1200 most frequently used words in the English language
☞ Finds
This list is from Rebecca Sitton’s “Spelling Sourcebook,” pages 77-82. It is a “cross-referenced compilation” of several massive word studies, including the American Heritage Word Frequency Study (Carroll, Davies, Richman), and several other studies, including the work of Gates, Horn, Rinsland, Greene and Loomer, Harris and Jacobsen.
- a
- ability
- able
- about
- above
- accept
- accident
- according
- account
- across
- act
- action
- activities
- actually
- add
- addition
- address
- affect
- afraid
- after
- afternoon
- again
- against
- age
- ago
- agree
- ahead
- air
- alive
- all
- allowed
- almost
- alone
- along
- already
- also
- although
- altogether
- always
- am
- American
- among
- amount
- an
- ancient
- and
- angle
- angry
- animal
- animals
- another
- answer
- any
- anyone
- anything
- apart
- apartment
- appear
- apply
- are
- area
- arm
- army
- around
- arrange
- arrived
- article
- as
- ask
- asked
- at
- ate
- attached
- attention
- audience
- author
- available
- avenue
- average
- avoid
- away
- baby
- back
- bad
- bag
- balance
- ball
- band
- bank
- barbecue
- base
- baseball
- basic
- be
- bear
- beat
- beautiful
- became
- because
- become
- bed
- been
- before
- began
- begin
- behind
- being
- believe
- belong
- below
- beneath
- beside
- best
- better
- between
- beyond
- bicycle
- big
- bill
- bird
- bit
- black
- blood
- blow
- blue
- board
- boat
- body
- book
- born
- both
- bottle
- bottom
- bought
- box
- boy
- bread
- break
- breakfast
- breath
- bright
- bring
- broke
- broken
- brother
- brought
- brown
- build
- built
- burn
- bus
- business
- busy
- but
- buy
- by
- cabin
- called
- came
- camp
- can
- cancel
- cannot
- can’t
- capital
- captain
- car
- care
- careful
- carefully
- carry
- case
- cat
- catch
- cattle
- caught
- cause
- cent
- center
- century
- certain
- chair
- chance
- change
- chapter
- character
- charge
- check
- chief
- child
- children
- choose
- church
- circle
- citizen
- city
- class
- clean
- clear
- climate
- climbed
- close
- clothes
- coast
- coat
- coffee
- cold
- collect
- college
- color
- column
- combine
- come
- common
- community
- company
- compare
- complete
- concern
- condition
- connect
- consider
- construction
- contain
- continue
- control
- conversation
- convince
- cook
- cool
- copy
- corn
- corner
- correct
- cost
- cotton
- could
- couldn’t
- council
- count
- country
- couple
- courage
- course
- cover
- cross
- crowd
- current
- cut
- daily
- dance
- danger
- dangerous
- dark
- daughter
- day
- dead
- deal
- dear
- death
- decide
- deep
- describe
- desert
- design
- details
- determined
- develop
- dictionary
- did
- didn’t
- die
- difference
- different
- difficult
- dinner
- direction
- disappear
- discover
- discuss
- disease
- distance
- divide
- do
- doctor
- does
- doesn’t
- dog
- dollars
- dome
- don’t
- door
- double
- down
- dozen
- draw
- dress
- drink
- drive
- drop
- drove
- dry
- during
- dust
- each
- early
- earth
- east
- easy
- eat
- edge
- education
- effect
- eight
- either
- electric
- electricity
- else
- employee
- empty
- end
- enemy
- energy
- engine
- English
- enjoy
- enough
- entered
- entire
- environment
- equal
- equipment
- escape
- especially
- even
- evening
- event
- ever
- every
- everybody
- everyone
- everything
- evidence
- exactly
- example
- excellent
- except
- excited
- exercise
- expect
- experience
- experiment
- explain
