The most common English words
This table is a measurement of our own library. Every word in 139,755 published chapters was counted — 210,375,850 word occurrences across 9,875 books — and sorted by how often it occurs. Rank 1 is the word you will meet most often on an English page.
2,989 of those words have a page of their own: the US transcription, the part of speech, a learner definition, every sense the entry carries, and real sentences from different books with a link into the chapter each one came from.
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Ranks 1 onward
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| Rank | Word | Sound | Part of speech | Meaning | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | the | /ðə/ | determiner | used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind | 12,552,547 |
| 2 | and | /ənd/ | conjunction | used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together | 7,313,665 |
| 3 | of | /ʌv/ | preposition | belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something | 6,356,202 |
| 4 | to | /tuː/ | particle | used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive | 6,007,033 |
| 5 | a | /ə/ | determiner | used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one | 4,840,076 |
| 6 | in | /ɪn/ | preposition | inside something, or within a place, period, or state | 3,542,837 |
| 7 | I | /aɪ/ | pronoun | the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb | 3,420,168 |
| 8 | he | /hiː/ | pronoun | a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject | 3,122,280 |
| 9 | that | /ðæt/ | conjunction | used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt | 2,820,178 |
| 10 | was | /wɑːz/ | auxiliary verb | the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun | 2,738,609 |
| 11 | it | /ɪt/ | pronoun | a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned | 2,499,636 |
| 12 | his | /hɪz/ | determiner | belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned | 2,369,832 |
| 13 | you | /juː/ | pronoun | the person or people being spoken to | 2,122,508 |
| 14 | her | /hɜːr/ | determiner | belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned | 1,870,856 |
| 15 | with | /wɪð/ | preposition | in the company of; together with | 1,861,430 |
| 16 | had | /hæd/ | auxiliary verb | the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect | 1,783,673 |
| 17 | for | /fɔːr/ | preposition | intended to be given to, or used by, somebody | 1,748,598 |
| 18 | as | /æz/ | conjunction | at the same time that; because; in the way that | 1,695,092 |
| 19 | she | /ʃiː/ | pronoun | a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject | 1,583,616 |
| 20 | not | /nɑːt/ | adverb | used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative | 1,446,579 |
| 21 | is | /ɪz/ | auxiliary verb | the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun | 1,436,670 |
| 22 | but | /bʌt/ | conjunction | used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before | 1,402,511 |
| 23 | at | /æt/ | preposition | in or near a particular place or position | 1,365,096 |
| 24 | on | /ɑːn/ | preposition | touching and supported by a surface | 1,250,256 |
| 25 | him | /hɪm/ | pronoun | the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition | 1,211,808 |
| 26 | be | /biː/ | auxiliary verb | used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses | 1,182,629 |
| 27 | my | /maɪ/ | determiner | belonging to the person speaking | 1,107,537 |
| 28 | have | /hæv/ | auxiliary verb | used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses | 1,088,636 |
| 29 | me | /miː/ | pronoun | the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition | 973,753 |
| 30 | this | /ðɪs/ | determiner | used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned | 960,447 |
| 31 | by | /baɪ/ | preposition | showing who or what does the action | 918,025 |
| 32 | all | /ɔːl/ | adjective | (quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amoun… | 913,409 |
| 33 | they | /ðeɪ/ | pronoun | the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject | 911,663 |
| 34 | said | /sed/ | adjective | being the one previously mentioned or spoken of | 902,775 |
| 35 | from | /frʌm/ | preposition | showing where something starts, or who sent it | 867,136 |
| 36 | which | /wɪtʃ/ | pronoun | used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned | 862,365 |
| 37 | so | /soʊ/ | conjunction | for that reason; with the result that | 839,566 |
| 38 | were | /wɜːr/ | auxiliary verb | the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun | 761,531 |
| 39 | one | /wʌn/ | pronoun | used to mean any person in general, including the speaker | 735,147 |
| 40 | no | /noʊ/ | determiner | not any; not one | 695,262 |
| 41 | there | /ðer/ | adverb | in or at that place or location | 668,620 |
| 42 | would | /wʊd/ | modal verb | used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past | 666,822 |
