The 500 most common Italian 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	di	Prepositions	of, from
2	e	Conjunctions	and
3	il	Determiners	the
4	essere	Verbs	Used as a copula. to be
5	uno	Determiners	an; a
6	che	Conjunctions	that; which, who; than
7	a	Prepositions	to, at, in
8	in	Prepositions	in, into, at
9	la	Determiners	the
10	non	Adverbs	not
11	per	Prepositions	for
12	avere	Verbs	to have
13	da	Prepositions	from (all senses)
14	del	Contractions	of the, from the (di + il)
15	le	Determiners	the
16	con	Prepositions	with, together
17	si	Pronouns	oneself, himself, herself, itself, themselves
18	della	Contractions	of the, from the (di + la)
19	su	Prepositions	on, upon, onto, on top
20	ma	Conjunctions	but, however
21	questo	Determiners	this, these
22	al	Contractions	to the, at the (a + il)
23	mi	Pronouns	me, to me; myself
24	come	Conjunctions	as, like; how
25	potere	Verbs	can, could; to be able to
26	più	Adverbs	more; most
27	dei	Contractions	of the (di + i); some
28	se	Conjunctions	if
29	suo	Determiners	his, her, its
30	nel	Contractions	in the (in + il)
31	alla	Contractions	to the, at the (a + la)
32	anche	Adverbs	also, too, as well, besides
33	lo	Determiners	the (masculine singular, before s + consonant)
34	il stato	Nouns	state
35	gli	Determiners	the (masculine plural); to him
36	fare	Verbs	to do
37	quello	Determiners	that, those
38	o	Conjunctions	or
39	altro	Determiners	other, another, more, further, else
40	ci	Pronouns	us
41	dire	Verbs	to say, to tell
42	dovere	Verbs	to owe
43	mio	Determiners	my; of mine (used attributively)
44	solo	Conjunctions	but, only
45	tutti	Pronouns	all; everybody, everyone
46	cosa	Pronouns	what?
47	dal	Contractions	since
48	io	Pronouns	I (the first-person singular nominative pronoun)
49	-ti	Pronouns	alternative form of ti
50	tutto	Determiners	all
51	il anno	Nouns	year (all senses)
52	volere	Verbs	to want
53	stare	Verbs	to stay, remain
54	cui	Determiners	whose
55	molto	Determiners	a lot of, much, great, (in the plural) many, a lot of
56	quando	Conjunctions	when
57	la parte	Nouns	part
58	prima	Adverbs	before
59	tra	Prepositions	between
60	vedere	Verbs	to see
61	loro	Determiners	their
62	perché	Conjunctions	because, why
63	due	Numbers	two
64	sia	Conjunctions	both ... and
65	ora	Conjunctions	and yet
66	venire	Verbs	to come
67	così	Adverbs	so
68	nuovo	Adjectives	new
69	dopo	Prepositions	after
70	stesso	Determiners	same, equal
71	proprio	Pronouns	one's, one's own, her (own), its (own), their (own)
72	ne	Pronouns	from this; from that; from these
73	poi	Adverbs	then
74	sempre	Adverbs	always
75	nostro	Determiners	our
76	bene	Adverbs	well, nicely, OK, right
77	fa	Adverbs	ago (Note: like in English, fa follows the number.)
78	quanto	Determiners	how much, how many, however much, however many
79	tuo	Determiners	your (informal)
80	ancora	Adverbs	still
81	chi	Pronouns	who, whom; whoever
82	secondo	Prepositions	according to, as per, per
83	la volta	Nouns	time, instance, occasion
84	la persona	Nouns	person, pl people, persons
85	grande	Adverbs	really (intensifier)
86	il tempo	Nouns	time
87	andare	Verbs	to go
88	senza	Prepositions	without, -less
89	quale	Determiners	what?