- express
- extra
- eye
- face
- fact
- factory
- fair
- fall
- familiar
- family
- famous
- far
- farm
- farmer
- farther
- fast
- father
- favorite
- fear
- feather
- feed
- feel
- feet
- fell
- felt
- few
- field
- fifty
- fight
- figure
- fill
- final
- finally
- find
- fine
- finger
- finish
- fire
- first
- fish
- fit
- five
- flat
- flew
- flight
- floor
- flower
- fly
- follow
- food
- foot
- for
- for
- force
- foreign
- forest
- forget
- form
- forth
- forward
- found
- free
- frequently
- fresh
- friend
- frighten
- from
- front
- frozen
- fruit
- full
- fun
- function
- furniture
- further
- future
- game
- garage
- garden
- gas
- gave
- general
- get
- girl
- give
- glad
- glass
- go
- going
- gold
- gone
- good
- got
- government
- grass
- gray
- great
- green
- grew
- groceries
- ground
- group
- grow
- grown
- guess
- guide
- gun
- had
- hair
- half
- hand
- happen
- happened
- happy
- hard
- has
- hat
- have
- he
- head
- healthy
- hear
- heard
- heart
- heart
- heat
- heavy
- height
- held
- help
- her
- here
- herself
- he’s
- high
- hill
- him
- himself
- his
- history
- hit
- hold
- hole
- home
- hope
- horse
- hospital
- hot
- hour
- house
- how
- however
- huge
- human
- hundred
- hungry
- hurt
- husband
- I
- ice
- I’d
- idea
- identity
- if
- I’ll
- I’m
- imagine
- immediately
- important
- improve
- in
- inch
- include
- increase
- indeed
- indicate
- individual
- industry
- influence
- information
- insects
- inside
- instance
- instead
- instrument
- interest
- into
- iron
- is
- island
- isn’t
- it
- its
- it’s
- itself
- I’ve
- job
- join
- jump
- just
- keep
- kept
- key
- kind
- king
- kitchen
- knew
- knife
- know
- knowledge
- lady
- laid
- land
- language
- large
- last
- late
- later
- laugh
- law
- lay
- lead
- leader
- learn
- learned
- least
- leather
- leave
- leaves
- led
- left
- length
- less
- let
- letter
- level
- library
- license
- lie
- life
- light
- like
- line
- liquid
- list
- listen
- little
- live
- lived
- living
- located
- long
- longer
- look
- lose
- lost
- lot
- loud
- love
- low
- machine
- made
- magazine
- main
- major
- make
- man
- many
- map
- mark
- market
- married
- match
- material
- matter
- may
- maybe
- me
- mean
- meant
- measure
- meat
- medicine
- meet
- member
- men
- mental
- message
- met
- method
- middle
- might
- milk
- million
- mind
- mine
- minute
- miss
- mistake
- model
- modern
- moment
- money
- month
- moon
- more
- morning
- most
- mother
- motion
- motor
- mountain
- mouth
- move
- movement
- much
- muscles
- music
- must
- my
- myself
- name
- narrow
- nation
- natural
- nature
- near
- necessary
- neck
- need
- neighbor
- neither
- never
- new
- newspaper
- next
- nice
- night
- nine
- no
- nobody
- noise
- none
- nor
- north
- northern
- nose
- not
- note
- nothing
- notice
- now
- number
- object
- observe
- occur
- ocean
- of
- off
- offered
- office
- often
- oh
- oil
- old
- on
- once
- one
- only
- onto
- open
- operation
- opportunity
- opposite
- or
- order
- ordinary
- organize
- original
- other
- our
- out
- outside
- over
- own
- oxygen
- page
- paid
- pair
- paper
- parents
- particular
- party
- pass
- past
- path
- pattern
- pay
- peace
- pencil
- people
- perfect
- perhaps
- period
- person
- personal
- physical
- pick
- picture
- piece
- place
- plain
- plan
- plane
- planet
- plants
- play
- please
- poem
- point
- police
- political
- poor
- popular
- population
- position
- possible
- potatoes
- pound
- power