| 43 | we | /wiː/ | pronoun | the speaker together with one or more other people | 664,096 |
| 44 | if | /ɪf/ | conjunction | on condition that; in the event that | 659,058 |
| 45 | when | /wen/ | conjunction | at the time that | 639,423 |
| 46 | what | /wʌt/ | pronoun | used to ask for information about something | 639,157 |
| 47 | an | /æn/ | determiner | the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound | 607,662 |
| 48 | or | /ɔːr/ | conjunction | used to join alternatives or possibilities | 603,336 |
| 49 | who | /huː/ | pronoun | which person or people | 589,048 |
| 50 | are | /ɑːr/ | auxiliary verb | the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun | 585,623 |
| 51 | them | /ðem/ | pronoun | the people or things already mentioned, as the object | 572,056 |
| 52 | will | /wɪl/ | modal verb | used to talk about the future, or about willingness | 552,262 |
| 53 | been | /bɪn/ | auxiliary verb | the past participle of “be” | 543,559 |
| 54 | their | /ðer/ | determiner | belonging to the people or things already mentioned | 541,197 |
| 55 | out | /aʊt/ | adjective | not allowed to continue to bat or run | 526,995 |
| 56 | then | /ðen/ | adverb | subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors) | 506,480 |
| 57 | up | /ʌp/ | adjective | being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former posit… | 505,325 |
| 58 | your | /jɔːr/ | determiner | belonging to the person or people being spoken to | 501,990 |
| 59 | do | /duː/ | auxiliary verb | used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis | 497,851 |
| 60 | could | /kʊd/ | modal verb | the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests | 461,080 |
| 61 | now | /naʊ/ | adverb | in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events | 449,577 |
| 62 | more | /mɔːr/ | adjective | (comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or am… | 438,308 |
| 63 | man | /mæn/ | noun | an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman) | 426,608 |
| 64 | into | /ˈɪntuː/ | preposition | moving to the inside of something | 410,444 |
| 65 | little | /ˈlɪtəl/ | adjective | limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent | 392,019 |
| 66 | like | /laɪk/ | verb | prefer or wish to do something | 387,856 |
| 67 | very | /ˈveri/ | adjective | precisely as stated | 380,927 |
| 68 | some | /sʌm/ | adjective | (quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecifi… | 376,177 |
| 69 | did | /dɪd/ | auxiliary verb | the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives | 367,271 |
| 70 | about | /əˈbaʊt/ | preposition | on the subject of; concerning | 365,295 |
| 71 | time | /taɪm/ | noun | an instance or single occasion for some event | 352,764 |
| 72 | upon | /əˈpɑːn/ | preposition | a formal word for “on” | 349,783 |
| 73 | know | /noʊ/ | verb | be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge o… | 340,489 |
| 74 | than | /ðæn/ | conjunction | used to introduce the second part of a comparison | 334,877 |
| 75 | see | /siː/ | verb | perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight | 332,739 |
| 76 | has | /hæz/ | auxiliary verb | the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun | 320,445 |
| 77 | only | /ˈoʊnli/ | adverb | and nothing more | 318,542 |
| 78 | well | /wel/ | adverb | (often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a hig… | 306,961 |
| 79 | Mr | /ˈmɪstər/ | noun | a form of address for a man | 300,131 |
| 80 | before | /bɪˈfɔːr/ | preposition | earlier than; in front of | 298,511 |
| 81 | any | /ˈeni/ | adjective | one or some or every or all without specification | 296,738 |
| 82 | down | /daʊn/ | adjective | being or moving lower in position or less in some value | 293,124 |
| 83 | our | /ˈaʊər/ | determiner | belonging to the speaker and others | 287,222 |
| 84 | come | /kʌm/ | verb | move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody | 285,708 |
| 85 | over | /ˈoʊvər/ | preposition | above and across; more than | 280,861 |
| 86 | never | /ˈnevər/ | adverb | not ever; at no time in the past or future | 278,700 |
| 87 | after | /ˈæftər/ | preposition | later than; following | 276,744 |
| 88 | can | /kæn/ | modal verb | to be able to, or to be allowed to | 276,532 |
| 89 | other | /ˈʌðər/ | adjective | not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied | 276,137 |
| 90 | old | /oʊld/ | adjective | (used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a spec… | 273,332 |
| 91 | good | /ɡʊd/ | adjective | having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified | 272,724 |
| 92 | should | /ʃʊd/ | modal verb | used to say what is right, expected, or advisable | 272,320 |
| 93 | made | /meɪd/ | adjective | produced by a manufacturing process | 270,542 |
| 94 | go | /ɡoʊ/ | verb | change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically | 264,188 |