90	mai	Adverbs	never
91	ogni	Determiners	each, every
92	tanto	Determiners	so much; so many
93	la vita	Nouns	life
94	il lavoro	Nouns	work (all senses)
95	dove	Conjunctions	where
96	no	Determiners	no, anti-
97	già	Adverbs	already, yet
98	sei	Numbers	six
99	alcuno	Adjectives	some, a few
100	quindi	Conjunctions	so
101	la casa	Nouns	house
102	italiano	Adjectives	Italian (of, from or relating to Italy)
103	primo	Adjectives	first
104	vi	Pronouns	second-person personal plural object pronoun: you
105	il grazie	Nouns	thanks, thank-you (an expression of gratitude)
106	il caso	Nouns	chance, fate
107	il modo	Nouns	manner, way
108	il dato	Nouns	datum (item of data)
109	sapere	Verbs	to know (information)
110	leggere	Verbs	to read
111	noi	Pronouns	we; us
112	pensare	Verbs	to think
113	qui	Adverbs	here
114	te	Pronouns	you, thee
115	poco	Determiners	little, not much
116	trovare	Verbs	to find
117	il fine	Nouns	end; purpose
118	tu	Pronouns	you (singular); thou
119	il mondo	Nouns	world
120	via	Adverbs	away
121	prendere	Verbs	to take, hold, pick up, get
122	buono	Adjectives	righteous, moral
123	il giorno	Nouns	day
124	nessuno	Determiners	no, any
125	questi	Pronouns	the aforementioned person
126	siamo	Verbs	first-person plural present indicative/subjunctive
127	vero	Adjectives	true
128	lui	Pronouns	he
129	il uomo	Nouns	person, man (human being)
130	parlare	Verbs	to talk, to speak
131	contro	Prepositions	against
132	la donna	Nouns	woman
133	de	Prepositions	Marche, Milan, Rome, and Venice form of di
134	mettere	Verbs	to put, to place, to lay, to set
135	capire	Verbs	to understand
136	dare	Verbs	to give
137	li	Determiners	the
138	mentre	Conjunctions	while; as (during the same time that)
139	la storia	Nouns	history
140	abbiamo	Verbs	first-person plural present indicative/subjunctive
141	credere	Verbs	to believe
142	oggi	Adverbs	today
143	il problema	Nouns	problem
144	punto	Pronouns	nothing
145	la città	Nouns	town, city
146	certo	Adverbs	certainly, of course, surely, definitely
147	il posto	Nouns	place, spot
148	fino	Prepositions	till, until, as far as
149	qualche	Determiners	few
150	il momento	Nouns	moment
151	il piacere	Nouns	pleasure, enjoyment
152	ultimo	Adjectives	last
153	il pubblico	Nouns	the public
154	il paese	Nouns	country (nation)
155	tre	Numbers	three
156	chiedere	Verbs	to ask (for)
157	la foto	Nouns	photo, snap
158	troppo	Determiners	too much, (in the plural) too many
159	meno	Determiners	less
160	meglio	Adverbs	better
161	il nome	Nouns	name
162	ciò	Pronouns	this
163	però	Conjunctions	yet, but, however, nevertheless
164	sotto	Prepositions	under, beneath, underneath
165	il mese	Nouns	month
166	migliore	Adjectives	better
167	tipo	Adverbs	indicating approximation or uncertainty; like, kinda
168	il gruppo	Nouns	group, cluster, party, team, covey
169	piccolo	Adjectives	small
170	unico	Adjectives	only, sole, one, single
171	forse	Adverbs	maybe, perhaps, possibly, may, might
172	giorni	Nouns	days
173	invece	Prepositions	rather than
174	qualcosa	Pronouns	something
175	il morto	Nouns	dead man
176	sembra	Verbs	third-person singular present indicative
177	diversi	Determiners	several
178	maggiore	Adjectives	bigger, greater
179	riuscire	Verbs	to manage; to be able
180	male	Adverbs	badly, wrongly
181	oltre	Prepositions	beyond, over, on the other side of
182	il numero	Nouns	number
183	qualcuno	Pronouns	someone, somebody
184	la famiglia	Nouns	family
185	arrivare	Verbs	to arrive, to come, to reach
186	allora	Conjunctions	then, in that case
187	durante	Prepositions	during
188	niente	Determiners	no, (after a negative) any
189	la mano	Nouns	hand
190	verso	Prepositions	in the direction of
191	fuori	Prepositions	out, outside, outwards (towards the outside)
192	il conto	Nouns	calculation
193	roma	Nouns	a type of rice
194	voi	Pronouns	you (second person plural)
195	il santo	Nouns	saint
196	lungo	Prepositions	along
197	pure	Conjunctions	even though, even if, although
198	vivere	Verbs	to live; to be alive
199	insieme	Adverbs	together
200	il uso	Nouns	use
201	quelli	Pronouns	Old Italian form of quegli
202	sentire	Verbs	to feel
203	comunque	Conjunctions	however, whatever
204	comune	Adjectives	mutual, common
205	diritto	Adverbs	straight
206	il sito	Nouns	place, site, location
207	davvero	Adverbs	really, in fact
208	la politica	Nouns	politics
209	lei	Pronouns	she
210	il video	Nouns	video (all senses)
211	tale	Determiners	such
212	il ragazzo	Nouns	boy, young man
213	portare	Verbs	to bring, fetch, take, carry
214	forza	Interjections	cheer up!
