Think of all the words we speak and texts we send in a day. Do you ever wonder what your most commonly used words are? In a world of blogs, articles, Netflix marathons, text messages, and DMs, you may or may not be surprised by the 100 most commonly spoken words in English.
Top 100 Words in English
Word Frequency publishes and updates the Corpus of Contemporary American English's list of the top 5,000 words in American English. Looking at 5,000 words might be a little much to take in. However, the top 100 is more doable. To get you started, dive into the top 10 most commonly used American English words.
the
be
and
a
of
to
in
I
you
it
Top Verbs Used in English
The top 10 common words probably didn’t come as any surprise. You use these all the time when speaking or writing. One of them was probably in a text you wrote today. Next on the list of the top 100 words are the verbs most frequently used. These are the words that show your action or thoughts in a sentence.
can
come
could
do
find
get
give
go
have
know
like
look
make
say
see
take
tell
think
use
want
will
would
Most Common Nouns Used in English
While English speakers use a lot of different verbs throughout their day, they are a bit pickier about the nouns they choose. However, there are so many different proper nouns that you use; you only need a few to describe a person, place or thing.
day
man
need
people
thing
time
way
year
Top Pronouns Used in English
More often than not, you might use a pronoun rather than a noun. Pronouns are those words that you use to replace nouns. And there are different types of pronouns out there. See a few of the most common ones.
he
him
me
she
that
them
these
they
this
us
we
what
who
Common English Adjectives
English speakers like to modify their nouns or describe them. You can create huge lists of adjectives. However, these common ones called out by Word Frequency can get you started.
all
any
first
good
her
his
just
more
my
new
one
other
our
some
their
two
your
Top Adverbs Used in Conversations
Not to be overshadowed by their adjective siblings, several common adverbs made the list as well. Some of these should definitely look familiar to you.
about
also
as
here
how
no
not
now
out
so
then
there
up
very
well
when
which
Common Prepositions Used in Daily Life
If you use a lot of nouns, pronouns and even verbs, you have to have a way to link them. This is where your prepositions come in. Many words in this list of prepositions you probably use on a daily basis.
at
by
for
from
into
on
to
with
Most Common Conjunctions
Rounding out the 100 most common English words, it’s time to look at the most common conjunctions. The list of these isn’t long, but they are powerful words.
because
but
if
or
than
British, American and Australian English
World English went ahead and ranked the top 500 words in British English, American English and Australian English by referencing contemporary newspapers, magazines, books, tv, radio, and conversations. Check out the words that landed in their top ten.
the
of
to
and
a
in
is
it
you
that
You'll notice "the" landed in the number one spot on both lists. However, there are some differences in the international list. For example, the words "sound," "hot" and "said" landed on the 100 most common English words on the international list but not the American list.
What Are Your Favorite Words?
It might not seem like it’s important to know the top 100 English words used in daily life, but it’s actually quite important. When you are learning English, knowing these words can help you navigate the language more quickly and effectively. Therefore, you’ll see a lot of these words on Dolch spelling lists for kids.
What's your most commonly spoken word? If you had to guess, how many times do you think you use the word "the" in a day? It would be a lot. So as you continue to craft careful prose and meaningful excerpts, remember to use common, relatable words while avoiding overused cliches.