The 500 most common German 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	der	Determiners	the (masculine singular)
2	sein	Verbs	to be
3	die	Determiners	the (feminine singular; plural)
4	und	Conjunctions	and
5	in	Prepositions	in, inside, within, at (inside a building)
6	ein	Determiners	a, an
7	ich	Pronouns	I (first person singular nominative (subject) pronoun)
8	zu	Prepositions	to, towards (indicates directionality)
9	das	Determiners	the (neuter singular)
10	haben	Verbs	to have
11	von	Prepositions	from
12	werden	Verbs	to become; will (forms the future)
13	nicht	Adverbs	not, non-
14	den	Determiners	the (masculine accusative; dative plural)
15	mit	Prepositions	with (in the company of, alongside)
16	es	Pronouns	it, they
17	auf	Prepositions	on, upon (positioned at the top of)
18	sie	Pronouns	she; her
19	für	Prepositions	for (intended for)
20	sich	Pronouns	oneself, himself, herself (reflexive)
21	auch	Adverbs	also, too
22	er	Pronouns	he
23	dem	Determiners	the (masculine and neuter dative)
24	können	Verbs	to be able (to do or be something)
25	bei	Prepositions	by, near
26	als	Conjunctions	when; as; than
27	du	Pronouns	you (singular familiar), thou
28	an	Prepositions	on, upon, at, in, against
29	so	Adverbs	so, thus; like this
30	dass	Conjunctions	that
31	wir	Pronouns	we
32	dieser	Pronouns	this one, this
33	wie	Conjunctions	how; like, as
34	aber	Conjunctions	but; however; though
35	aus	Prepositions	out of; from (from the inside of something)
36	nach	Prepositions	after, past (later in time)
37	noch	Adverbs	still, yet; another
38	nur	Adverbs	only, just
39	wenn	Conjunctions	when, whenever
40	gut	Adverbs	well (accurately, competently, satisfactorily)
41	oder	Conjunctions	or
42	was	Pronouns	what
43	um	Prepositions	about
44	am	Particles	Precedes the superlative in adverbial and predicate use
45	man	Pronouns	one, you, they
46	kein	Pronouns	no; not a(n); not one; not any
47	einer	Pronouns	one
48	müssen	Verbs	to have to (do something); must
49	machen	Verbs	to make, to produce, to create
50	über	Prepositions	above, over (spatially)
51	da	Conjunctions	since; as; because; given that
52	dann	Adverbs	then, after that
53	schon	Adverbs	already (happening rather early, continuing rather long)
54	ihr	Determiners	her (possessive)
55	ja	Adverbs	obviously; certainly; of course; as you know
56	mehr	Pronouns	something more
57	das Jahr	Nouns	year
58	geben	Verbs	to give (changing ownership)
59	sollen	Verbs	should; to be obligated (to do something); ought; shall
60	kommen	Verbs	to come; to arrive
61	wollen	Verbs	to want; to wish; to desire; to demand
62	vor	Prepositions	in front of, ahead of (relative location in space)
63	gehen	Verbs	to go, to walk
64	mal	Adverbs	times (indicating multiplication of two numbers)
65	durch	Prepositions	by means of; by; through
66	hier	Adverbs	here; in this place
67	all	Determiners	every (in time intervals, with plural noun)
68	alles	Pronouns	everything; all
69	bis	Prepositions	until, to, (US) through
70	doch	Conjunctions	though; yet; but; however; nevertheless
71	sehen	Verbs	to see; to have sight
72	jetzt	Adverbs	now (at this moment, right now)
73	immer	Adverbs	at all times without exception
74	sagen	Verbs	to say (to pronounce; communicate verbally)
75	neu	Adjectives	new
76	ganz	Adverbs	quite, rather
77	das Anderes	Nouns	nominalization of andere: the other / different thing
78	wieder	Adverbs	again
79	groß	Adjectives	big, large, large-scale
80	sehr	Adverbs	very
81	finden	Verbs	to find; to discover
82	unter	Prepositions	under
83	lassen	Verbs	to allow; to permit; to let
84	jeder	Determiners	each, every
85	viel	Determiners	much, many
86	mein	Determiners	my
87	stehen	Verbs	to stand
88	deutsch	Adjectives	German (of or pertaining to the German people)
89	erste	Adjectives	first
90	gegen	Prepositions	against
91	einfach	Adverbs	easily
92	Ihr	Determiners	your (that belongs to you
93	also	Conjunctions	so, therefore
94	zeit	Prepositions	for the entire time of, during
