The 500 most common French words

These are the first 500 of a graded list of 2500, in the order a corpus of everyday writing says you will actually meet them. Learning them in this order is the fastest route to understanding most of what you read.

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

#	Word	Type	Meaning
1	de	Prepositions	of, from
2	être	Verbs	to be
3	la	Determiners	the (feminine singular)
4	un	Determiners	an, a
5	le	Determiners	the (definite article)
6	avoir	Verbs	to have; to own; to possess; to get
7	et	Conjunctions	and
8	à	Prepositions	to (destination)
9	les	Determiners	the (plural)
10	en	Prepositions	in, to; of it, some
11	des	Contractions	of the; some (de + les)
12	que	Conjunctions	that; than; what
13	pas	Adverbs	not (with ne)
14	du	Contractions	of the, from the; some (de + le)
15	ce	Determiners	this, that
16	il	Pronouns	he
17	pour	Prepositions	for (meant for, intended for)
18	dans	Prepositions	in, inside
19	je	Pronouns	I
20	qui	Pronouns	who, whom
21	faire	Verbs	to do
22	au	Contractions	to the, at the (à + le)
23	sur	Prepositions	on, upon
24	par	Prepositions	by, through, per
25	on	Pronouns	one, people, you, someone (an unspecified individual)
26	ne	Particles	not
27	plus	Adverbs	more, -er (comparative)
28	avec	Prepositions	with
29	mais	Conjunctions	but, although
30	pouvoir	Verbs	can, to be able to
31	tout	Determiners	all
32	se	Pronouns	oneself, himself, herself (reflexive)
33	vous	Pronouns	you (all)
34	ça	Pronouns	that (distal demonstrative pronoun)
35	tu	Pronouns	you (singular)
36	elle	Pronouns	she
37	y	Pronouns	there (at a place)
38	son	Determiners	his, her, their
39	ou	Conjunctions	or
40	si	Conjunctions	if, whether
41	aller	Verbs	to go
42	nous	Pronouns	we
43	dire	Verbs	to say, to tell (to express through speech)
44	ils	Pronouns	they (male or mixed group)
45	bien	Adverbs	well
46	mon	Determiners	my
47	comme	Conjunctions	as (in the role of, by way of)
48	même	Adverbs	even
49	sa	Determiners	his, her, its, their, one's
50	leur	Determiners	their
51	aux	Contractions	to the, at the (à + les)
52	me	Pronouns	me (direct object)
53	autre	Pronouns	another
54	voir	Verbs	to see
55	ses	Determiners	his, her, its, their
56	lui	Pronouns	him, he, it
57	devoir	Verbs	must, to have to, should (as a requirement)
58	aussi	Conjunctions	therefore
59	vouloir	Verbs	to want, wish, desire
60	deux	Numbers	two
61	moi	Pronouns	me (first-person singular disjunctive pronoun)
62	quand	Conjunctions	when (at the time that)
63	notre	Determiners	our
64	savoir	Verbs	to know (something)
65	après	Prepositions	after, later than in time
66	très	Adverbs	very
67	grand	Adjectives	big
68	celui	Pronouns	the one
69	tous	Pronouns	all
70	votre	Determiners	your, belonging to you (plural or formal)
71	nouveau	Adjectives	new, novel
72	sans	Prepositions	without (not having)
73	le an	Nouns	year
74	non	Conjunctions	not
75	prendre	Verbs	to take
76	où	Adverbs	where (interrogative)
77	falloir	Verbs	to need, have to, to be necessary (that)
78	encore	Adverbs	still
79	alors	Adverbs	then (at that time)
80	entre	Prepositions	between
81	le petit	Nouns	small one (anything that is small)
82	le temps	Nouns	time (in general)
83	le jour	Nouns	day
84	mettre	Verbs	to put; to place
85	là	Adverbs	there
86	peu	Adverbs	little; not very much/many
87	personne	Pronouns	no one, nobody
88	rien	Pronouns	nothing
89	le monde	Nouns	world
90	quelque	Determiners	some (singular)
91	te	Pronouns	you
92	parler	Verbs	to speak, talk
93	fois	Prepositions	times, multiplied by
94	donner	Verbs	to give
95	la année	Nouns	year (period)
96	toujours	Adverbs	always
97	français	Adjectives	French
98	premier	Adjectives	first
99	contre	Prepositions	against (in physical contact with)
100	avant	Prepositions	before (in time)
101	depuis	Prepositions	since
102	donc	Adverbs	therefore, consequently; thus
103	ici	Adverbs	here
104	la vie	Nouns	life
105	le homme	Nouns	man (adult male human)
106	trouver	Verbs	to find
107	la chose	Nouns	thing
108	sous	Prepositions	below, under
109	jamais	Adverbs	never
110	seul	Adjectives	lonely
111	penser	Verbs	to think, reflect, concentrate one's mind on something
