Have you ever wondered whether to say “I drank too much water” or “I have drunk too much water”? Both drank and drunk are correct English words, but they serve different grammatical purposes.
The confusion occurs because both words are forms of the irregular verb drink. They describe drinking in the past, but they are not interchangeable in standard English grammar.
You may encounter this confusion in everyday conversations, text messages, school assignments, professional writing, and English grammar tests. Understanding the difference will help you choose the correct form when talking about something you drank or someone who has consumed alcohol.
Quick Answer
Drank is the simple past tense of drink, while drunk is its past participle. Use drank for a completed action in the past and drunk with helping verbs such as has, have, and had.
| Form | Correct? | Meaning | Main Use |
| Drank | Yes | Past form of drink | Simple past tense |
| Drunk | Yes | Past participle of drink; also an adjective | Perfect tenses and describing intoxication |
Examples:
- I drank two glasses of water yesterday.
- She has drunk all the milk.
- They had drunk coffee before the meeting.
- He was drunk after the party.
Remember this basic pattern:
Drink → Drank → Drunk
- Drink: Present
- Drank: Simple past
- Drunk: Past participle
You can learn more about Yep vs Yup to understand the meaning, pronunciation, and differences between these two informal ways of saying yes.
Meaning and Definition
Meaning of Drank
Drank means consumed or swallowed a liquid at some point in the past. It is the simple past tense of the verb drink.
It can refer to drinking water, juice, tea, coffee, milk, or alcoholic beverages.
In everyday English, drank describes an action that happened and finished in the past.
Examples:
- I drank a cup of tea this morning.
- She drank some orange juice after breakfast.
- We drank plenty of water during the trip.
Definition of Drank
Drank is the simple past tense of the irregular verb drink. It describes the act of taking liquid into the mouth and swallowing it at a completed time in the past.
It functions as the main verb in a simple past sentence and does not normally require an auxiliary verb to express past tense.
For example:
- He drank a glass of milk.
- They drank coffee together yesterday.
Meaning of Drunk
Drunk has two important meanings in English.
First, it is the past participle of the verb drink. It is used with helping verbs such as has, have, and had to describe an action that has happened.
Second, drunk is an adjective describing someone who is affected by consuming too much alcohol.
Examples:
- She has drunk two bottles of water.
- I have never drunk coffee before.
- He was drunk at the party.
Definition of Drunk
Drunk is the past participle of the irregular verb drink. It is used to form perfect tenses and passive constructions.
As an adjective, it means being unable to behave or think normally because of consuming too much alcohol.
These meanings depend on the grammatical context.
Examples:
- They had drunk all the juice before lunch. (Past participle)
- The water was drunk by the thirsty travelers. (Passive construction)
- The man was too drunk to drive. (Adjective)
The two uses are different, even though they have the same spelling and pronunciation.
Main Difference
The main difference between drank and drunk is their grammatical function.
Drank is generally used for a completed past action, whereas drunk is normally used with auxiliary verbs to form perfect tenses. Drunk can also describe a person affected by alcohol.
Consider the following comparison:
| Comparison | Drank | Drunk |
| Part of speech | Verb | Verb or adjective |
| Verb form | Simple past | Past participle |
| Main function | Describes a past action | Forms perfect tenses |
| Helping verb | Not normally needed | Usually follows have, has, or had |
| Alcohol-related meaning | Does not describe intoxication by itself | Describes someone affected by alcohol |
| Example | I drank water. | I have drunk water. |
1. Difference in Tense
Use drank when describing an action that happened in the past.
- She drank coffee yesterday.
- We drank lemonade after lunch.
Use drunk with a helping verb when forming perfect tenses.
- She has drunk coffee already.
- We have drunk enough water today.
2. Difference in Grammar
Drank works as the main verb in a simple past sentence.
Drunk normally works with an auxiliary verb such as has, have, or had.
Compare:
- Correct: He drank the juice.
- Correct: He has drunk the juice.
