The most common English words
This table is a measurement of our own library. Every word in 155,168 published chapters was counted — 210,375,850 word occurrences across 11,230 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 201 onward
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| Rank | Word | Sound | Part of speech | Meaning | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 201 | mother | /ˈmʌðər/ | noun | a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother) | 115,712 |
| 202 | enough | /ɪˈnʌf/ | noun | an adequate quantity; a quantity that is large enough to achieve a purpose | 115,424 |
| 203 | against | /əˈɡenst/ | preposition | touching and pressing; in opposition to | 115,142 |
| 204 | home | /hoʊm/ | noun | where you live at a particular time | 114,708 |
| 205 | Miss | /mɪs/ | verb | fail to perceive or to catch with the senses or the mind | 113,602 |
| 206 | hands | /hændz/ | noun | (with “in”) guardianship over; in divorce cases it is the right to house and care for a… | 111,956 |
| 207 | seen | /siːn/ | verb | inflected form of “see” — perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight | 110,270 |
| 208 | voice | /vɔɪs/ | noun | the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech | 110,145 |
| 209 | whom | /huːm/ | pronoun | the form of “who” used as the object of a verb or preposition | 109,797 |
| 210 | turned | /tɜːrnd/ | adjective | moved around an axis or center | 109,488 |
| 211 | poor | /puːr/ | adjective | deserving or inciting pity | 108,558 |
| 212 | find | /faɪnd/ | verb | come upon, as if by accident; meet with | 107,856 |
| 213 | years | /jɪrz/ | noun | a late time of life | 107,832 |
| 214 | few | /fjuː/ | adjective | a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “a”; a small bu… | 107,751 |
| 215 | quite | /kwaɪt/ | adverb | to a degree (not used with a negative) | 107,742 |
| 216 | dear | /dɪr/ | adjective | dearly loved | 107,446 |
| 217 | far | /fɑːr/ | adverb | to a considerable degree; very much | 105,331 |
| 218 | herself | /hərˈself/ | pronoun | used when the woman or girl doing the action is also its object | 104,002 |
| 219 | want | /wɑːnt/ | verb | feel or have a desire for; want strongly | 103,634 |
| 220 | myself | /ˌmaɪˈself/ | pronoun | used when the speaker is also the object of the action | 103,217 |
| 221 | work | /wɜːrk/ | verb | exert oneself by doing mental or physical work for a purpose or out of necessity | 102,880 |
| 222 | felt | /felt/ | verb | mat together and make felt-like | 102,674 |
| 223 | words | /wɜːrdz/ | noun | the words that are spoken | 102,620 |
| 224 | side | /saɪd/ | noun | a place within a region identified relative to a center or reference location | 102,351 |
| 225 | each | /iːtʃ/ | determiner | every one of two or more people or things, taken separately | 100,892 |
| 226 | name | /neɪm/ | verb | assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to | 100,591 |
| 227 | soon | /suːn/ | adverb | in the near future | 99,794 |
| 228 | stood | /stʊd/ | verb | Maintained an upright posture. | 99,711 |
| 229 | king | /kɪŋ/ | noun | a male sovereign; ruler of a kingdom | 99,412 |
| 230 | between | /bɪˈtwiːn/ | preposition | in the space, time, or range separating two things | 99,203 |
| 231 | gave | /ɡeɪv/ | verb | inflected form of “give” — cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense | 99,069 |
| 232 | began | /bɪˈɡæn/ | verb | inflected form of “begin” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action | 97,956 |
| 233 | morning | /ˈmɔːrnɪŋ/ | noun | the time period between dawn and noon | 97,219 |
| 234 | course | /kɔːrs/ | noun | education imparted in a series of lessons or meetings | 96,822 |
| 235 | cried | /kraɪd/ | verb | inflected form of “cry” — utter a sudden loud cry | 96,296 |
| 236 | having | /ˈhævɪŋ/ | auxiliary verb | the -ing form of “have” | 95,118 |
| 237 | girl | /ɡɜːrl/ | noun | a young female | 94,583 |