112	moins	Prepositions	minus
113	passer	Verbs	to go past
114	dont	Pronouns	of/from whom/which, whose; whereof
115	toi	Pronouns	you
116	dernier	Adjectives	last
117	quoi	Pronouns	what
118	déjà	Adverbs	already, before
119	aimer	Verbs	to love
120	soit	Conjunctions	or, meaning, that is to say
121	trop	Adverbs	too; too much
122	la femme	Nouns	woman
123	ton	Determiners	your
124	certain	Determiners	certain: a determined but unspecified amount of; some
125	juste	Adverbs	exactly, precisely
126	croire	Verbs	to believe (someone)
127	oui	Adverbs	yes
128	vraiment	Adverbs	truly, really, genuinely
129	chez	Prepositions	to, at, in or into the place of
130	le gens	Nouns	set of people
131	ainsi	Adverbs	in this way, thus
132	le pays	Nouns	land; region; home ground; homeland; home country
133	comprendre	Verbs	to understand, comprehend
134	mes	Determiners	my (when referring to a plural noun)
135	la partie	Nouns	part (portion, amount)
136	beaucoup	Adverbs	much, very much, a lot
137	le état	Nouns	state, condition
138	mourir	Verbs	to die; to be dying
139	quel	Determiners	which
140	la bonne	Nouns	maid
141	la ville	Nouns	town, city
142	le point	Nouns	point (small mark)
143	vu	Prepositions	given (based on)
144	comment	Adverbs	how
145	la politique	Nouns	politics
146	parce	Prepositions	only used in parce que
147	compter	Verbs	to count
148	aucun	Determiners	no, none, not any
149	cela	Pronouns	that
150	arriver	Verbs	to arrive (often followed by a location)
151	le pari	Nouns	wager, bet
152	trois	Numbers	three
153	fin	Adjectives	thin, fine
154	droit	Adverbs	straight, straight on
155	le enfant	Nouns	child (someone who is not yet an adult)
156	la place	Nouns	place, square, plaza, piazza
157	connaître	Verbs	to know (of), to be familiar with
158	le moment	Nouns	moment (point in time)
159	le cas	Nouns	case, situation
160	vrai	Adverbs	true; truly
161	mal	Adverbs	badly
162	sortir	Verbs	to exit, go out, come out
163	la heure	Nouns	hour, time
164	beau	Adverbs	in vain
165	car	Conjunctions	as, since, because, for
166	la histoire	Nouns	story
167	permettre	Verbs	to permit, to allow (to grant permission or access)
168	la première	Nouns	premiere, première
169	pendant	Prepositions	during, throughout, for the duration of
170	mieux	Adverbs	more, -er
171	puis	Conjunctions	and
172	la question	Nouns	issue, matter, topic, problem
173	le jeu	Nouns	game (activity performed for amusement)
174	pourquoi	Adverbs	why
175	cet	Determiners	this
176	elles	Pronouns	they (female)
177	plusieurs	Adjectives	several, many, a lot
178	ta	Determiners	your
179	le lieu	Nouns	place
180	public	Adjectives	of the people as a whole
181	rendre	Verbs	to return, to restore, to give back
182	général	Adjectives	general, usual
183	jouer	Verbs	to play (engage in games or play)
184	le nom	Nouns	name
185	le mois	Nouns	month
186	vers	Prepositions	towards
187	la part	Nouns	share
188	devenir	Verbs	to become
189	le service	Nouns	cutlery
190	le groupe	Nouns	group
191	jeune	Adjectives	young
192	le travail	Nouns	work; labor
193	le reste	Nouns	rest, remainder
194	moyen	Adjectives	middle
195	le coup	Nouns	sound of the action
196	la merci	Nouns	mercy
197	aujourd'hui	Adverbs	today
198	saint	Adjectives	saintly (all meanings); holy
199	partir	Verbs	to go away, leave, depart
200	le cours	Nouns	stream of water, river
201	lire	Verbs	to read
202	regarder	Verbs	to look at
203	ca	Prepositions	abbreviation of circa
204	chaque	Adjectives	each
205	la famille	Nouns	family (group of related people)
206	maison	Adjectives	homemade
207	commencer	Verbs	to begin, commence
208	la semaine	Nouns	week
209	la raison	Nouns	reason (cause)
210	attendre	Verbs	to wait for, to await
211	le prix	Nouns	prize
212	également	Adverbs	equally
213	aider	Verbs	to help; to aid
214	la société	Nouns	company, frequentation
215	gros	Adjectives	big, thick, fat
216	haut	Adverbs	high
217	le problème	Nouns	problem
218	la fille	Nouns	girl
219	le besoin	Nouns	need
220	côté	Prepositions	as for, in terms of
221	lors	Adverbs	then, at that time
222	le effet	Nouns	effect
223	la équipe	Nouns	team