- Incorrect in standard English: He has drank the juice.
There is an important usage qualification: some American dictionaries recognize drank as an alternative past participle, particularly in informal speech. However, drunk remains the safest and most widely taught choice for formal and standard English.
Collins English Dictionary+2
3. Difference in Meaning
When used as verb forms, both words relate to consuming liquid. Their difference is grammatical rather than a difference in the type of liquid.
However, drunk has an additional meaning as an adjective.
For example:
- I drank two glasses of wine. (Past action)
- I was drunk after drinking too much wine. (Condition caused by alcohol)
Therefore, context helps readers understand whether drunk is functioning as a verb or an adjective.
Which One Is Correct?
Both drunk and drank are correct English words. Neither is a misspelling, but they are generally used in different grammatical situations.
Use the following rules:
- Use drank for the simple past tense.
- Use drunk as the standard past participle.
- Use drunk as an adjective when describing someone affected by alcohol.
Here are some examples:
| Sentence | Correct? | Explanation |
| I drank water yesterday. | Correct | Simple past |
| I have drunk water. | Correct | Present perfect |
| She had drunk the milk. | Correct | Past perfect |
| He is drunk. | Correct | Adjective |
| I have drank water. | Not preferred | Use drunk in standard formal English |
| I drunk water yesterday. | Nonstandard | Use drank in standard English |
Is Drank Ever Used as a Past Participle?
Yes. Although drunk is the standard past participle taught in most English grammar courses, drank is also recognized as an alternative past participle in some American dictionaries and usage references.
For example:
- Standard: I have drunk enough water.
- Alternative American usage: I have drank enough water.
The second construction occurs in American English, especially in informal speech. However, learners and professional writers should generally choose have drunk because it is the more widely accepted standard form.
Collins English Dictionary+1
Grammar and Usage
Understanding the verb forms of drink makes it easier to use drank and drunk correctly.
1. Three Forms of the Verb Drink
The verb drink is irregular because it does not form its past tense and past participle by simply adding -ed.
Its three principal forms are:
| Verb Form | Word | Example |
| Base form | Drink | I drink water daily. |
| Simple past | Drank | I drank water yesterday. |
| Past participle | Drunk | I have drunk water. |
| Present participle | Drinking | I am drinking water. |
2. Using Drank in the Simple Past
Use drank when talking about a completed action in the past.
Common time expressions include:
- Yesterday
- Last night
- Last week
- Two hours ago
- This morning (when the morning has passed)
Examples:
- My brother drank coffee yesterday.
- The children drank milk before school.
- We drank fresh juice last weekend.
3. Using Drunk in the Present Perfect
The present perfect follows this structure:
Subject + have/has + drunk + object
Examples:
- I have drunk two cups of tea.
- She has drunk all the water.
- They have drunk enough juice.
This tense connects a past action with the present, or describes an experience without specifying an exact completed past time.
4. Using Drunk in the Past Perfect
The past perfect follows this structure:
Subject + had + drunk + object
Examples:
- He had drunk his coffee before the meeting started.
- They had drunk all the water before we arrived.
- She had never drunk green tea before that day.
It shows that one action happened before another past event.
5. Using Drunk in Passive Voice
The past participle drunk can also appear in passive constructions.
The basic structure is:
Subject + be verb + drunk + by + agent
Examples:
- All the milk was drunk by the children.
- The remaining water had been drunk before lunchtime.
Here, the focus is on the liquid rather than the person who consumed it.
6. Using Drunk as an Adjective
Drunk can describe a person whose behavior or judgment is affected by alcohol.
Examples:
- He was drunk last night.
- The driver appeared drunk.
- She became drunk after the celebration.
In these sentences, drunk describes a condition rather than expressing the past participle of an action.
7. Drunk vs Drunken
Although both words relate to alcohol intoxication, they have different grammatical patterns.
- Drunk commonly appears after linking verbs such as be, become, and seem.
- Drunken is generally used before a noun.
Examples:
- He was drunk.