95	ab	Prepositions	beginning at that time or location; from
96	der Mensch	Nouns	human, human being, person, man
97	denn	Conjunctions	for; because; since
98	damit	Conjunctions	so that, in order that
99	leben	Verbs	to live, to be alive
100	zwei	Numbers	two
101	ohne	Prepositions	without
102	weil	Conjunctions	because, given that
103	weit	Adverbs	far
104	alt	Adjectives	old
105	etwas	Determiners	some, a bit of
106	nichts	Pronouns	nothing
107	wer	Pronouns	who (what person or people)
108	klein	Adjectives	small, little, wee (in physical size or extent)
109	der Mann	Nouns	man, male human being
110	seit	Prepositions	since
111	die Frau	Nouns	woman (adult female human)
112	stellen	Verbs	to pose, to lodge
113	der Tag	Nouns	day (a 24-hour period)
114	tun	Verbs	to do (to perform or execute an action)
115	selbst	Particles	personally, by oneself
116	wo	Conjunctions	when
117	nehmen	Verbs	to take
118	heute	Adverbs	today
119	nun	Conjunctions	now that
120	unser	Determiners	our
121	mögen	Verbs	to like (something or someone)
122	gerade	Adverbs	now (at the moment)
123	das Kind	Nouns	kid; child (young person)
124	weiß	Adjectives	white
125	ob	Prepositions	on account of
126	liegen	Verbs	to lie (to be in a horizontal position)
127	bleiben	Verbs	to remain (to continue to be)
128	hoch	Adverbs	up, upwards
129	ihn	Pronouns	dative of sie; them (indirect object)
130	seiner	Pronouns	his (substantival possessive)
131	viele	Adjectives	strong/mixed nominative/accusative feminine singular
132	zwischen	Prepositions	between
133	dürfen	Verbs	to be allowed (to do something)
134	beide	Determiners	both
135	schön	Adverbs	well, beautifully
136	dabei	Adverbs	with one, on one
137	letzte	Adjectives	last
138	hören	Verbs	to hear (to perceive sounds
139	wissen	Verbs	to know; to be aware of (a fact)
140	gleich	Adverbs	alike
141	dort	Adverbs	there, yonder
142	recht	Adverbs	very, quite, rather, pretty, fairly
143	meinen	Verbs	to opine, to think; to believe; to suppose
144	sondern	Conjunctions	rather, but (instead)
145	zeigen	Verbs	to point
146	wirklich	Adverbs	really, actually
147	richtig	Adverbs	really
148	erst	Adverbs	first, at first
149	warum	Adverbs	why; for what reason
150	weiter	Adverbs	further, farther, more
151	dein	Determiners	thy, your (esp. to friends, relatives, children, etc.)
152	die Stadt	Nouns	city (a large settlement)
153	spielen	Verbs	to play
154	der Börsenmantel	Nouns	listed shell
155	denken	Verbs	not to forget; to remember
156	das Land	Nouns	country (territory of a nation)
157	drei	Numbers	three
158	vielleicht	Adverbs	perhaps, maybe
159	nahe	Prepositions	near
160	wohl	Adverbs	possibly, probably
161	bringen	Verbs	to bring, to fetch, to take, to convey, to bear
162	brauchen	Verbs	to need, to be in need of, to require
163	genau	Adverbs	just, exactly
164	bekommen	Verbs	to receive; to get
165	eigen	Adjectives	own, peculiar or private to someone, idiosyncratic
166	dazu	Adverbs	in addition to it, in addition, besides
167	halten	Verbs	to hold (an object in one's hands)
168	Leute	Nouns	people
169	suchen	Verbs	to search, to look for
170	bitte	Adverbs	please
171	heißen	Verbs	to have a name; to be named; to be called
172	fragen	Verbs	to ask
173	das Haus	Nouns	house, building
174	sowie	Conjunctions	as well as
175	wichtig	Adjectives	important, relevant, significant, weighty
176	dafür	Adverbs	for that, for it
177	während	Prepositions	during, at the time of
178	die Uhr	Nouns	hours
179	kurz	Adverbs	briefly (for a short extent)
180	das Ende	Nouns	end, finish
181	das Teil	Nouns	part
182	die Welt	Nouns	world
183	bereits	Adverbs	already
184	nie	Adverbs	never
185	weg	Adverbs	away
186	wegen	Prepositions	for, because of
187	natürlich	Adverbs	naturally
188	schnell	Adverbs	quickly
189	das Spiel	Nouns	a game (instance or way of playing)
190	schreiben	Verbs	to write
191	einmal	Adverbs	once, one time (one and only one time)
192	sprechen	Verbs	to speak (some language, the truth, etc.)
