you can explore several words in a row without reloading.

Reading the results

At the top you see the lemma (the dictionary headword) with a small part of speech tag where one is known, so you can tell a noun from a verb or adjective. Below that, a clean two-column table lists each form by name and value: for a noun you may see the plural; for a verb the past tense, past participle, third-person and -ing forms; and for adjectives the comparative and superlative. Only forms that genuinely exist for that word are shown, so an irregular word displays its true irregular forms rather than a guessed pattern. If a word has no extra forms, the tool says so plainly.

Why word forms matter

Knowing one form of a word is not the same as being able to use it. English changes words in ways that are often irregular -- go becomes went, good becomes better, foot becomes feet -- and getting the form wrong is one of the most common learner errors. Seeing all the forms together helps you memorise them as a set and choose the right one for the grammar of your sentence. For verbs specifically, you can switch to the dedicated conjugator, and for related words built on the same root you can explore the word family.