215	iniziare	Verbs	to begin, to set about
216	idea	Verbs	third-person singular present indicative
217	giocare	Verbs	to play a game, for fun or as a pastime
218	il sistema	Nouns	system
219	perdere	Verbs	to lose
220	il esempio	Nouns	example
221	nazionale	Adjectives	home; national, domestic
222	la scuola	Nouns	school
223	il possibile	Nouns	possible
224	quasi	Conjunctions	as if
225	sì	Conjunctions	both ... and
226	mezzo	Adjectives	overripe (of fruit)
227	il governo	Nouns	government, administration, rule
228	alto	Adjectives	high, tall
229	il libro	Nouns	book
230	circa	Prepositions	regarding, concerning
231	seguire	Verbs	to follow, to pursue
232	il amico	Nouns	friend, companion, partner
233	cercare	Verbs	to look for
234	la settimana	Nouns	week
235	il servizio	Nouns	service, serve
236	il studio	Nouns	study
237	la società	Nouns	society, community
238	chiamare	Verbs	to call
239	la ragazza	Nouns	girl, young woman
240	conoscere	Verbs	to know (a person or place), to meet (a person)
241	nulla	Pronouns	nothing, anything
242	il bambino	Nouns	child, baby, toddler
243	rimanere	Verbs	to stay
244	generale	Adjectives	general
245	il centro	Nouns	centre, center
246	tenere	Verbs	to hold
247	lasciare	Verbs	to leave (to leave something behind)
248	il corso	Nouns	course (of a river, of a university, etc.)
249	il bisogno	Nouns	need
250	giusto	Adverbs	just, exactly
251	la guerra	Nouns	war, warfare
252	ecco	Adverbs	used to call someone's attention to suddenly
253	il rispetto	Nouns	respect, deference
254	la base	Nouns	base, alkaline
255	vostro	Determiners	your; plural and polite forms
256	scritto	Adjectives	written (having been written)
257	vario	Adjectives	varied, various
258	rendere	Verbs	to give back, to return
259	la domanda	Nouns	question
260	abbia	Verbs	first/second/third-person singular present subjunctive
261	adesso	Adverbs	now
262	la serie	Nouns	series
263	il dio	Nouns	god, deity
264	il seguito	Nouns	sequel, rest, follow-up, continuation
265	giovane	Adjectives	young
266	il senso	Nouns	sense
267	la causa	Nouns	cause
268	il passo	Nouns	footstep (sound)
269	il presente	Nouns	present tense
270	almeno	Conjunctions	if only!