| 238 | perhaps | /pərˈhæps/ | adverb | by chance | 93,231 |
| 239 | both | /boʊθ/ | determiner | the two together, not just one | 92,951 |
| 240 | friend | /frend/ | noun | a person you know well and regard with affection and trust | 92,578 |
| 241 | almost | /ˈɔːlmoʊst/ | adverb | (of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but | 92,291 |
| 242 | nor | /nɔːr/ | conjunction | and not; used after a negative to add a second negative | 91,973 |
| 243 | word | /wɜːrd/ | noun | a unit of language that native speakers can identify | 91,684 |
| 244 | de | /diː/ | noun | a Mid-Atlantic state; one of the original 13 colonies | 91,068 |
| 245 | days | /deɪz/ | noun | the time during which someone's life continues | 91,060 |
| 246 | light | /laɪt/ | adjective | of comparatively little physical weight or density | 90,671 |
| 247 | thou | /ðaʊ/ | pronoun | an old word for “you”, as the subject, speaking to one person | 90,644 |
| 248 | anything | /ˈeniθɪŋ/ | pronoun | any thing at all | 90,191 |
| 249 | till | /tɪl/ | preposition | up to a particular time | 89,346 |
| 250 | called | /kɔːld/ | verb | past form of “call” — assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to | 89,333 |
| 251 | part | /pɑːrt/ | noun | something determined in relation to something that includes it | 88,869 |
| 252 | since | /sɪns/ | preposition | from a time in the past until now | 88,800 |
| 253 | round | /raʊnd/ | noun | a charge of ammunition for a single shot | 88,761 |
| 254 | end | /end/ | noun | either extremity of something that has length | 88,673 |
| 255 | next | /nekst/ | adjective | immediately following in time or order | 88,278 |
| 256 | also | /ˈɔːlsoʊ/ | adverb | in addition | 87,796 |
| 257 | set | /set/ | verb | put into a certain place or abstract location | 87,171 |
| 258 | whole | /hoʊl/ | adjective | including all components without exception; being one unit or constituting the full amo… | 86,811 |
| 259 | wife | /waɪf/ | noun | a married woman; a man's partner in marriage | 85,461 |
| 260 | white | /waɪt/ | noun | a Caucasian | 85,142 |
| 261 | answered | /ˈænsərd/ | verb | past form of “answer” — react verbally | 84,216 |
| 262 | rather | /ˈræðər/ | adverb | on the contrary | 83,997 |
| 263 | gone | /ɡɔːn/ | adjective | destroyed or killed | 83,819 |
| 264 | God | /ɡɑːd/ | noun | the supernatural being conceived as the perfect and omnipotent and omniscient originato… | 83,570 |
| 265 | brought | /brɔːt/ | verb | inflected form of “bring” — take something or somebody with oneself somewhere | 83,540 |
| 266 | replied | /rɪˈplaɪd/ | verb | inflected form of “reply” — react verbally | 83,421 |
| 267 | lord | /lɔːrd/ | noun | terms referring to the Judeo-Christian God | 83,135 |
| 268 | indeed | /ˌɪnˈdiːd/ | adverb | in truth (often tends to intensify) | 83,046 |
| 269 | sure | /ʃʊr/ | adjective | having or feeling no doubt or uncertainty; confident and assured | 82,203 |
| 270 | among | /əˈmʌŋ/ | preposition | surrounded by; in the middle of a group | 81,277 |
| 271 | best | /best/ | noun | the supreme effort one can make | 80,017 |
| 272 | whose | /huːz/ | determiner | belonging to which person | 79,981 |
| 273 | until | /ənˈtɪl/ | preposition | up to a particular time | 79,953 |
| 274 | half | /hæf/ | adjective | consisting of one of two equivalent parts in value or quantity | 78,974 |
| 275 | matter | /ˈmætər/ | noun | a vaguely specified concern | 78,248 |
| 276 | hear | /hiːr/ | verb | perceive (sound) via the auditory sense | 78,197 |
| 277 | however | /ˌhaʊˈevər/ | adverb | used to add a contrasting statement | 78,038 |
| 278 | does | /dʌz/ | auxiliary verb | the form of “do” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun | 77,458 |
| 279 | full | /fʊl/ | adjective | containing as much or as many as is possible or normal | 77,409 |
| 280 | keep | /kiːp/ | verb | cause to continue in a certain state, position, or activity; e.g., “keep clean” | 77,096 |