224	la tête	Nouns	head (part of the body)
225	la demande	Nouns	request (act of requesting)
226	selon	Prepositions	according to; whichever applies; depending on
227	arrêter	Verbs	to stop, to come to a standstill
228	fort	Adverbs	strongly
229	la porte	Nouns	door
230	le site	Nouns	website
231	le long	Nouns	length
232	le article	Nouns	article (a piece of nonfictional writing)
233	importer	Verbs	to import
234	social	Adjectives	social, related to society, community
235	tant	Adverbs	so much
236	ancien	Adjectives	old, former, ex- (no longer current)
237	appeler	Verbs	to call (out)
238	la suite	Nouns	result
239	la idée	Nouns	idea
240	demander	Verbs	to ask
241	genre	Adverbs	like, kind of
242	la loi	Nouns	law (legal code)
243	maintenant	Adverbs	now, currently
244	perdre	Verbs	to lose (be unable to find)
245	la passe	Nouns	pass (the act of passing)
246	tel	Pronouns	one (impersonal pronoun)
247	vivre	Verbs	to live
248	la eau	Nouns	water, a liquid that is transparent, colorless
249	utiliser	Verbs	to use, to utilize
250	changer	Verbs	to exchange (something)
251	le projet	Nouns	project
252	soir	Verbs	post-1990 spelling of seoir
253	chercher	Verbs	to look for, to seek
254	laisser	Verbs	to leave, to leave behind
255	assez	Adverbs	to a sufficient or moderate degree; enough; sufficiently
256	la main	Nouns	hand
257	la ligne	Nouns	line
258	le sens	Nouns	meaning, sense
259	suivre	Verbs	to follow (literal sense)
260	le rapport	Nouns	ratio
261	le film	Nouns	movie, film
262	lequel	Pronouns	which, that, whom
263	le mot	Nouns	word
264	devant	Prepositions	confronted with, faced with
265	ailleurs	Adverbs	elsewhere; somewhere else
266	souvent	Adverbs	often
267	le nombre	Nouns	number
268	le jean	Nouns	a pair of jeans
269	la entreprise	Nouns	company, business
270	sembler	Verbs	to seem, to resemble, to look like
271	le ami	Nouns	friend (one who is affectionately attached to another)
272	montrer	Verbs	to show
273	agir	Verbs	to act, to do (something)
274	jusqu'à	Prepositions	until
275	ni	Conjunctions	neither; nor
276	surtout	Adverbs	above all
277	rester	Verbs	to stay
278	la mère	Nouns	mother
279	différent	Adjectives	different
280	ensemble	Adverbs	together
281	le système	Nouns	system (various meanings)
282	tenir	Verbs	to have; to hold
283	enfin	Adverbs	finally; in the end
284	seulement	Adverbs	only
285	le niveau	Nouns	level (general)
286	le conseil	Nouns	piece of advice
287	le président	Nouns	president
288	écrire	Verbs	to write
289	retrouver	Verbs	to find (again); to rediscover
290	présent	Adjectives	present
291	le père	Nouns	father (parent)
292	américain	Adjectives	of or pertaining to America; American
293	causer	Verbs	to speak (a language)
294	le gouvernement	Nouns	government
295	la guerre	Nouns	war
296	le exemple	Nouns	example
297	près	Prepositions	attached to
298	quelqu'un	Pronouns	one (out of several)
299	tes	Determiners	your (when referring to a plural noun)
300	travailler	Verbs	to work
301	essayer	Verbs	to test, to try on
302	le centre	Nouns	centre, center
303	le accord	Nouns	chord
304	plein	Prepositions	in; all over; filling
305	le parti	Nouns	party
306	la livre	Nouns	metrical pound, half a kilogramme, 500 g
307	la forme	Nouns	shape (geometrical representation)
308	le possible	Nouns	the possible, feasible, what can be done, achieved etc
309	le tour	Nouns	turn, circumference
310	gagner	Verbs	to win
311	le dieu	Nouns	a god, male divinity
312	le titre	Nouns	heading, title (name of a piece of work)
313	le début	Nouns	start, beginning
314	dès	Prepositions	from […] onward; starting from; as early as, as soon as
315	la face	Nouns	surface, side
316	nombreux	Adjectives	numerous, many
317	le truc	Nouns	procedure, technique
318	le chef	Nouns	head
319	quatre	Numbers	four
320	répondre	Verbs	to reply, to answer
321	le blanc	Nouns	white (color)
322	autant	Adverbs	so much
323	la façon	Nouns	way; manner; fashion
324	le meilleur	Nouns	best
325	porter	Verbs	to carry
326	recevoir	Verbs	to receive
327	la école	Nouns	school
328	le type	Nouns	type; sort, kind
329	le plan	Nouns	map (schematic maps of streets, subways, etc.)