193	führen	Verbs	to lead
194	gern	Adverbs	willingly; gladly; with pleasure
195	der Fall	Nouns	fall, drop (the act of falling or an instance thereof)
196	die Seite	Nouns	side
197	laufen	Verbs	to walk; to jog; to run
198	versuchen	Verbs	to try, to attempt (often with an uncertain result)
199	lang	Prepositions	for (temporal)
200	fahren	Verbs	to go at speed
201	der Dank	Nouns	thanks, gratitude, appreciation
202	gar	Adverbs	at all; even
203	klar	Adverbs	obviously, surely
204	arbeiten	Verbs	to work
205	eigentlich	Adverbs	really, actually
206	verstehen	Verbs	to hear and interpret (speech)
207	stark	Adjectives	strong (intense, powerful, unyielding)
208	das Bild	Nouns	digital photograph
209	die Woche	Nouns	week
210	jemand	Pronouns	someone, somebody
211	dieses	Pronouns	nominative/accusative neuter singular
212	etwa	Adverbs	approximately
213	der Junge	Nouns	boy
214	das Geld	Nouns	money
215	sicher	Adverbs	safely
216	kennen	Verbs	to know; to be acquainted with; to be familiar with
217	solch	Pronouns	such
218	zweite	Adjectives	second
219	lesen	Verbs	to read
220	lange	Adverbs	long, for a long time
221	setzen	Verbs	to sit down
222	treffen	Verbs	to meet; to encounter
223	meiner	Pronouns	mine (substantival possessive)
224	davon	Adverbs	from it, from that, therefrom, off it, off that
225	fast	Adverbs	almost; nearly
226	paar	Determiners	some; few; a few
227	der Name	Nouns	name (forename, Christian name, given name)
228	die Arbeit	Nouns	toil, regularly performed work
229	die Frage	Nouns	question (interrogative sentence or phrase)
230	denen	Pronouns	whom, (to) which, that
231	zurück	Adverbs	back, backward, backwards, to the rear
232	erhalten	Verbs	to receive (something given, sent, won, etc.)
233	jedoch	Conjunctions	but
234	amtshandeln	Verbs	to act administratively or otherwise in exercise of
235	zusammen	Adverbs	together, jointly
236	einigen	Verbs	to unite or unify (for example a group of people)
237	welche	Pronouns	some
238	nein	Interjections	no
239	stunden	Verbs	to defer (due date; performance upon an obligation)
240	ziehen	Verbs	to pull; to drag
241	welcher	Determiners	which; what
242	reden	Verbs	to talk, to speak, to orate
243	frei	Adjectives	free; unenslaved; unimprisoned
244	-e	Pronouns	contraction of du after 2nd person singular forms of a
245	echt	Adverbs	really; indeed
246	der Platz	Nouns	square, plaza, piazza
247	möglich	Adjectives	possible (what can be done or achieved)
248	schaffen	Verbs	to get done, to accomplish, achieve, to succeed with
249	darauf	Adverbs	after (behind; later in time; following)
250	sogar	Adverbs	even, actually, in fact
251	vielen	Adjectives	strong genitive masculine/neuter singular
252	zwar	Adverbs	Signals a following contrary clause
253	das Wort	Nouns	word as an isolated unit
254	wenig	Adjectives	little, few (a small amount, a small number)
255	die Geschichte	Nouns	history
256	schwer	Adjectives	heavy, weighty
257	die Art	Nouns	kind, sort, type
258	allerdings	Adverbs	but, however
259	der Herr	Nouns	man, gentleman
260	der Grund	Nouns	ground, land (usually as someone's property)
261	glauben	Verbs	to believe something (to consider true)
262	bestehen	Verbs	to succeed, to pass (an exam)
263	das Thema	Nouns	topic, subject, issue
264	später	Adverbs	later
265	der Monat	Nouns	month
266	die Familie	Nouns	family
267	zahlen	Verbs	to pay
268	folgen	Verbs	to follow (on the same path or in a sequence)