| 281 | looking | /ˈlʊkɪŋ/ | noun | the act of directing the eyes toward something and perceiving it visually | 76,972 |
| 282 | sat | /sæt/ | noun | the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christia… | 76,798 |
| 283 | believe | /bɪˈliːv/ | verb | accept as true; take to be true | 76,472 |
| 284 | together | /təˈɡeðər/ | adverb | in contact with each other or in proximity | 74,503 |
| 285 | alone | /əˈloʊn/ | adjective | Having no one else present. | 74,483 |
| 286 | passed | /pæst/ | verb | past form of “pass” — go across or through | 74,482 |
| 287 | kind | /kaɪnd/ | adjective | having or showing a tender and considerate and helpful nature; used especially of perso… | 74,463 |
| 288 | money | /ˈmʌni/ | noun | the most common medium of exchange; functions as legal tender | 74,428 |
| 289 | leave | /liːv/ | verb | go away from a place | 73,733 |
| 290 | child | /tʃaɪld/ | noun | a young person of either sex | 73,214 |
| 291 | taken | /ˈteɪkən/ | adjective | understood in a certain way; made sense of | 72,855 |
| 292 | behind | /bɪˈhaɪnd/ | preposition | at or toward the back of something | 72,837 |
| 293 | speak | /spiːk/ | verb | express in speech | 72,773 |
| 294 | boy | /bɔɪ/ | noun | a youthful male person | 72,330 |
| 295 | water | /ˈwɔːtər/ | noun | binary compound that occurs at room temperature as a clear colorless odorless tasteless… | 72,323 |
| 296 | air | /er/ | noun | a mixture of gases (especially oxygen) required for breathing; the stuff that the wind … | 71,797 |
| 297 | death | /deθ/ | noun | the event of dying or departure from life | 71,780 |
| 298 | country | /ˈkʌntri/ | noun | a politically organized body of people under a single government | 70,748 |
| 299 | hope | /hoʊp/ | noun | a specific instance of feeling hopeful | 70,721 |
| 300 | true | /truː/ | adjective | consistent with fact or reality; not false | 70,524 |
| 301 | feet | /fiːt/ | noun | plural of “foot” — the part of the leg of a human being below the ankle joint | 70,197 |
| 302 | open | /ˈoʊ.pən/ | verb | To move from a closed position. | 70,191 |
| 303 | read | /red/ | verb | interpret something that is written or printed | 68,928 |
| 304 | small | /smɔːl/ | adjective | limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent | 68,414 |
| 305 | along | /əˈlɔːŋ/ | preposition | following the length of something from one end toward the other | 68,219 |
| 306 | lay | /leɪ/ | verb | put into a certain place or abstract location | 67,908 |
| 307 | near | /nɪr/ | adverb | near in time or place or relationship | 66,836 |
| 308 | hour | /ˈaʊər/ | noun | a period of time equal to 1/24th of a day | 66,521 |
| 309 | help | /help/ | verb | give help or assistance; be of service | 66,470 |
| 310 | really | /ˈrɪli/ | adverb | in accordance with truth or fact or reality | 65,656 |
| 311 | thus | /ðʌs/ | adverb | (used to introduce a logical conclusion) from that fact or reason or as a result | 65,590 |
| 312 | wish | /wɪʃ/ | verb | hope for; have a wish | 65,117 |
| 313 | dead | /ded/ | adjective | no longer having or seeming to have or expecting to have life | 65,113 |
| 314 | women | /ˈwɪmən/ | noun | plural of “woman” — an adult female person (as opposed to a man) | 64,981 |
| 315 | says | /sez/ | noun | plural of “say” — the chance to speak | 64,391 |
| 316 | suddenly | /ˈsʌdənli/ | adverb | happening unexpectedly | 64,212 |
| 317 | mean | /miːn/ | verb | mean or intend to express or convey | 64,148 |
| 318 | thy | /ðaɪ/ | determiner | an old word for “your”, speaking to one person | 64,126 |
| 319 | call | /kɔːl/ | verb | assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to | 63,379 |
| 320 | coming | /ˈkʌmɪŋ/ | noun | the act of drawing spatially closer to something | 63,212 |
| 321 | black | /blæk/ | adjective | being of the achromatic color of maximum darkness; having little or no hue owing to abs… | 63,167 |
| 322 | letter | /ˈletər/ | noun | a written message addressed to a person or organization | 62,666 |