- They had a drunken argument.
- The drunken driver was arrested.
Do not confuse drunken with the past participle drunk. They have related meanings but different grammatical functions.
Find out how to form possessives with names ending in s so you can write sentences about ownership accurately and avoid common punctuation mistakes.
How to Use Drank and Drunk
Knowing the grammatical difference is useful, but learning how these words appear in everyday sentences makes them easier to remember.
How to Use Drank Correctly
Use drank when describing something that someone consumed in the past.
Common sentence patterns include:
Subject + drank + object
- I drank a glass of water.
- She drank coffee before work.
- My father drank tea after dinner.
Subject + drank + amount of liquid
- He drank two bottles of water.
- They drank several cups of coffee.
- We drank a little orange juice.
Subject + drank + time expression
- I drank milk this morning.
- She drank tea yesterday.
- They drank lemonade last weekend.
How to Use Drunk Correctly
Use drunk with helping verbs to form perfect tenses.
Subject + have/has + drunk + object
- I have drunk enough water.
- She has drunk her coffee.
- They have drunk all the juice.
Subject + had + drunk + object
- I had drunk my tea before leaving.
- She had drunk the medicine before breakfast.
- They had drunk all the water before the journey ended.
You can also use drunk as an adjective.
Subject + be verb + drunk
- He is drunk.
- They were drunk after the celebration.
- The man seemed drunk.
Remember that the adjective describes a person’s condition, while the past participle forms part of a verb construction.
Examples
The following examples show how to use both words naturally in different situations.
Examples of Drank
- I drank a glass of water after exercising.
- She drank coffee before going to the office.
- We drank fresh lemonade during the summer picnic.
- My brother drank two cups of tea this morning.
- They drank milk with their breakfast.
- The students drank water after playing football.
- He drank orange juice instead of soda.
- I drank too much coffee yesterday.
- My grandmother drank herbal tea before bedtime.
- The guests drank coffee while discussing the project.
- She drank a bottle of water during the journey.
- We drank hot chocolate on a cold evening.
Examples of Drunk
- I have drunk enough water for today.
- She has drunk two cups of coffee already.
- They have drunk all the milk.
- He had drunk his tea before the guests arrived.
- We have never drunk coconut water before.
- The children had drunk their juice before lunchtime.
- Someone has drunk the last bottle of water.
- She had already drunk her medicine when I called.
- The entire supply of water had been drunk.
- He was drunk when his friends found him.
- The driver appeared drunk during the inspection.
- They became drunk after drinking too much alcohol.
Examples Showing the Difference
These paired examples make the grammatical distinction easier to understand.
| Drank | Drunk |
| I drank coffee yesterday. | I have drunk coffee today. |
| She drank the juice. | She has drunk the juice. |
| He drank water before lunch. | He had drunk water before lunch. |
| They drank milk last night. | They have drunk all the milk. |
| We drank tea in the morning. | We had drunk tea before leaving. |
Notice that drank describes a past action, while drunk follows a helping verb in the standard perfect-tense construction.
Common Mistakes
English learners sometimes confuse drank and drunk because both are forms of the same verb. The following mistakes are worth avoiding.
1. Using Drank Instead of Drunk After Have
Incorrect in standard formal English: I have drank three glasses of water.
Correct: I have drunk three glasses of water.
Why the mistake happens:
People sometimes use drank after have because they associate it with past actions. However, the standard present perfect requires the past participle drunk.
2. Using Drunk Instead of Drank in the Simple Past
Nonstandard: She drunk a cup of tea yesterday.
Correct: She drank a cup of tea yesterday.
Why the mistake happens:
Learners may remember drunk as the past form of drink without understanding that it is normally the past participle.
3. Forgetting the Helping Verb Before Drunk
Incorrect: They drunk all the water.
Correct: They drank all the water.
Also correct: They have drunk all the water.
Why the mistake happens:
Some speakers omit the helping verb because they confuse the past participle with the simple past tense.