- practice
- prepare
- present
- president
- pressure
- pretty
- prevent
- principal
- probably
- problem
- process
- produce
- product
- program
- progress
- project
- pronounce
- proper
- protect
- proud
- provide
- public
- pull
- purpose
- push
- put
- quality
- quarter
- question
- quick
- quiet
- quite
- race
- radio
- railroad
- rain
- raise
- ran
- rat
- rather
- reach
- read
- reading
- ready
- real
- realize
- really
- reason
- receive
- recently
- recognize
- recommend
- record
- red
- region
- regular
- remain
- remember
- repeat
- report
- represent
- required
- rest
- result
- return
- review
- rhythm
- rich
- ride
- right
- ring
- rise
- river
- road
- rock
- rode
- room
- rope
- rose
- rough
- round
- row
- rubber
- rule
- run
- sad
- safe
- said
- salt
- same
- sand
- sat
- saw
- say
- scale
- school
- science
- sea
- season
- seat
- second
- secret
- section
- see
- seem
- seen
- sell
- send
- sense
- sent
- sentence
- separate
- serious
- service
- set
- settled
- seven
- several
- shape
- share
- sharp
- she
- sheep
- shell
- ship
- shook
- shop
- shore
- short
- shot
- should
- shoulder
- show
- shown
- side
- sight
- sign
- silent
- silver
- similar
- simple
- since
- sincerely
- sing
- single
- sister
- sit
- situation
- six
- size
- skin
- sky
- sleep
- slow
- small
- snow
- so
- social
- soft
- soil
- sold
- soldier
- solid
- solution
- solve
- some
- someone
- something
- son
- song
- soon
- sort
- sound
- south
- southern
- space
- speak
- special
- speech
- speed
- spelling
- spend
- spent
- spoke
- spot
- spread
- spring
- square
- stage
- stand
- standard
- star
- start
- state
- statement
- station
- stay
- steam
- steel
- step
- stick
- still
- stomach
- stone
- stood
- stop
- store
- story
- straight
- strange
- stream
- street
- strength
- string
- strong
- structure
- students
- study
- style
- subject
- success
- such
- suddenly
- sugar
- suggested
- summer
- sun
- supply
- support
- suppose
- sure
- surface
- surprise
- swimming
- symbol
- system
- table
- tail
- take
- talk
- tall
- teacher
- team
- teeth
- telephone
- television
- tell
- temperature
- ten
- terrible
- test
- than
- thank
- that
- that’s - the
- their
- them
- themselves
- then
- there
- therefore
- these
- they
- they’re
- thick
- thin
- thing
- think
- third
- this
- those
- though
- thought
- thousand
- three
- threw
- through
- throughout
- thus
- till
- time
- tiny
- title
- to
- today
- together
- told
- tomorrow
- tongue
- too
- took
- top
- total
- touch
- toward
- town
- trade
- traffic
- train
- transportation
- travel
- tree
- trip
- trouble
- truck
- true
- try
- tube
- turn
- turned
- twelve
- twenty
- twice
- two
- type
- under
- understand
- unit
- United States
- unless
- until
- up
- upon
- us
- use
- useful
- usual
- usually
- valley
- value
- variety
- various
- vegetable
- very
- village
- visit
- voice
- wait
- walked
- wall
- want
- war
- warm
- was
- wasn’t
- waste
- watch
- water
- way
- we
- wear
- weather
- week
- weight
- well
- we’ll
- went
- were
- we’re
- west
- wet
- what
- wheel
- when
- whenever
- where
- whether
- which
- while
- whisper
- white
- who
- whole
- whose
- why
- wide
- wife
- wild
- will
- wind
- window
- winter
- wire
- wish
- with
- within
- without
- woman
- women
- won
- wonder
- won’t
- wood
- wooden
- words
- work
- world
- worse
- worth
- would
- wouldn’t
- write
- wrong
- wrote
- yard
- year
- yellow
- yes
- yesterday
- yet
- you
- you’ll
- young
- your
- you’re
- yourself