Shown and showed both come from the verb show. However, they do not perform the same grammatical job. Therefore, understanding their forms can help you avoid common mistakes in everyday and professional English.
Showed works as the simple past tense of show. For example, you can say, “She showed me the picture yesterday.” On the other hand, shown works as the past participle of show, so it usually follows have, has, had, or a form of be. Consequently, you should choose the word according to the sentence structure.
So, although both forms describe something that someone revealed, displayed, or demonstrated, showed and shown cannot always replace each other.
Quick Answer
Showed works as the simple past tense of show, while shown works as the past participle. Therefore, say “She showed me the photo yesterday”, but say “She has shown me the photo.” Remember: show → showed → shown.
Why People Confuse It
People often confuse shown and showed because both forms describe an action that happened in the past.
However, English uses different verb forms for different grammatical structures.
For example:
- She showed me the report.
- She has shown me the report.
- He showed us the way.
- He had shown us the way.
Therefore, the main difference does not involve meaning alone. Instead, the difference involves the verb form that the sentence requires.
Showed: Meaning and Use
Showed functions as the simple past tense of show.
Therefore, use showed when you describe a completed action in the past without using an auxiliary verb such as has, have, or had.
Examples:
- She showed me her new phone.
- He showed us his project.
- They showed the teacher their work.
- I showed him the message yesterday.
Because showed already carries the past tense, you generally do not need another auxiliary verb to create the simple past.
Shown: Meaning and Use
Shown functions as the past participle of show.
Therefore, use shown with auxiliary verbs such as has, have, and had.
Examples:
- She has shown me the picture.
- He has shown great improvement.
- They had shown us the results.
- I have shown him the evidence.
Moreover, shown can appear in passive constructions.
For example:
- The results were shown on the screen.
- The movie was shown at the festival.
However, when you want to maintain active voice, you can often rewrite such sentences.
For example:
- The screen showed the results.
- The festival showed the movie.
Shown vs Showed: Comparison Table
| Word | Verb Form | Main Use | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Showed | Simple past | Describes a completed past action | She showed me the photo. |
| Shown | Past participle | Follows have, has, or had; also appears with forms of be | She has shown me the photo. |
| Show | Base form | Present tense or infinitive | I want to show you something. |
When to Use Each
Use “Showed” for Simple Past
Use showed when the action happened in the past.
- She showed me her notes.
- He showed us the answer.
- I showed them my new car.
- They showed their support.
Therefore, if the sentence simply tells you what happened, showed often provides the correct choice.
Use “Shown” After “Has”
Use shown after has.
- She has shown excellent progress.
- He has shown me the document.
- The company has shown strong growth.
Therefore:
❌ She has showed me the document.
✔ She has shown me the document.
Use “Shown” After “Have”
Use shown after have.
- I have shown you the answer.
- We have shown enough evidence.
- They have shown their commitment.
Therefore:
❌ They have showed their support.
✔ They have shown their support.
Use “Shown” After “Had”
Use shown after had.
- She had shown me the letter.
- He had shown great patience.
- They had shown us the results.
Therefore:
❌ He had showed us the results.
✔ He had shown us the results.
Examples
- She showed me her new dress.
- He showed us his homework.
- I showed my friend the picture.
- They showed their teacher the project.
- She has shown remarkable improvement.
- He has shown me the report.
- We have shown our support.
- They have shown excellent teamwork.
- She had shown me the message earlier.
- He had shown great patience.
- I have shown you the correct answer.
- The teacher showed us an interesting example.
- She showed everyone her new artwork.
- He has shown that he can handle the responsibility.
- They showed us where to go.
- We had shown them the correct procedure.
- The results have shown a clear improvement.
- She showed me how to use the software.
Common Mistakes
Mistake 1: “Has Showed”
❌ She has showed me the picture.
✔ She has shown me the picture.
Because has requires the past participle, choose shown.
Mistake 2: “Had Showed”
❌ He had showed me the document.
✔ He had shown me the document.
Again, had requires the past participle shown.
Mistake 3: Using “Shown” as Simple Past
❌ She shown me the picture yesterday.
✔ She showed me the picture yesterday.
Because the sentence uses simple past without an auxiliary verb, choose showed.
Mistake 4: “Have Showed”
❌ They have showed their support.
✔ They have shown their support.
Therefore, remember that have + shown creates the correct structure.
Memory Trick
Remember the three main forms:
Show → Showed → Shown
Think of them like this:
- Show = present
- Showed = simple past
- Shown = past participle
Therefore:
Yesterday → showed
Has/Have/Had → shown
For example:
She showed me yesterday.
She has shown me already.
This simple pattern can help you choose the correct form quickly.
American vs British English
American English uses both showed and shown.
British English also uses both forms.
Therefore, the basic rule remains the same in both varieties.
For example:
American: She has shown me the results.
British: She has shown me the results.
Similarly:
American: She showed me the results yesterday.
British: She showed me the results yesterday.
Consequently, this distinction does not depend on American versus British spelling.
Similar Verb Forms
Showed vs Seen
Showed comes from show.
Seen comes from see.
- She showed me the picture.
- I have seen the picture.
Showed vs Told
Showed involves displaying or demonstrating something.
Told involves giving information through words.
- She showed me the document.
- She told me the information.
Showed vs Shown
Showed works as the simple past.
Shown works as the past participle.
Therefore:
✔ He showed me.
✔ He has shown me.
❌ He has showed me.
Final Verdict
Showed and shown both come from show, but they serve different grammatical functions.
Use showed for the simple past:
She showed me the picture.
Use shown as the past participle:
She has shown me the picture.
Therefore, remember the basic pattern:
Show → Showed → Shown
If you use has, have, or had, choose shown. However, if you simply describe a completed past action, choose showed.
Remember This
✔ Showed = simple past
✔ Shown = past participle
✔ She showed me yesterday.
✔ She has shown me already.
✔ They showed us the way.
✔ They had shown us the way.
Therefore, the easiest rule remains:
Yesterday → showed
Has / Have / Had → shown
FAQs
1. Is “shown” the past tense of “show”?
No. Showed functions as the simple past tense, while shown functions as the past participle.
2. Is “shown” correct?
Yes. Shown is completely correct when the sentence requires a past participle. For example, “She has shown me the results.”
3. Is “showed” correct?
Yes. Showed works as the simple past of show. For example, “She showed me the results yesterday.”
4. Should I say “has showed” or “has shown”?
Say has shown. For example, “He has shown great improvement.”
5. Should I say “have showed” or “have shown”?
Say have shown. For example, “They have shown excellent progress.”
6. Should I say “had showed” or “had shown”?
Say had shown. For example, “She had shown me the document earlier.”
7. What are the three forms of show?
The main forms are show, showed, shown. Therefore, showed provides the simple past, while shown provides the past participle.
Conclusion
Showed and shown both describe the act of displaying, presenting, or demonstrating something. However, they work differently in a sentence. Showed provides the simple past, while shown provides the past participle. Therefore, choosing the correct form depends on the surrounding grammar.
Ultimately, remember show → showed → shown. If you describe a completed action in the simple past, choose showed. If you use has, have, or had, choose shown. Consequently, this simple rule can help you avoid one of the most common mistakes with the verb show.