330	vient	Verbs	third-person singular present indicative of venir
331	la terre	Nouns	earth; soil
332	le air	Nouns	air (gases of the atmosphere)
333	bas	Adverbs	low
334	servir	Verbs	to serve (to help in a shop; to bring a meal to someone)
335	continuer	Verbs	to continue
336	le fils	Nouns	son
337	nuire	Verbs	to harm, to spoil
338	le membre	Nouns	member (of a group or organization)
339	la minute	Nouns	minute (etymology 1, time unit, all same senses)
340	le sujet	Nouns	subject (in a monarchy)
341	noir	Adjectives	black in colour
342	le œil	Nouns	eye, organ that is sensitive to light
343	le but	Nouns	aim
344	la étude	Nouns	study (act of studying or examining)
345	loin	Adverbs	far, distant
346	le match	Nouns	match, game
347	vidéo	Adjectives	video
348	la mise	Nouns	placement; (act of) putting
349	le résultat	Nouns	outcome; result
350	la région	Nouns	region; area
351	manquer	Verbs	to lack; to be lacking in
352	notamment	Adverbs	especially, in particular, not least
353	revenir	Verbs	to come back, to return
354	oublier	Verbs	to forget
355	le ordre	Nouns	order (way in which things are arranged)
356	apprendre	Verbs	to learn
357	le argent	Nouns	silver
358	la saison	Nouns	season
359	la vue	Nouns	sight (something seen)
360	propre	Adjectives	own
361	marcher	Verbs	to walk
362	la situation	Nouns	situation (all meanings)
363	la information	Nouns	piece of information]
364	dessus	Prepositions	on, on top of
365	la base	Nouns	base (bottom part of something)
366	la journée	Nouns	day
367	la action	Nouns	action, act, deed
368	créer	Verbs	to create
369	la rue	Nouns	street, road
370	sûr	Adjectives	sure, certain
371	or	Conjunctions	yet, however, now, that said
372	tomber	Verbs	to fall
373	le corps	Nouns	body
374	ensuite	Adverbs	in turn, subsequently, thereafter, then
375	plutôt	Adverbs	rather, instead (indicating preference)
376	le second	Nouns	assistant, first mate
377	exister	Verbs	to exist
378	entendre	Verbs	to hear
379	expliquer	Verbs	to explain
380	la série	Nouns	series
381	le ministre	Nouns	minister
382	tard	Adverbs	late
383	produire	Verbs	to produce, to yield
384	le frère	Nouns	brother (son of the same parents as another person)
385	européen	Adjectives	European
386	le matin	Nouns	morning
387	mauvais	Adjectives	bad
388	le retour	Nouns	return
389	forcer	Verbs	to force
390	la pierre	Nouns	stone (substance)
391	le terme	Nouns	terms (conditions)
392	prochain	Adjectives	upcoming
393	uni	Adjectives	united
394	proposer	Verbs	to propose, suggest
395	le mec	Nouns	guy, fellow, bloke, chap, dude, boyfriend
396	poser	Verbs	to stop carrying, to put down (something or somebody)
397	simple	Adjectives	single
398	le amour	Nouns	love
399	la voiture	Nouns	car (wagon)
400	vite	Adverbs	quickly
401	afin	Conjunctions	to
402	le choix	Nouns	choice
403	manière	Adverbs	somewhat, kinda, sorta, a bit, a little
404	espérer	Verbs	to hope
405	le vieux	Nouns	old person
406	la pièce	Nouns	room in a house, etc
407	rappeler	Verbs	to call again; to call back
408	la chambre	Nouns	a room
409	la activité	Nouns	activity
410	le nord	Nouns	north
411	acheter	Verbs	to purchase; buy
412	payer	Verbs	to pay (for)
413	la valeur	Nouns	value, worth
414	anglais	Adjectives	English
415	la image	Nouns	picture, image
416	la grâce	Nouns	grace, charm
417	le principal	Nouns	someone or something which is important, key
418	la musique	Nouns	music
419	million	Numbers	million (10⁶)
420	le poing	Nouns	fist
421	annoncer	Verbs	to announce
422	le roi	Nouns	king
