100 words · English
The 100 most common English words
All 100 words, each with its pronunciation and a sentence it appears in.
The first hundred words of any language carry an outsized share of everything said in it: in English the first thousand word families already cover about 72% of written text and over 80% of speech, and the curve is steepest right at the start.
This is the exact the 100 most common english words set the LearnScreen app reviews — every word with its pronunciation and a sentence it appears in — so nothing here is a sample of something larger you have to pay to see.
All 100 words
| # | Word | IPA | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | the | /ðə/ | The book is on the table. |
| 2 | be | /biː/ | I will be at home today. |
| 3 | to | /tuː/ | I go to school every day. |
| 4 | of | /ɒv/ | A cup of tea, please. |
| 5 | a | /eɪ/ | I have a new phone. |
| 6 | in | /ɪn/ | The cat is in the box. |
| 7 | these | /ðiːz/ | These flowers are very beautiful. |
| 8 | them | /ðem/ | I gave them my phone number. |
| 9 | for | /fɔːr/ | This gift is for you. |
| 10 | on | /ɒn/ | The keys are on the table. |
| 11 | without | /wɪðˈaʊt/ | I can't live without music. |
| 12 | as | /æz/ | He works as a teacher. |
| 13 | at | /æt/ | We meet at the park. |
| 14 | by | /baɪ/ | This book is by my friend. |
| 15 | from | /frɒm/ | I am from Japan. |
| 16 | or | /ɔːr/ | Tea or coffee for you? |
| 17 | an | /ən/ | I need an umbrella today. |
| 18 | will | /wɪl/ | I will call you tomorrow. |
| 19 | would | /wʊd/ | I would like some water. |
| 20 | can | /kæn/ | I can swim very well. |
| 21 | could | /kʊd/ | I could hear the music. |
| 22 | should | /ʃʊd/ | You should drink more water. |
| 23 | may | /meɪ/ | It may rain tomorrow. |
| 24 | if | /ɪf/ | If you need help, ask me. |
| 25 | than | /ðæn/ | She is taller than her sister. |
| 26 | so | /soʊ/ | It was so cold outside. |
| 27 | time | /taɪm/ | What time is breakfast? |
| 28 | year | /jɪər/ | This year I will travel more. |
| 29 | people | /ˈpiːpəl/ | Many people like this park. |
| 30 | way | /weɪ/ | Which way is the station? |
| 31 | work | /wɜːrk/ | I like my work very much. |
| 32 | world | /wɜːrld/ | The world is very beautiful. |
| 33 | part | /pɑːrt/ | This is part of the plan. |
| 34 | think | /θɪŋk/ | I think this is a good idea. |
| 35 | also | /ˈɔːlsoʊ/ | She also likes chocolate. |
| 36 | back | /bæk/ | I will be back in five minutes. |
| 37 | use | /juːz/ | Can I use your phone? |
| 38 | many | /ˈmeni/ | Many people came to the party. |
| 39 | then | /ðen/ | First eat, then study. |
| 40 | some | /sʌm/ | I need some help with this. |
| 41 | well | /wel/ | She speaks English very well. |
| 42 | even | /ˈiːvən/ | Even children can do this. |
| 43 | right | /raɪt/ | Turn right at the corner. |
| 44 | still | /stɪl/ | He is still at work. |
| 45 | just | /dʒʌst/ | I just arrived at the hotel. |
| 46 | now | /naʊ/ | I am busy right now. |
| 47 | show | /ʃoʊ/ | Can you show me the map? |
| 48 | try | /traɪ/ | Let me try this new dish. |
| 49 | point | /pɔɪnt/ | What is the point of this? |
| 50 | turn | /tɜːrn/ | Turn left at the traffic light. |
| 51 | move | /muːv/ | Please don't move the chair. |
| 52 | play | /pleɪ/ | The children play in the garden. |
| 53 | live | /lɪv/ | I live in a small city. |
| 54 | start | /stɑːrt/ | The movie starts at seven. |
| 55 | stop | /stɒp/ | Please stop talking in class. |
| 56 | wait | /weɪt/ | Please wait here for me. |
| 57 | set | /set/ | Please set the alarm for six. |
| 58 | put | /pʊt/ | Put the bag on the floor. |
| 59 | pay | /peɪ/ | I need to pay the bill. |
| 60 | meet | /miːt/ | Nice to meet you again. |
| 61 | send | /send/ | I will send you an email. |
| 62 | fall | /fɔːl/ | Be careful, don't fall down. |
| 63 | cut | /kʌt/ | Please cut the bread for me. |
| 64 | reach | /riːtʃ/ | We can reach the hotel by bus. |
| 65 | stay | /steɪ/ | We will stay here for two days. |
| 66 | spend | /spend/ | Don't spend too much money. |
| 67 | happen | /ˈhæpən/ | What happened here yesterday? |
| 68 | seem | /siːm/ | It seems like a good idea. |
| 69 | become | /bɪˈkʌm/ | He wants to become a doctor. |
| 70 | remember | /rɪˈmembər/ | I remember my first day here. |
| 71 | decide | /dɪˈsaɪd/ | We need to decide quickly. |
| 72 | suggest | /səˈdʒest/ | Can you suggest a good restaurant? |
| 73 | offer | /ˈɒfər/ | They offer free breakfast here. |
| 74 | choose | /tʃuːz/ | You can choose any color you like. |
| 75 | fill | /fɪl/ | Please fill the glass with water. |
| 76 | return | /rɪˈtɜːrn/ | When will you return home? |
| 77 | support | /səˈpɔːrt/ | Thank you for your support. |
| 78 | produce | /prəˈdjuːs/ | This factory produces cars. |
| 79 | receive | /rɪˈsiːv/ | I received your message today. |
| 80 | agree | /əˈɡriː/ | I agree with your idea. |
| 81 | serve | /sɜːrv/ | This restaurant serves good food. |
| 82 | die | /daɪ/ | The flowers die without water. |
| 83 | raise | /reɪz/ | Please raise your hand to speak. |
| 84 | pass | /pæs/ | Can you pass me the salt? |
| 85 | accept | /əkˈsept/ | I accept your invitation. |
| 86 | talk | /tɔːk/ | We need to talk about this. |
| 87 | win | /wɪn/ | Our team will win the game. |
| 88 | add | /æd/ | Please add sugar to my coffee. |
| 89 | pull | /pʊl/ | Pull the door to open it. |
| 90 | teach | /tiːtʃ/ | She teaches math at school. |
| 91 | plan | /plæn/ | What is your plan for today? |
| 92 | notice | /ˈnoʊtɪs/ | Did you notice the new sign? |
| 93 | enjoy | /ɪnˈdʒɔɪ/ | I enjoy reading books at night. |
| 94 | push | /pʊʃ/ | Push the button to start. |
| 95 | wish | /wɪʃ/ | I wish you a happy new year. |
| 96 | wear | /weər/ | I wear a jacket when it's cold. |
| 97 | wonder | /ˈwʌndər/ | I wonder what time it is. |
| 98 | enter | /ˈentər/ | Please enter through the main door. |
| 99 | pick | /pɪk/ | Pick any seat you like. |
| 100 | prepare | /prɪˈpeər/ | I need to prepare for the exam. |
How to actually learn them
Learn these before anything else. Nothing else you can study has this return per word.
Reading a list is not learning it. A word needs roughly eight to twelve spaced recall attempts before it stays, which is why the useful question is not how many words to read but which words to learn first and how many words you need to speak a language.
Let the list come to you
LearnScreen blocks the apps you keep opening and shows one of these English words instead. Answer it and the app opens. The 100 words above are already in it.
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