| 323 | least | /liːst/ | adjective | the superlative of “little” that can be used with mass nouns and is usually preceded by… | 62,604 |
| 324 | thee | /ðiː/ | pronoun | an old word for “you”, as the object, speaking to one person | 62,383 |
| 325 | less | /les/ | adverb | used to form the comparative of some adjectives and adverbs | 62,349 |
| 326 | rose | /roʊz/ | noun | any of many shrubs of the genus Rosa that bear roses | 62,233 |
| 327 | given | /ˈɡɪvən/ | adjective | acknowledged as a supposition | 62,158 |
| 328 | high | /haɪ/ | adjective | greater than normal in degree or intensity or amount | 61,895 |
| 329 | feel | /fiːl/ | verb | undergo an emotional sensation or be in a particular state of mind | 61,648 |
| 330 | lost | /lɔːst/ | adjective | no longer in your possession or control; unable to be found or recovered | 61,438 |
| 331 | rest | /rest/ | verb | not move; be in a resting position | 61,402 |
| 332 | fell | /fel/ | verb | cause to fall by or as if by delivering a blow | 61,252 |
| 333 | evening | /ˈiːvnɪŋ/ | noun | the latter part of the day (the period of decreasing daylight from late afternoon until… | 61,175 |
| 334 | certain | /ˈsɜːrtən/ | adjective | definite but not specified or identified | 60,927 |
| 335 | friends | /frendz/ | noun | plural of “friend” — a person you know well and regard with affection and trust | 60,913 |
| 336 | son | /sʌn/ | noun | a male human offspring | 60,900 |
| 337 | ask | /æsk/ | verb | make a request or demand for something to somebody | 60,852 |
| 338 | children | /ˈtʃɪldrən/ | noun | plural of “child” — a young person of either sex | 60,654 |
| 339 | already | /ɔːlˈredi/ | adverb | prior to a specified or implied time | 60,647 |
| 340 | talk | /tɔːk/ | verb | exchange thoughts; talk with | 60,343 |
| 341 | hundred | /ˈhʌndrəd/ | noun | ten 10s | 60,102 |
| 342 | present | /ˈprezənt/ | verb | give an exhibition of to an interested audience | 59,557 |
| 343 | returned | /rɪˈtɜːrnd/ | verb | past form of “return” — go or come back to place, condition, or activity where one has … | 59,531 |
| 344 | business | /ˈbɪznəs/ | noun | a commercial or industrial enterprise and the people who constitute it | 59,285 |
| 345 | fire | /ˈfaɪər/ | verb | start firing a weapon | 59,073 |
| 346 | themselves | /ðemˈselvz/ | pronoun | used when the people doing the action are also its object | 59,047 |
| 347 | above | /əˈbʌv/ | preposition | higher than, or over, something | 58,978 |
| 348 | often | /ˈɔːfən/ | adverb | many times at short intervals | 58,600 |
| 349 | care | /ker/ | noun | the work of providing treatment for or attending to someone or something | 58,413 |
| 350 | whether | /ˈweðər/ | conjunction | used to introduce two or more possibilities | 58,151 |
| 351 | held | /held/ | adjective | occupied or in the control of; often used in combination | 58,078 |
| 352 | within | /wɪˈðɪn/ | preposition | inside; before a period of time has passed | 57,824 |
| 353 | times | /taɪmz/ | noun | a more or less definite period of time now or previously present | 57,210 |
| 354 | sent | /sent/ | noun | 100 senti equal 1 kroon in Estonia | 56,566 |
| 355 | understand | /ˌʌndərˈstænd/ | verb | know and comprehend the nature or meaning of | 56,318 |
| 356 | around | /ərˈaʊnd/ | preposition | surrounding, or on every side of, something | 56,042 |
| 357 | known | /noʊn/ | adjective | apprehended with certainty | 56,016 |
| 358 | everything | /ˈevriθɪŋ/ | pronoun | all things; all of a situation | 55,822 |
| 359 | dark | /dɑːrk/ | noun | absence of light or illumination | 55,760 |
| 360 | large | /lɑːrdʒ/ | adjective | above average in size or number or quantity or magnitude or extent | 55,560 |
| 361 | sort | /sɔːrt/ | noun | a category of things distinguished by some common characteristic or quality | 55,468 |
| 362 | hard | /hɑːrd/ | adjective | not easy; requiring great physical or mental effort to accomplish or comprehend or endu… | 55,401 |
