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English vocabulary

3,409 words from real stories, organized by topic and frequency. Hear the pronunciation, read examples and find pictures for concrete words. Practice any list for free, without an account.

3,409words to discover
6,276meanings in context
149stories to explore

English vocabulary lists by topic

Choose a topic to see its words and their meanings. Listen to any word, then practice the whole list.

Family & relationships

FlashcardsMeaning quiz
  • family/ˈfæməli/a group of related people; relatives
  • friend/frɛnd/person you have a friendly relationship with
  • parent/ˈpɛrənt/mother or father
  • son/sʌn/male child
  • father/ˈfɑːðər/male parent
  • dad/dæd/the name or title “Dad”

The 100 most common English words

Ranked by how often each word appears across 149 English stories. Start here: these words make up a large share of everything you read.

  1. 1the/ðiː/definite article marking a specific noun
  2. 2to/tuː/marks an infinitive verb
  3. 3and/ænd/joins words or phrases
  4. 4in/ɪn/inside or within a place
  5. 5of/əv/links a part or position to its whole
  6. 6a/ə/singular indefinite article
  7. 7is/ɪz/present copula linking a subject to an adjective
  8. 8that/ðæt/demonstrative pronoun
  9. 9be/biː/copular be: links a subject to a complement
  10. 10you/juː/second-person subject pronoun
  11. 11it/ɪt/singular inanimate object pronoun
  12. 12I/aɪ/first-person singular subject pronoun
  13. 13this/ðɪs/demonstrative pronoun: this thing or situation
  14. 14for/fɔr/during a period of time
  15. 15on/ɑn/touching or resting on a surface
  16. 16not/nɑt/negates a verb phrase
  17. 17with/wɪð/having or possessing
  18. 18have/hæv/possess or bear
  19. 19was/wʌz/past singular be, linking a subject to a description
  20. 20from/frʌm/sent by a person
  21. 21as/æz/in the role or capacity of
  22. 22my/maɪ/possessive determiner: belonging to me
  23. 23he/hiː/third-person singular masculine subject pronoun
  24. 24do/duː/auxiliary marking questions or negation
  25. 25we/wiː/first-person plural subject pronoun
  26. 26at/æt/direction of visual attention
  27. 27so/soʊ/conclusion or continuation marker
  28. 28by/baɪ/no later than a specified time
  29. 29me/miː/speaker as recipient or addressee
  30. 30one/wʌn/the number 1; a single unit
  31. 31but/bʌt/contrastive conjunction
  32. 32like/laɪk/comparison marker: similar to; resembling
  33. 33what/wʌt/interrogative pronoun asking which thing or information
  34. 34or/ɔr/joins alternatives
  35. 35an/æn/indefinite article before a vowel sound
  36. 36all/ɔːl/the complete group, used as a pronoun
  37. 37who/huː/relative pronoun referring to a person
  38. 38his/hɪz/possessive determiner: belonging to a male person
  39. 39they/ðeɪ/third-person plural subject pronoun
  40. 40her/hɝ/possessive determiner for a female person
  41. 41if/ɪf/introduces a condition
  42. 42can/kæn/modal auxiliary expressing ability or possibility
  43. 43will/wɪl/marks a decision or intention
  44. 44she/ʃiː/feminine singular subject pronoun
  45. 45just/dʒʌst/merely; no more than
  46. 46about/əˈbaʊt/concerning; on the topic of
  47. 47when/wɛn/at the time that
  48. 48also/ˈɔːlsoʊ/adds another item or fact
  49. 49now/naʊ/at the present time
  50. 50get/ɡɛt/obtain
  51. 51see/siː/visually perceive
  52. 52say/seɪ/say words
  53. 53there/ðɛə/dummy subject introducing existence
  54. 54would/wʊd/hypothetical or conditional auxiliary
  55. 55which/wɪtʃ/relative pronoun referring to the preceding statement
  56. 56good/ɡʊd/of high quality or ability
  57. 57many/ˈmɛni/a large number of
  58. 58time/taɪm/a period of duration
  59. 59first/fɝst/initial in a sequence
  60. 60go/ɡəʊ/move or leave
  61. 61people/ˈpiːpəl/people; human beings
  62. 62then/ðɛn/next; after that
  63. 63its/ɪts/possessive determiner: belonging to it
  64. 64how/haʊ/asks about manner or method
  65. 65your/jʊɹ/possessive determiner: belonging to you
  66. 66know/noʊ/be aware of information
  67. 67much/mʌtʃ/degree adverb: to a great extent or amount
  68. 68some/sʌm/an unspecified number of plural things
  69. 69other/ˈʌðər/different from those referred to
  70. 70take/teɪk/take possession of
  71. 71right/raɪt/at this exact moment
  72. 72make/meɪk/cause something to become a particular state
  73. 73only/ˈoʊnli/no more than the stated amount
  74. 74come/kʌm/arrive or attend
  75. 75want/wɑnt/desire or wish to do something
  76. 76after/ˈæftɚ/following a time or event, before a noun phrase
  77. 77before/bɪˈfɔr/subordinator introducing a later-time clause
  78. 78why/waɪ/asks for a reason
  79. 79two/tuː/the number 2
  80. 80up/ʌp/particle meaning lift or take
  81. 81out/aʊt/movement from inside or away
  82. 82could/kʊd/past ability
  83. 83more/mɔːr/additional or further things
  84. 84no/noʊ/not any; zero
  85. 85No/noʊ/negative reply or refusal
  86. 86NO/noʊ/emphatic negative response
  87. 87back/bæk/to a previous place
  88. 88these/ðiːz/plural demonstrative determiner for nearby or current things
  89. 89were/wɜːr/past copula linking a subject to a description
  90. 90had/hæd/past-perfect auxiliary
  91. 91because/bɪˈkɔz/introduces a reason or cause
  92. 92their/ðɛr/belonging to them; plural possessive determiner
  93. 93well/wɛl/in a competent or satisfactory way
  94. 94look/lʊk/direct one’s gaze
  95. 95very/ˈvɛri/intensifies an adjective or adverb
  96. 96where/wɛr/question word asking for a location
  97. 97most/moʊst/to the greatest degree
  98. 98even/ˈiːvən/focus particle marking an unlikely or surprising case
  99. 99should/ʃʊd/ought to; be advisable or proper
  100. 100here/hɪr/at this place
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3,409 words · Illustrated discoveries