4. Using Drinked Instead of Drank
Incorrect: I drinked a glass of milk.
Correct: I drank a glass of milk.
Why the mistake happens:
Many English verbs form their past tense by adding -ed. However, drink is irregular, so its past form is drank, not drinked.
5. Confusing Drunk as a Verb and an Adjective
Example 1: He has drunk two glasses of water.
Here, drunk is a past participle.
Example 2: He is drunk.
Here, drunk is an adjective describing intoxication.
Why the mistake happens:
Both uses have the same spelling, but their grammatical functions are different.
6. Using Drank in Formal Perfect-Tense Writing
Less preferred: She has drank all the juice.
Preferred: She has drunk all the juice.
Why the mistake happens:
Although drank occurs as an alternative past participle in some American usage, drunk is the safer choice in formal writing, academic assignments, and grammar examinations.
Linguistic Insight
The difference between drank and drunk is an interesting example of how irregular verbs work in English.
1. Historical Development
The verb drink has Old English origins. Its earlier forms developed through historical changes in Germanic languages.
Like several other irregular English verbs, it belongs to a traditional group in which the vowel changes to express different grammatical forms.
The modern pattern is:
- Drink
- Drank
- Drunk
This type of vowel change is known as ablaut. It is a linguistic process in which a vowel changes within a word to express a grammatical distinction.
2. Morphology and Verb Formation
Morphology is the study of how words are formed and how their internal structures change.
The verb drink demonstrates irregular morphological patterns because its past tense and past participle are not formed by adding the regular -ed ending.
Compare:
| Regular Verb | Irregular Verb |
| Walk → Walked → Walked | Drink → Drank → Drunk |
| Talk → Talked → Talked | Sing → Sang → Sung |
| Play → Played → Played | Ring → Rang → Rung |
This explains why learners must memorize the three forms of drink rather than applying regular past-tense rules.
3. Relationship With Other Irregular Verbs
The verb drink follows a pattern similar to several other English verbs.
Examples include:
- Sing → Sang → Sung
- Ring → Rang → Rung
- Begin → Began → Begun
- Swim → Swam → Swum
These verbs use internal vowel changes to distinguish their grammatical forms.
Recognizing these patterns can help learners understand English irregular verbs more easily.
4. Pronunciation Differences
Although drank and drunk have similar spellings, their vowel sounds are different.
| Word | IPA Pronunciation | Approximate Sound |
| Drink | /drɪŋk/ | dringk |
| Drank | /dræŋk/ | draengk |
| Drunk | /drʌŋk/ | druhnk |
The main pronunciation difference is the vowel sound.
- Drank uses the /æ/ sound, similar to the vowel in cat.
- Drunk uses the /ʌ/ sound, similar to the vowel in cup.
Pronouncing them correctly can make spoken English clearer and help listeners distinguish between the two forms.
5. American and British English
The basic distinction between drank and drunk is the same in standard American and British English.
Both varieties generally use:
- Drank as the simple past.
- Drunk as the past participle.
However, some American dictionaries recognize drank as an alternative past participle, especially in informal speech.
For learners who want to use standard international English, the safest pattern remains:
I drank yesterday.
I have drunk today.
Usage Tips
Here are some practical ways to remember the difference between drank and drunk.
1. Memorize All Three Verb Forms
Learn the complete verb pattern rather than memorizing only its past tense.
Drink → Drank → Drunk
Repeating these forms together helps you recognize their grammatical roles.
2. Associate Drank With Yesterday
When describing a completed action at a specific time in the past, use drank.
Examples:
- I drank tea yesterday.
- She drank water last night.
- We drank coffee two hours ago.
3. Associate Drunk With Have, Has, and Had
When forming perfect tenses, remember this pattern:
- Have drunk
- Has drunk
- Had drunk
Examples:
- I have drunk enough water.
- She has drunk her coffee.
- They had drunk their juice.
4. Remember the Alcohol-Related Meaning
When describing someone affected by alcohol, drunk is the correct adjective.