| 95 | must | /mʌst/ | modal verb | used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true | 262,819 |
| 96 | two | /tuː/ | noun | the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number | 262,485 |
| 97 | such | /sʌtʃ/ | determiner | of the kind already mentioned | 258,012 |
| 98 | us | /ʌs/ | pronoun | the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition | 254,337 |
| 99 | much | /mʌtʃ/ | adverb | to a great degree or extent | 253,404 |
| 100 | came | /keɪm/ | verb | inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach… | 251,690 |
| 101 | here | /hiːr/ | adverb | in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is | 251,103 |
| 102 | great | /ɡreɪt/ | adjective | relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind | 245,255 |
| 103 | its | /ɪts/ | determiner | belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned | 245,031 |
| 104 | where | /wer/ | conjunction | in or at the place that | 243,503 |
| 105 | am | /æm/ | auxiliary verb | the form of “be” used with “I” | 243,322 |
| 106 | say | /seɪ/ | verb | express in words | 240,784 |
| 107 | himself | /hɪmˈself/ | pronoun | used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object | 234,781 |
| 108 | again | /əˈɡen/ | adverb | anew | 230,977 |
| 109 | these | /ðiːz/ | determiner | the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned | 230,125 |
| 110 | think | /θɪŋk/ | verb | judge or regard; look upon; judge | 229,242 |
| 111 | back | /bæk/ | adverb | in or to or toward a former location | 229,181 |
| 112 | way | /weɪ/ | noun | how something is done or how it happens | 229,047 |
| 113 | day | /deɪ/ | noun | time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis | 225,734 |
| 114 | first | /fɜːrst/ | adjective | preceding all others in time or space or degree | 222,146 |
| 115 | too | /tuː/ | adverb | to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits | 220,731 |
| 116 | eyes | /aɪz/ | noun | opinion or judgment | 220,476 |
| 117 | own | /oʊn/ | verb | have ownership or possession of | 220,229 |
| 118 | may | /meɪ/ | modal verb | used to say something is possible, or to give permission | 213,291 |
| 119 | might | /maɪt/ | modal verb | used to say something is possible but not certain | 209,810 |
| 120 | went | /went/ | verb | inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically | 209,232 |
| 121 | long | /lɔːŋ/ | adjective | primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than averag… | 208,313 |
| 122 | thought | /θɔːt/ | noun | the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about | 204,700 |
| 123 | shall | /ʃæl/ | modal verb | used with I and we for the future, or to offer and suggest | 199,754 |
| 124 | make | /meɪk/ | verb | engage in | 198,965 |
| 125 | life | /laɪf/ | noun | a characteristic state or mode of living | 198,943 |
| 126 | through | /θruː/ | preposition | from one end or side of something to the other | 195,367 |
| 127 | just | /dʒʌst/ | adverb | and nothing more | 194,670 |
| 128 | away | /əˈweɪ/ | adverb | from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete) | 194,241 |
| 129 | men | /men/ | noun | the force of workers available | 193,981 |
| 130 | hand | /hænd/ | noun | the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb | 193,010 |
| 131 | even | /ˈiːvɪn/ | adjective | divisible by two | 185,978 |
| 132 | face | /feɪs/ | noun | the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear | 185,392 |
| 133 | young | /jʌŋ/ | adjective | (used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or… | 183,977 |
| 134 | take | /teɪk/ | verb | carry out | 183,772 |
| 135 | without | /wɪˈθaʊt/ | preposition | not having, not using, or not accompanied by | 182,353 |
| 136 | last | /læst/ | adjective | immediately past | 181,343 |
| 137 | those | /ðoʊz/ | determiner | the plural of “that”: the people or things further away, or already known | 180,840 |
| 138 | still | /stɪl/ | adjective | not in physical motion | 179,839 |
| 139 | nothing | /ˈnʌθɪŋ/ | pronoun | not one thing; not anything | 173,379 |
| 140 | yet | /jet/ | conjunction | but in spite of that | 173,008 |
| 141 | while | /waɪl/ | conjunction | during the time that | 170,679 |
| 142 | tell | /tel/ | verb | express in words | 170,286 |
| 143 | most | /moʊst/ | adverb | used to form the superlative | 169,242 |
| 144 | Mrs | /ˈmɪsɪz/ | noun | a form of address for a married woman | 167,343 |
| 145 | every | /ˈevəri/ | determiner | all the members of a group, with none left out | 165,146 |
| 146 | house | /haʊs/ | noun | a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families | 163,250 |
| 147 | head | /hed/ | noun | the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the… | 162,785 |
| 148 | once | /wʌns/ | adverb | on one occasion | 162,597 |
| 149 | get | /ɡet/ | verb | come into the possession of something concrete or abstract | 162,069 |
| 150 | saw | /sɔː/ | verb | cut with a saw | 161,840 |