269	allein	Conjunctions	only, but
270	helfen	Verbs	to help (someone); to assist; to aid
271	die Minute	Nouns	minute (unit of time; unit of angle)
272	essen	Verbs	to eat
273	eben	Adverbs	just, simply
274	verschieden	Adverbs	differently
275	bestimmt	Adverbs	certainly, definitely
276	darüber	Adverbs	above, above it/this/that
277	nennen	Verbs	to name (to give a name to)
278	die Liebe	Nouns	love (tender feeling of affection)
279	oft	Adverbs	often
280	kaufen	Verbs	to buy, to purchase
281	gelten	Verbs	to be valid; to count; to hold true
282	die Hand	Nouns	handwriting
283	die Sache	Nouns	matter, affair, case, question, issue
284	neben	Prepositions	next to, beside, alongside, adjacent to, near, near to
285	statt	Prepositions	instead of, in one's stead
286	der Freund	Nouns	friend
287	fallen	Verbs	to fall, to drop
288	tragen	Verbs	to carry, to bear (something on one's person)
289	direkt	Adverbs	directly
290	besonders	Adverbs	especially, particularly
291	ne	Particles	right?; is it?; is it not?; tag question
292	leicht	Adverbs	slightly
293	das Buch	Nouns	book
294	schauen	Verbs	to watch, to view (a movie or other performance)
295	scheinen	Verbs	to shine; to gleam
296	hin	Adverbs	there, thither
297	vier	Numbers	four
298	rund	Adverbs	around
299	einzig	Adverbs	only
300	morgen	Adverbs	tomorrow
301	sonst	Adverbs	otherwise (under different circumstances)
302	das Beispiel	Nouns	example
303	politisch	Adjectives	political (concerning or related to politics)
304	erreichen	Verbs	to reach (to attain by stretching)
305	der Euro	Nouns	euro (currency)
306	sitzen	Verbs	to sit; to perch
307	das Auto	Nouns	car
308	weniger	Adverbs	less
309	handeln	Verbs	to act; to take action
310	stimmen	Verbs	to be right, to be correct, to be proper, to be true
311	unternehmen	Verbs	to undertake
312	die Gruppe	Nouns	group
313	verlieren	Verbs	to lose (something, or a game)
314	mehrere	Pronouns	multiple, several; more than one; a number of
315	beginnen	Verbs	to begin; to commence; to be started
316	die Rallye	Nouns	rally
317	lernen	Verbs	to learn, to acquire knowledge
318	der Glaube	Nouns	belief, faith
319	der Gott	Nouns	god
320	gewinnen	Verbs	to win; to be victorious
321	schlecht	Adverbs	badly, poorly, not well (in a bad or poor manner)
322	je	Adverbs	ever
323	toll	Adjectives	great, nice, wonderful
324	das Auge	Nouns	eye
325	die Polizei	Nouns	police; law enforcement
326	deshalb	Adverbs	therefore; for that (reason), because of that
327	der Ort	Nouns	place, location, point, position
328	die Nacht	Nouns	night
329	das Ding	Nouns	thing
330	die Straße	Nouns	street
331	deutlich	Adverbs	distinctly, clearly
332	schwarz	Adjectives	black, reflecting little or no light
333	außerdem	Adverbs	in addition; furthermore, besides
334	leider	Adverbs	unfortunately
335	früher	Adverbs	formerly, in the past
336	legen	Verbs	to lie down
337	der Film	Nouns	film (a thin layer of some substance)
338	bieten	Verbs	to offer; to present
339	nutzen	Verbs	to make use of; to deploy; to exploit; to harness
340	daher	Adverbs	from there, thence
341	kaum	Adverbs	barely, hardly (qualifying verbs or adjectives)
342	aktuell	Adjectives	current, currently in action
343	sorgen	Verbs	to take care of, to care for, to look after
344	daran	Adverbs	on it, on that
345	halt	Adverbs	Indicating that something is generally known
346	hinter	Prepositions	behind, after
347	niemand	Pronouns	nobody, no one