Example:
– He was drunk after the party.
Do not use drank to describe someone’s condition.
5. Practice With Similar Irregular Verbs
Learning related patterns can improve your understanding of irregular verbs.
| Present | Past | Past Participle |
| Drink | Drank | Drunk |
| Sing | Sang | Sung |
| Ring | Rang | Rung |
| Begin | Began | Begun |
| Swim | Swam | Swum |
Expert Suggestion
As a grammar teacher, I recommend learning drank and drunk through sentence patterns rather than memorizing isolated definitions.
For students and ESL learners, the most useful distinction is:
- If you are describing what happened yesterday, use drank.
- If you are using have, has, or had in a perfect-tense construction, use drunk.
- If you are describing someone affected by alcohol, use drunk as an adjective.
For professional writers, students, and content creators, using drunk as the past participle is the safest option in formal writing.
A little practice with these sentence structures will help you avoid confusion.
Summary
The difference between drunk and drank is mainly grammatical.
- Drank is the simple past tense of drink. It describes a completed action in the past.
- Drunk is the standard past participle of drink. It is used with have, has, and had to form perfect tenses.
- Drunk is also an adjective describing someone affected by consuming too much alcohol.
- Both words are correct, but they are not normally interchangeable.
- Although drank is recognized as an alternative past participle in some American usage, drunk is preferred in standard formal English.
The easiest way to remember the difference is:
Drink → Drank → Drunk
Use drank for the simple past and drunk for the standard past participle.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. What is the difference between drunk and drank?
Drank is the simple past tense of drink, while drunk is its standard past participle. For example, “I drank water yesterday” and “I have drunk water today.”
2. Is drunk or drank correct?
Both are correct English words. However, they have different grammatical functions. Use drank for the simple past and drunk for the standard past participle.
3. Is drank the past tense of drink?
Yes. Drank is the simple past tense of drink. For example, “She drank a glass of milk yesterday.”
4. Is drunk the past tense of drink?
No, not in standard English. Drunk is the past participle of drink. The standard simple past form is drank.
5. Should I say I drank or I have drunk?
Both are correct, but they express different grammatical structures.
- I drank water yesterday.
- I have drunk enough water today.
Use drank for the simple past and have drunk for the present perfect.
6. Is it I have drank or I have drunk?
I have drunk is the standard form used in formal English.
Although I have drank occurs in some American informal usage, I have drunk is the safer choice for academic and professional writing.
7. Is it she drank or she drunk?
In standard English, use she drank when describing a completed past action.
Example: “She drank coffee before leaving home.”
8. Can I say he has drank?
This construction is used by some American English speakers, but he has drunk is the standard form preferred in formal English.
Example: “He has drunk two glasses of water.”
9. What is the past participle of drink?
The standard past participle of drink is drunk.
The three principal forms are:
- Present: Drink
- Past: Drank
- Past participle: Drunk
10. What is the difference between drunk and drunken?
Drunk is commonly used as an adjective after linking verbs, while drunken usually appears before a noun.
Examples:
- He was drunk.
- They had a drunken argument.
11. Is drunk an adjective or a verb?
Drunk can function as both a verb form and an adjective.
As a verb form, it is the past participle of drink. As an adjective, it describes someone affected by alcohol.
12. Is drank used in American English?
Yes. Drank is the standard simple past form in American English. Some American dictionaries also recognize it as an alternative past participle, particularly in informal usage.
13. Is drunk used in British English?
Yes. British English uses drunk as the standard past participle of drink and as an adjective describing intoxication.
14. What are the three forms of drink?
The three main forms are:
| Form | Verb |
| Present | Drink |
| Past | Drank |
| Past participle | Drunk |
For example: “I drink water daily,” “I drank water yesterday,” and “I have drunk water today.”
15. Is drinked a correct English word?
No. Drinked is not the standard past tense of drink. Because drink is an irregular verb, its correct simple past form is drank.
