The 99 most common Arabic verbs

These are the 99 verbs among the 500 most common Arabic words, in the order a corpus of everyday writing says you will meet them.

Meanings are given in English on this page. In the app they appear in your own language, translated on your device.

#WordTypeMeaning
5كانVerbsto be
22قالVerbsto say
27تمVerbsto be fulfilled, to be completed
28عملVerbsto work, perform
41قامVerbsto stand up (to rise from lying or sitting position)
49مثلVerbsto portray, to play, to present
67أمكنVerbsto enable (someone مِن (min) something)
75شخصVerbsto rise, to tower up
93عادVerbsto return, to go back, to come back
99تكونVerbsto be established, to be created, to be formed
104ملكVerbsto take in possession, to take over, to acquire
105أرادVerbsto want, will
106وهىVerbsto be or become weak or fragile
109بدأVerbsto begin
118أبVerbsto put the hand to (as "to the sword")
129فقدVerbsto lose, to misplace, to miss
132وضعVerbsto put; to lay; to place; to set; to position
139وجبVerbsto be necessary, have to be
143صلىVerbsto pray
145استطاعVerbsto be able to, to be capable of, can
146عمرVerbsto fill with life, to cause to thrive
149أصبحVerbsto enter upon morning
152حدVerbsto prevent, to restrain, to check, to hinder
154ظهرVerbsto be outward, to be external, on the surface
160كتبVerbsto draw (figures)
166عرفVerbsto be familiar with
174أفضلVerbsto do a favor for, to oblige
182شهرVerbsto spread, to make known, to divulge
183صورVerbsto form, to create
185عرضVerbsto broaden, to widen, to enlarge
189ذكرVerbsto mention
191حصلVerbsto happen, to come to existence, to befall
201ولدVerbsto assist in childbirth (as a midwife)
202أمنVerbsto reassure
204زالVerbsto go away, withdraw
205قتلVerbsto kill, to slay, to murder
214تركVerbsto leave, to relinquish
215وقعVerbsto fall down, to fall
219رغمVerbsto force, to compel
223عاشVerbsto live, to be alive
238تابعVerbsto continue, carry on
239طلبVerbsto search, to look
242حسنVerbsto improve, to ameliorate, to better, to polish
244جعلVerbsto make: to create
258شعبVerbsto gather, unite
261دعاVerbsto call
271اعتقدVerbsto believe in; to have faith in
273بداVerbsto appear
274اعتبرVerbsto take example, to take warning, to learn a lesson
276حاولVerbsto try
285دخلVerbsto enter, go in, come in
287أتىVerbsto come
299وجهVerbsto raise to eminence, to distinguish, to honor
302أخذVerbsto take
303نهىVerbsto forbid
306استخدمVerbsto use
315جمعVerbsto gather, to assemble, to keep together, to collect
316ردVerbsto return, to bring back, to put back
319دعمVerbsto support
320أدىVerbsto bring, to convey, to deliver
323أعلنVerbsto publish, to publicize, to reveal to the public
324عيدVerbsto hold a feast
329ذهبVerbsto go, to travel
331أرىVerbsto show
336مالVerbsto bend, bend down
337نشرVerbsto spread about, make publicly known, communicate
343شابVerbsto be grey-haired, to grow grey hair
349مارسVerbsto practice (to engage in)
351ودىVerbsto let come up, to bring near
352تحدثVerbsto speak, to talk
353قسمVerbsto divide
362عقدVerbsto tie, knit, make a knot
363احتاجVerbsto need
370شرقVerbsto become lit from the sun (of a place)
376لاعبVerbsto play with (someone), to have fun with (someone)
377اختلفVerbsto differ (عَنْ (ʕan) from)
380لكمVerbsto punch, to box
386ماتVerbsto be empty, to be or become unoccupied
389واقعVerbsto attack, to fight with
395انتهىVerbsto end
399جاءVerbsto come
402تعرفVerbsto become acquainted, with, to meet
410سمحVerbsact kindly
412أطلقVerbsto free, to liberate, to emancipate
414فهمVerbsto understand
418بلغVerbsto inform
428صعبVerbsto be hard, difficult
440سمعVerbsto hear
441جرىVerbsto run (to move quickly as a river), to flow
443نقلVerbsto transport, bring from one place to another
444أشارVerbsto point, to point out, to indicate
445حملVerbsto carry (to transport by lifting), to transport
450سوىVerbsto equalize
452قطعVerbsto cut, to break
457شاركVerbsto share, to participate
469فتحVerbsto open (“to make something accessible”)
471عالVerbsto provide for, to sustain
490سجلVerbsto register, enter, make an entry
491صنعVerbsto do, to make

All 500 A1 words are on this page, free, with no sign-up.

The rest of the list

  • A2A2 Beginner: 500 more wordsخارجية · اجتماعي · عشرة · سوق · لبن
  • B1B1 Intermediate: 750 more wordsكون · معا · مهرجان · إنشاء · دب
  • B2B2 Upper intermediate: 750 more wordsتأكيد · حجة · إيجاد · جان · حاسوب

A2 to B2 are part of Oqou Pro, in the app, where you can also send any word straight into spaced review and meet it again on the day you are about to forget it.

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Where this comes from

The order is measured: it comes from how often each word appears in a large corpus, counted across all the forms of a word rather than each form separately, so a verb is ranked where you really meet it. The band edges are a convention rather than a measurement. Nothing says word 501 is harder than word 500; the levels are cut where established graded reader series cut theirs.

wordfreq 3.1 (frequency order) + en.wiktionary via kaikki.org (part of speech, gender, gloss). Corpus read on 2026-09-16.

Questions

Where does the order come from?

From how often each word appears in a large corpus of everyday writing. Frequency is counted across all the forms of a word and attributed to the dictionary form, so a verb is ranked where a reader really meets it rather than being spread thinly over a dozen endings.

Why are these lists shorter than the ones with 5,000 or 10,000 words?

Because past about 2,500 a frequency rank stops meaning much. Rank 6,000 in a web corpus is not a harder word, it is a word that happens to be common in journalism. Established graded reader series top out near 2,500 headwords for the same reason.

Is every word in the list a real dictionary word?

Yes. Every headword is checked against the language's own Wiktionary entry, which is where the part of speech, the gender and the meaning come from. That check is what removes the proper nouns, single letters and corpus noise that raw frequency lists are full of.

Do I need the app?

Not for this page. The A1 list is free here and free in the app. A2 to B2 are part of Oqou Pro, and the app is also where a word can go from a list into a review queue, which is the part a page cannot do.

Has a native speaker checked these?

Not yet. The frequency order and the part of speech are mechanical, and the meanings come from a dictionary rather than being written by hand, but nothing here has been through native review. If you spot a meaning that is technically right and practically useless, we would like to hear about it.