348	gemeinsam	Adverbs	together, jointly
349	fest	Adjectives	firm; compact; hard
350	meist	Adverbs	mostly, most often, usually
351	genug	Determiners	enough, sufficient, an adequate number or amount of
352	der Staat	Nouns	country
353	sterben	Verbs	to die
354	die Schule	Nouns	school
355	dessen	Pronouns	whose, of which
356	überhaupt	Adverbs	overall, in general
357	die Idee	Nouns	idea
358	erklären	Verbs	to explain, to make clear
359	der Kopf	Nouns	head
360	voll	Adverbs	fully
361	passen	Verbs	to fit
362	rein	Adverbs	purely
363	der Bereich	Nouns	area, realm, range, scope
364	freuen	Verbs	to gladden, to make glad, to make pleased
365	der Abend	Nouns	evening; the time from dusk until midnight
366	das Wasser	Nouns	water (H₂O)
367	anders	Adverbs	different, differently
368	öffentlich	Adjectives	public
369	fühlen	Verbs	to feel (a thing, sensation, emotion - a noun)
370	das Team	Nouns	group of people working together for a particular
371	wert	Adjectives	worth, worthy of
372	warten	Verbs	to wait (for)
373	die Musik	Nouns	music
374	dank	Prepositions	thanks to, because of, courtesy of
375	ebenfalls	Adverbs	also, likewise, as well
376	eher	Adverbs	fairly, relatively, somewhat
377	pro	Prepositions	per, each
378	der Vater	Nouns	father
379	der Preis	Nouns	price
380	falsch	Adjectives	false, unfactual, untrue
381	der Krieg	Nouns	war, warfare
382	die Million	Nouns	million (10⁶)
383	der Lieber	Nouns	dear
384	bald	Adverbs	soon (near in time)
385	nachdem	Conjunctions	after (that)
386	sofort	Adverbs	immediately, at once
387	die Mutter	Nouns	mother
388	die Gesellschaft	Nouns	company (presence of other people in general)
389	rot	Adjectives	red (colour)
390	der Sohn	Nouns	son
391	die Partei	Nouns	political party
392	der Anfang	Nouns	start, beginning, origin (spatially or temporally)
393	danach	Adverbs	after it, after that; thereafter (formal), afterwards
394	folgend	Adjectives	following, subsequent
395	hoffen	Verbs	to hope
396	verkaufen	Verbs	to sell (something in exchange for money)
397	das Ziel	Nouns	target
398	das Mitglied	Nouns	member
399	endlich	Adverbs	eventually, at last, finally
400	dritte	Adjectives	third
401	laut	Prepositions	according to
402	der Punkt	Nouns	dot (marking an abbreviation)
403	damals	Adverbs	at that time (in the past); at the time, then
404	fünf	Numbers	five
405	bekennen	Verbs	to confess, to avow, to profess
406	offen	Adverbs	openly
407	der Artikel	Nouns	article
408	wünschen	Verbs	to wish for; to make a wish for; to want; to desire
409	egal	Adverbs	no matter
410	die Wahl	Nouns	choice, selection
411	das Ergebnis	Nouns	result, outcome, conclusion, finding, fruit
412	das Foto	Nouns	photograph
413	das System	Nouns	period
414	los	Adverbs	rid of, free of
415	der Bayer	Nouns	Bavarian
416	schlagen	Verbs	to beat; to hit; to knock; to strike; to punch
417	entstehen	Verbs	to come into being, to arise, to be produced
418	einig	Pronouns	some, a few, plenty
419	gegenüber	Prepositions	opposite
420	oben	Adverbs	above
421	die Möglichkeit	Nouns	possibility, likelihood
422	Richtung	Prepositions	towards
423	der Sinn	Nouns	sense
424	verwenden	Verbs	to use, to employ, to apply
425	vergessen	Verbs	to forget (lose remembrance of)
426	fehlen	Verbs	for there to be a lack [with dative ‘to
427	erzählen	Verbs	to tell, to narrate, to recount
428	die Regierung	Nouns	government/administration
429	erwarten	Verbs	to expect, to consider likely