| 151 | let | /let/ | auxiliary verb | used to make a suggestion or a command including the speaker | 160,522 |
| 152 | though | /ðoʊ/ | conjunction | in spite of the fact that | 160,404 |
| 153 | why | /waɪ/ | noun | the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the… | 158,254 |
| 154 | looked | /lʊkt/ | verb | past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards | 157,623 |
| 155 | being | /ˈbiːɪŋ/ | auxiliary verb | the -ing form of “be” | 156,455 |
| 156 | look | /lʊk/ | verb | perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards | 153,925 |
| 157 | many | /ˈmeni/ | adjective | a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “as” or “too” o… | 153,746 |
| 158 | off | /ɔːf/ | adverb | from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete) | 152,021 |
| 159 | love | /lʌv/ | noun | a strong positive emotion of regard and affection | 151,622 |
| 160 | ever | /ˈevər/ | adverb | at any time | 150,173 |
| 161 | sir | /sɜːr/ | noun | term of address for a man | 149,417 |
| 162 | seemed | /siːmd/ | verb | past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect | 146,808 |
| 163 | found | /faʊnd/ | verb | set up or found | 146,714 |
| 164 | right | /raɪt/ | adverb | precisely, exactly | 146,601 |
| 165 | night | /naɪt/ | noun | the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside | 146,212 |
| 166 | place | /pleɪs/ | noun | a point located with respect to surface features of some region | 144,366 |
| 167 | took | /tʊk/ | verb | inflected form of “take” — carry out | 142,826 |
| 168 | left | /left/ | noun | location near or direction toward the left side; i.e. the side to the north when a pers… | 142,720 |
| 169 | asked | /æskt/ | verb | past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody | 140,952 |
| 170 | another | /əˈnʌðər/ | determiner | one more of the same kind, or a different one | 139,985 |
| 171 | people | /ˈpiːpəl/ | noun | (plural) any group of human beings (men or women or children) collectively | 139,473 |
| 172 | got | /ɡɑːt/ | verb | inflected form of “get” — come into the possession of something concrete or abstract | 138,274 |
| 173 | heart | /hɑːrt/ | noun | the locus of feelings and intuitions | 137,116 |
| 174 | father | /ˈfɑːðər/ | noun | a male parent (also used as a term of address to your father) | 136,384 |
| 175 | yes | /jes/ | noun | an affirmative | 136,254 |
| 176 | put | /pʊt/ | verb | put into a certain place or abstract location | 136,175 |
| 177 | give | /ɡɪv/ | verb | cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense | 135,655 |
| 178 | oh | /oʊ/ | noun | a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region | 134,832 |
| 179 | knew | /nuː/ | verb | inflected form of “know” — be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of infor… | 134,710 |
| 180 | going | /ˈɡoʊɪŋ/ | noun | the act of departing | 134,167 |
| 181 | always | /ˈɔːlweɪz/ | adverb | at all times; all the time and on every occasion | 132,569 |
| 182 | under | /ˈʌndər/ | preposition | below or beneath something; less than | 132,263 |
| 183 | heard | /hɜːrd/ | adjective | detected or perceived by the sense of hearing | 132,128 |
| 184 | mind | /maɪnd/ | noun | The element of a person that enables awareness and thought. | 131,234 |
| 185 | woman | /ˈwʊmən/ | noun | an adult female person (as opposed to a man) | 129,980 |
| 186 | things | /θɪŋz/ | noun | any movable possession (especially articles of clothing) | 129,587 |
| 187 | thing | /θɪŋ/ | noun | a special situation | 128,579 |
| 188 | same | /seɪm/ | adjective | Identical; not different. | 128,365 |
| 189 | something | /ˈsʌmθɪŋ/ | pronoun | a thing, without saying which | 126,822 |
| 190 | told | /toʊld/ | verb | inflected form of “tell” — express in words | 125,958 |
| 191 | room | /ruːm/ | noun | an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling | 125,539 |
| 192 | moment | /ˈmoʊmənt/ | noun | a particular point in time | 124,650 |
| 193 | new | /nuː/ | adjective | not of long duration; having just (or relatively recently) come into being or been made… | 124,377 |
| 194 | door | /dɔːr/ | noun | a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or veh… | 123,390 |
| 195 | world | /wɜːrld/ | noun | everything that exists anywhere | 121,118 |
| 196 | three | /θriː/ | noun | the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one | 119,374 |
| 197 | lady | /ˈleɪdi/ | noun | a polite name for any woman | 117,928 |
| 198 | because | /bɪˈkɔːz/ | conjunction | for the reason that | 116,352 |
| 199 | better | /ˈbetər/ | adjective | (comparative of “good”) superior to another (of the same class or set or kind) in excel… | 116,117 |
| 200 | done | /dʌn/ | adjective | having finished or arrived at completion | 115,821 |
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Words are learned where they live. Every entry here links into a chapter that uses it, and the library holds 9,875 complete books to read them in.