| 363 | used | /juːzd/ | adjective | employed in accomplishing something | 55,110 |
| 364 | fact | /fækt/ | noun | a piece of information about circumstances that exist or events that have occurred | 55,065 |
| 365 | table | /ˈteɪbəl/ | noun | a set of data arranged in rows and columns | 54,941 |
| 366 | nature | /ˈneɪtʃər/ | noun | the essential qualities or characteristics by which something is recognized | 54,762 |
| 367 | spoke | /spoʊk/ | noun | support consisting of a radial member of a wheel joining the hub to the rim | 54,646 |
| 368 | answer | /ˈænsər/ | verb | react verbally | 54,477 |
| 369 | captain | /ˈkæptən/ | noun | an officer holding a rank below a major but above a lieutenant | 54,328 |
| 370 | bed | /bed/ | noun | a piece of furniture that provides a place to sleep | 54,289 |
| 371 | case | /keɪs/ | noun | an occurrence of something | 54,134 |
| 372 | kept | /kept/ | adjective | (especially of promises or contracts) not violated or disregarded | 54,112 |
| 373 | arms | /ɑːrmz/ | noun | weapons considered collectively | 53,977 |
| 374 | sight | /saɪt/ | noun | an instance of visual perception | 52,984 |
| 375 | family | /ˈfæməli/ | noun | a social unit living together | 52,902 |
| 376 | live | /laɪv/ | verb | be an inhabitant of or reside in | 52,672 |
| 377 | manner | /ˈmænər/ | noun | how something is done or how it happens | 52,601 |
| 378 | strange | /streɪndʒ/ | adjective | being definitely out of the ordinary and unexpected; slightly odd or even a bit weird | 52,511 |
| 379 | towards | /təˈwɔːrdz/ | preposition | in the direction of | 52,151 |
| 380 | beautiful | /ˈbjuːtəfəl/ | adjective | delighting the senses or exciting intellectual or emotional admiration | 52,136 |
| 381 | master | /ˈmæstər/ | noun | an artist of consummate skill | 52,114 |
| 382 | fear | /fɪr/ | verb | be afraid or feel anxious or apprehensive about a possible or probable situation or eve… | 51,899 |
| 383 | suppose | /səˈpoʊz/ | verb | express a supposition | 51,851 |
| 384 | turn | /tɜːrn/ | verb | change orientation or direction, also in the abstract sense | 51,454 |
| 385 | four | /fɔːr/ | noun | the cardinal number that is the sum of three and one | 51,262 |
| 386 | followed | /ˈfɑːloʊd/ | verb | past form of “follow” — to travel behind, go after, come after | 50,969 |
| 387 | happy | /ˈhæpi/ | adjective | enjoying or showing or marked by joy or pleasure | 50,817 |
| 388 | soul | /soʊl/ | noun | the immaterial part of a person; the actuating cause of an individual life | 50,806 |
| 389 | reason | /ˈriːzən/ | noun | a rational motive for a belief or action | 50,573 |
| 390 | thousand | /ˈθaʊzənd/ | noun | the cardinal number that is the product of 10 and 100 | 50,489 |
| 391 | order | /ˈɔːrdər/ | noun | (often plural) a command given by a superior (e.g., a military or law enforcement offic… | 50,430 |
| 392 | across | /əˈkrɔːs/ | preposition | from one side of something to the other | 50,348 |
| 393 | return | /rɪˈtɜːrn/ | verb | go or come back to place, condition, or activity where one has been before | 50,329 |
| 394 | pretty | /ˈprɪti/ | adjective | pleasing by delicacy or grace; not imposing | 50,309 |
| 395 | use | /juːs/ | noun | the act of using | 50,305 |
| 396 | brother | /ˈbrʌðər/ | noun | a male with the same parents as someone else | 50,279 |
| 397 | short | /ʃɔːrt/ | adjective | primarily temporal sense; indicating or being or seeming to be limited in duration | 50,205 |
| 398 | making | /ˈmeɪkɪŋ/ | noun | the act that results in something coming to be | 50,078 |
| 399 | ready | /ˈredi/ | adjective | completely prepared or in condition for immediate action or use or progress | 49,847 |
| 400 | town | /taʊn/ | noun | an urban area with a fixed boundary that is smaller than a city | 49,768 |
A word list is only half of it
Words are learned where they live. Every entry here links into a chapter that uses it, and the library holds 11,230 complete books to read them in.