Grew or Grown: How to Use These Verb Forms Correctly

Have you ever wondered whether to say “I grew taller” or “I have grown taller”? Both are correct, but they follow different grammar rules.

Grew is the simple past tense of grow, while grown is its past participle. Use grew to describe a change in the past. Use grown with a helping verb such as has, have, or had.

For example:

I grew taller last year.
I have grown taller since last year.

Knowing when to use each form will help you avoid common grammar mistakes.

Table of Contents

Quick Answer:

Word	Verb form	Example
Grow	Base form	Plants grow in spring.
Grew	Simple past tense	The plant grew quickly.
Grown	Past participle	The plant has grown quickly.
Growing	Present participle	The plant is growing quickly.

Grew is the simple past. Grown is used after has, have, or had.

What Does Grew Mean?

Grew means increased in size, developed, or changed over time. It is the simple past tense of grow.

Use it when describing something that happened in the past.

Examples:

The little boy grew taller over the summer.
Our business grew quickly in its first year.
My interest in reading grew during college.
The tree grew near the old fence.
She grew more confident after the interview.

In each sentence, grew describes a past change or development.

When Should You Use Grew?

Use grew to describe physical growth, an increase, or a change in feelings and qualities.

Tescribe physical growth

My younger brother grew five inches last year.
The puppy grew much bigger than we expected.

Tescribe an increase

The company grew rapidly in 2025.
The number of visitors grew during the summer.

To describe a change in feelings

His confidence grew after he started his new job.
Their friendship grew stronger over time.

To describe development

She grew interested in science at school.
The town grew around the railway station.

Words such as yesterday, last year, and in 2024 often appear with grew because they refer to the past. However, always choose the tense that fits the meaning of your sentence.

What Does Grown Mean?

Grown is the past participle of grow. It can describe something that has increased in size, developed, or reached a particular stage.

It commonly appears with helping verbs such as has, have, and had.

Examples:

The plant has grown several new leaves.
My children have grown so much.
The business had grown before the new owner took over.
The grass has grown too long.
She has grown more comfortable speaking English.

In these sentences, grown works with a helping verb to form a perfect tense.

When Should You Use Grown?

With has or have

Has grown or have grown to describe a change that connects the past with the present.

The baby has grown a lot.
These plants have grown well in the sunlight.
My writing skills have grown over the past year.

Use has with singular subjects such as he, she, or the tree. Use have with I, you, we, and they.

With had

Use had grown when a change happened before another past event.

The tree had grown tall before the storm damaged it.
By the time we moved, the business had grown into a large company.

As an adjective after be

Grown can also be used as an adjective after a form of be.

The children are grown now.

Here, grown describes the children as adults rather than focusing on the process of growing.

Grew vs. Grown: Key Grammar Differences

The main difference is how each word works in a sentence.

Grammar point	Grew	Grown
Verb form	Simple past	Past participle
Used on its own as a past-tense verb	Yes	No
Used with has or have	No	Yes
Used with had	No	Yes
Example	The plant grew fast.	The plant has grown fast.

Compare these sentences:

Correct: The tree grew quickly last summer.
Correct: The tree has grown quickly since last summer.
Incorrect: The tree has grew quickly.
Incorrect: The tree grown quickly last summer.

The first sentence describes a past event. The second connects the growth to the present. In the last two sentences, the verb forms do not fit the grammar.

Which Is Correct: “Has Grown” or “Grew”?

Both are correct. The right choice depends on the time and meaning you want to express.

Use has grown when a past change matters now or when describing development up to the present.

The child has grown taller.
The company has grown since it opened.
My interest in history has grown over time.

Use grew when describing a past event, often with a finished time reference.

The child grew taller last year.
The company grew quickly in 2023.
My interest in history grew during college.

Compare these examples:

“The tree grew two feet last year.” This refers to a finished period in the past.
“The tree has grown two feet this year.” This looks at growth within a period that may still be continuing.

In standard English, do not use has grew. The correct form is has grown.

Grow, Grew, and Grown in Sentences

These examples show how the three main forms work in everyday English.

Grow — base form

I want to grow vegetables in my garden.
Children grow at different rates.
A business can grow with good planning.

Grew — simple past

I grew tomatoes last summer.
The children grew taller during the year.
Her confidence grew after the course.

Grown — past participle

I have grown tomatoes for years.
The children have grown taller.
Her confidence has grown since she started the course.

Use grow after words such as to, will, and can. Use grown after has, have, or had when forming perfect tenses.

Is It “Grown Up” or “Grew Up”?

Both expressions are correct, but they are used in different situations.