423	joueur	Adjectives	playful
424	le pied	Nouns	foot
425	représenter	Verbs	to represent (to be the representative of)
426	le intérêt	Nouns	interest (great attention and concern from someone)
427	douter	Verbs	to doubt
428	cinq	Numbers	five
429	le mars	Nouns	March (month)
430	particulier	Adjectives	particular
431	rechercher	Verbs	to search for, seek, to look for
432	le auteur	Nouns	author
433	manger	Verbs	to eat
434	découvrir	Verbs	to discover
435	la source	Nouns	source, spring (of water)
436	le programme	Nouns	a program (set of structured activities)
437	le prêt	Nouns	loan
438	humain	Adjectives	human
439	couper	Verbs	to cut, cut up; to chop, to sever
440	commun	Adjectives	common (shared)
441	le réseau	Nouns	network
442	parfois	Adverbs	sometimes
443	le sud	Nouns	south
444	super	Adverbs	extremely, very (as an intensifier)
445	obtenir	Verbs	to get, to obtain
446	le emploi	Nouns	job
447	choisir	Verbs	to choose
448	trouvé	Adjectives	found, being to object of a find(ing)
449	le train	Nouns	train (rail mounted vehicle)
450	la nationale	Nouns	a french National Highway
451	la peine	Nouns	punishment
452	le siècle	Nouns	century (period of 100 years)
453	la population	Nouns	the public
454	la rencontre	Nouns	encounter
455	décider	Verbs	to decide
456	la route	Nouns	road (sometimes route like "Route 66")
457	le parent	Nouns	relative, relation, family member
458	le étranger	Nouns	foreigner
459	mesurer	Verbs	to measure
460	la condition	Nouns	term, condition
461	le objet	Nouns	thing, object
462	la classe	Nouns	class, type, group
463	assurer	Verbs	to assure, to ensure, to make sure
464	le lien	Nouns	tie, bond
465	la peur	Nouns	fear
466	longtemps	Adverbs	for a long time; over a long period
467	voilà	Prepositions	it has been, ago
468	cher	Adverbs	dearly
469	la police	Nouns	cop (police officer)
470	la chance	Nouns	luck
471	la époque	Nouns	epoch
472	deuxième	Adjectives	second
473	le mouvement	Nouns	movement
474	sentir	Verbs	to smell (to have a certain odor)
475	la sécurité	Nouns	security, safety
476	dater	Verbs	to date, to add a date onto something
477	le juin	Nouns	June
478	lorsque	Conjunctions	when (at a time when)
479	le mai	Nouns	May (month)
480	le septembre	Nouns	September
481	la langue	Nouns	tongue
482	difficile	Adjectives	difficult
483	écouter	Verbs	to listen
484	ouvrir	Verbs	to open
485	la culture	Nouns	farming, cultivation, crop growing
486	monter	Verbs	to go up, to climb (go to a higher position)
487	le texte	Nouns	text (piece of writing)
488	parmi	Prepositions	among, amongst
489	presque	Adverbs	almost
490	tellement	Adverbs	so; so much; very
491	le milieu	Nouns	middle; center
492	voter	Verbs	to vote
493	économique	Adjectives	economy; economic
494	la fonction	Nouns	function (what something does or is used for)
495	le développement	Nouns	development
496	le local	Nouns	room
497	important	Adjectives	large, considerable, significant
498	rouge	Adjectives	red (of a red color)
499	intérieur	Adjectives	interior
500	présenter	Verbs	to present, to introduce

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

The rest of the list

A2A2 Beginner: 500 more wordsrisquer · santé · voix · feu · relation
B1B1 Intermediate: 750 more wordsvéritable · comité · vacance · ouverture · document
B2B2 Upper intermediate: 750 more wordspape · relatif · monnaie · présenté · manifester

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.

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.