430	der Tod	Nouns	death
431	Eltern	Nouns	parents
432	bisher	Adverbs	so far, until now, as yet
433	der Erfolg	Nouns	success
434	ernst	Adjectives	serious, severe, grave
435	manch	Pronouns	many a; many; some
436	die Hilfe	Nouns	the act of helping, assistance
437	die Denke	Nouns	way of thinking, mindset, mentality, attitude
438	her	Adverbs	hither, to this place, to here, to me/us
439	trotzdem	Conjunctions	although
440	das Glück	Nouns	happiness, joy, bliss (state or emotion)
441	reichen	Verbs	to reach (extend a certain distance)
442	bedeuten	Verbs	to imply, to mean, to signify, to indicate, to spell
443	das Angebot	Nouns	offer, proposition
444	geworden	Adjectives	become, got
445	allgemein	Adjectives	general (common, basic, usual), universal
446	entsprechend	Prepositions	according to, in accordance with
447	sozial	Adjectives	social
448	gehören	Verbs	to belong to, be the property of
449	ändern	Verbs	to change, to alter
450	die Folge	Nouns	sequence
451	die Politik	Nouns	politics (profession of conducting political affairs)
452	zunächst	Adverbs	first, first of all, in the first place, to begin with
453	jung	Adjectives	young
454	einzeln	Adverbs	singly
455	besondere	Adjectives	special, particular, extraordinary
456	darum	Adverbs	around it, around that
457	herzen	Verbs	to hug, embrace
458	holen	Verbs	to (go) get
459	persönlich	Adverbs	personally, in person
460	die Kirche	Nouns	church (building)
461	Personen	Nouns	plural of Person
462	bisschen	Adverbs	bit; (a) little
463	schließlich	Adverbs	in the end, finally, eventually
464	ähnlich	Adjectives	similar, alike, resembling
465	das Band	Nouns	tape, ribbon
466	befinden	Verbs	to occupy a place; to be located; to be situated
467	arm	Adjectives	poor (having little money)
468	die Entwicklung	Nouns	evolution
469	das Mädchen	Nouns	girl
470	passiert	Verbs	it happens
471	das Stück	Nouns	one, item, piece, unit
472	das Prozent	Nouns	percent
473	keiner	Pronouns	none
474	erkennen	Verbs	to recognize, perceive
475	spaß	Verbs	singular imperative of spaßen
476	europäisch	Adjectives	European
477	gegeben	Adjectives	given
478	das Moment	Nouns	momentum
479	die Zukunft	Nouns	future
480	erscheinen	Verbs	to appear
481	erinnern	Verbs	to remind
482	die Angst	Nouns	fear; fright; anxiety
483	die Erfahrung	Nouns	experience
484	ziemlich	Adverbs	pretty, quite, rather, fairly, kind of
485	die Form	Nouns	shape
486	der Verein	Nouns	association, club, society
487	entscheiden	Verbs	to decide, to make a decision
488	das Projekt	Nouns	project
489	das Gefühl	Nouns	feeling (either physical sensation or emotion)
490	tief	Adjectives	deep
491	häufig	Adverbs	frequently, often
492	super	Adjectives	super, great, awesome
493	die Meinung	Nouns	opinion
494	bauen	Verbs	to build, to construct
495	hart	Adverbs	hard (with force or effort)
496	der Mai	Nouns	May
497	die Wohnung	Nouns	domicile; dwelling; lodging; abode
498	bevor	Conjunctions	before
499	manchmal	Adverbs	sometimes
500	raus	Adverbs	out, out of there, outta there

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

The rest of the list

A2A2 Beginner: 500 more wordsvöllig · Interesse · Freunde · Kosten · obwohl
B1B1 Intermediate: 750 more wordsrechnen · Szene · Anteil · Stein · Energie
B2B2 Upper intermediate: 750 more wordsstärken · zunehmen · Übersetzung · leeren · umgehen

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.