Illustration for say

/seɪ/

say words · state in writing · indicate or display information · be reported or alleged

109 stories
Illustration for look

/lʊk/

direct one’s gaze · appear · search for · attention-getting discourse marker

106 stories
Illustration for small

/smɔːl/

limited in size or extent · minor or unimportant · low in volume · exclamation expressing surprise at a coincidence

83 stories
Illustration for have

/hæv/

possess or bear · perfect-tense auxiliary · have time available · mark obligation in the 'have to' construction

81 stories
Illustration for know

/noʊ/

be aware of information · be acquainted with a person · express uncertainty · discourse marker seeking acknowledgment

75 stories
Illustration for walk

/wɔːk/

move on foot · a journey on foot · command to move on foot

75 stories
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From a word to a whole world

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Every example in this library comes from an Inklingo story. Read at your level, listen to the narration, and tap a word whenever you need its meaning.

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  2. Tap unfamiliar words as you read.
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A little guidance before you start

What are the most common English words?

The most common English words are short, everyday words such as the, to, and, in, of, a, is, that. The list above ranks them by how often they appear in our stories. Learn the first 100 and you will recognize a large share of the words in any text. The 100 most common English words

How many English words do I need to know?

A few hundred frequent words are enough to follow simple texts and conversations. Around 1,000 to 2,000 cover most everyday reading, and the rest comes naturally as you read. Learn frequent words first, then the topic words for the situations you care about.

What’s the best way to learn English vocabulary?

Start with a small set of useful words. Recall their meanings in an exercise, then read their story examples. Save words you want to revisit and return to them over several short sessions.

Can I practice without an account?

Yes. Browse the library and use all five exercises freely. Create a free account when you want to keep a word in your Word Bank and review it later on the web or in the app.

Why does a word have several meanings?

The right translation depends on the sentence. Open any word to compare its meanings, pictures, and original examples instead of memorizing a single translation.

Are these words for beginners?

You can filter by the reading level of the stories where each word appears, starting at A0 or A1. That tells you about the story’s difficulty; it is not a certified level for the word itself.

Learn the meaning, not just the translation.
A word can express different ideas in different stories. This library brings its meanings, images, and examples together. The level filter refers to the source story’s reading level, not a certified level for the word. Translations are available in 26 languages. Free practice progress stays in this browser. Save words to your account to keep them in your Word Bank.