Grew up is the simple past form of grow up. Use it to talk about childhood or where someone spent their early years.

I grew up in a village.
She grew up with three brothers.
They grew up near the coast.

Has grown up uses the present perfect. It describes development from childhood to the present or emphasizes that someone has matured.

He has grown up a lot since I last saw him.
My daughter has grown up so quickly.

Had grown up refers to development before another past event.

By the time he started college, he had grown up considerably.

Is “Grown-Up” Correct?

Yes. Grown-up, with a hyphen, is commonly used as a noun or adjective.

As a noun:

The grown-ups sat at the other table.
Ask a grown-up for help.

As an adjective:

She has a grown-up attitude.
They discussed a grown-up topic.

In formal writing, adult is usually a better choice than grown-up.

“When I Grew Up” or “When I Grow Up”?

Choose the phrase based on whether you mean the past or the future.

Use when I grew up to refer to a past period. In many contexts, when I was growing up sounds more natural when describing childhood experiences.

When I grew up, we didn’t have a computer at home.
When I was growing up, my family lived near the river.

Use when I grow up when talking about a future goal, especially from a child’s point of view.

When I grow up, I want to become a doctor.
I want to travel the world when I grow up.

The first two sentences describe the past. The last two describe future hopes.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

These are common errors involving grow, grew, and grown.

Incorrect sentence	Correct sentence	Reason
She has grew taller.	She has grown taller.	Use the past participle after has.
The plant grown yesterday.	The plant grew yesterday.	Use the simple past for a completed past event.
I have grow a lot.	I have grown a lot.	Use grown after have.
He had grew up in Lahore.	He had grown up in Lahore.	Use the past participle after had.
When I growed up, I lived there.	When I grew up, I lived there.	Grew is the standard past-tense form.

Remember that growed is not the standard past-tense form in modern standard English. The correct forms are grow, grew, and grown.

Test Your Knowledge: Grew or Grown?

Choose the correct answer for each sentence.

1. The tree ___ much taller last year.

A. grew
B. grown

2. My little brother has ___ so much.

A. grew
B. grown

3. Since 2020, the company has ___ rapidly.

A. grew
B. grown

4. The children ___ more confident after the course.

A. grew
B. grown

5. By the time we returned, the plants had ___ considerably.

A. grew
B. grown

Answer Key

Grew — “Last year” refers to a finished past period.
Grown — Use the past participle after has.
Grown — Use the past participle after has, even when the sentence includes a starting date.
Grew — The sentence describes a finished past change, and there is no helping verb, so grown does not fit.
Grown — Use the past participle after had.

FAQs

1. What is the difference between grow, grew, and grown?

Grow is the base form, grew is the simple past tense, and grown is the past participle. For example: “Plants grow,” “The plant grew,” and “The plant has grown.”

2. When should you use grew and grown?

Use grew for a past event, such as “The tree grew last year.” Use grown with a helping verb, such as “The tree has grown.”

3. Which is correct: “has grown” or “grew”?

Both are correct in different sentence structures. Use has grown for the present perfect and grew for the simple past.

4. Is grew the past tense of grow?

Yes. Grew is the simple past tense of grow. For example, “The tree grew quickly.”

5. What is the past tense and past participle of grow?

The past tense is grew, and the past participle is grown. The base form is grow.

6. What do grew and grown mean?

Grew describes a past change or development. Grown is the past participle of grow and appears in forms such as has grown, have grown, and had grown.

7. What is the difference between “grew up” and “have grown up”?

Grew up describes a past experience, as in “I grew up in Lahore.” Have grown up connects development with the present, as in “They have grown up so quickly.”

8. Is “grown-up” correct?

Yes. Grown-up can be a noun meaning an adult or an adjective describing someone or something mature. For example, “Ask a grown-up for help.”

9. What is the difference between grow and grew?

Grow is the base form used for general statements and after modal verbs such as can and will. Grew is used for past events. For example, “Plants grow in spring” and “The plant grew last spring.”

10. Is “growed” a correct word?

Growed is not the standard past tense of grow in modern standard English. Use grew instead.

11. What is the difference between “he has grown tall” and “he is growing tall”?

“He has grown tall” describes a result or change up to the present. “He is growing tall” emphasizes the ongoing process of getting taller.

Conclusion

The difference between grew and grown comes down to verb form. Grew is the simple past tense, while grown is the past participle used with helping verbs such as has, have, and had.

Say “The plant grew last year,” but “The plant has grown.” Remember the pattern grow, grew, grown and check which verb form your sentence needs.

With practice, choosing the correct word will become easier.