271	la ragione	Nouns	reason, intellect
272	la bella	Nouns	beauty, belle (beautiful woman)
273	il figlio	Nouns	son
274	la terra	Nouns	ground
275	spesso	Adverbs	often
276	subito	Adverbs	at once, immediately, as soon as possible, shortly
277	infatti	Adverbs	indeed
278	il partito	Nouns	party, political party (political group)
279	il successo	Nouns	success
280	il livello	Nouns	level
281	scrivere	Verbs	to write
282	la porta	Nouns	gate
283	diventare	Verbs	to become (rich, dry, a doctor, etc.), to go
284	finire	Verbs	to finish
285	il film	Nouns	film, movie
286	particolare	Adjectives	particular, private, personal (antonym of general)
287	importare	Verbs	to be important, to matter
288	la forma	Nouns	form
289	uscire	Verbs	to go out, leave, exit
290	il luogo	Nouns	place (location, position)
291	la opera	Nouns	work
292	bello	Adjectives	nice, fair, fine, pleasant
293	vicino	Adverbs	near
294	la voce	Nouns	voice
295	il campo	Nouns	field
296	fra	Prepositions	between
297	inoltre	Adverbs	moreover, also, besides, in addition, furthermore
298	pubblicare	Verbs	to publish
299	il presidente	Nouns	president (head of state of a republic)
300	soprattutto	Adverbs	above all, most, most of all
301	siano	Verbs	third-person plural present subjunctive
302	la situazione	Nouns	situation, position, condition, circumstances
303	appena	Adverbs	barely, hardly
304	ce	Adverbs	reinforcing particle, "do"
305	il padre	Nouns	father
306	il termine	Nouns	end, close
307	tornare	Verbs	to return, to come back
308	forte	Adjectives	strong
309	il articolo	Nouns	article
310	il passato	Nouns	past (time before the present)
311	sociale	Adjectives	social, societal
312	piano	Adverbs	slowly
313	vecchio	Adjectives	old, outworn
314	il genere	Nouns	kind
315	la informazione	Nouns	information
316	la prova	Nouns	trial, test, experiment
317	scelto	Adjectives	chosen
318	basta	Interjections	enough!
319	fai	Verbs	second-person singular present
320	la parole	Nouns	lyrics, words
321	occhio	Interjections	look out! watch out!
322	esistere	Verbs	to exist, to be
323	massimo	Adjectives	maximum
324	libero	Adjectives	free (not imprisoned or enslaved)
325	la ricerca	Nouns	search, quest, hunt, manhunt, prospecting, pursuit
326	cambiare	Verbs	to exchange
327	presso	Prepositions	near
328	prossimo	Adjectives	very near, near, close
329	minuto	Adjectives	tiny, minute, emaciated, thin
330	europeo	Adjectives	European
331	la vista	Nouns	sight, eyesight, vision, visual acuity
332	il titolo	Nouns	title (of a book, song etc.), headline (of an article)
333	il continuo	Nouns	that which has continuity or continuousness
334	il capo	Nouns	boss, chief, leader
335	la zona	Nouns	a zone, area or district
336	la regione	Nouns	region, area, zone, district
337	il motivo	Nouns	reason, ground
338	permettere	Verbs	to allow, to let, to permit, to authorize, to entitle
339	consigliare	Verbs	to advise, to counsel (someone)
340	la fatta	Nouns	type, kind
341	la buonanotte	Nouns	an instance or circumstance in which one says good night
342	popolare	Adjectives	of the people, people's, popular
343	la realtà	Nouns	reality
344	il accordo	Nouns	accord, agreement, bond
345	sperare	Verbs	to hope
346	il grado	Nouns	degree
347	il corpo	Nouns	body (the physical structure of a human or animal)
348	unito	Adjectives	united
349	sicuro	Adverbs	surely; for sure; certainly; definitely; of course
350	il periodo	Nouns	period (in the periodic table)
351	la testa	Nouns	head
352	decidere	Verbs	to decide (on), to fix, to arrange, to determine
353	il effetto	Nouns	effect (in all senses)
354	il rapporto	Nouns	report, statement, account
355	il amore	Nouns	love
356	la figlia	Nouns	daughter
357	passare	Verbs	to pass (all senses)
358	la notizia	Nouns	item of news
359	la acqua	Nouns	water
360	progettare	Verbs	to plan, make plans for
361	rispondere	Verbs	to answer, to reply, to respond [with a ‘to’]
362	economico	Adjectives	economic, financial
363	aprire	Verbs	to open
364	il settembre	Nouns	September
365	politico	Adjectives	political
366	lavorare	Verbs	to work; to labor
367	la faccia	Nouns	face (of a person or an animal)
368	vincere	Verbs	to win
369	la chiesa	Nouns	church
370	locale	Adjectives	local
371	il programma	Nouns	programme/program, schedule, agenda
372	il marzo	Nouns	March (the month)
373	quattro	Numbers	four
374	umano	Adjectives	human
375	il giro	Nouns	turn, twist, rotation, revolution
376	milione	Numbers	million
377	creare	Verbs	to create
378	madre	Adjectives	mother
379	principale	Adjectives	main, principal
380	usare	Verbs	to use
381	ricevere	Verbs	to receive, get, have, be given, take
382	la lingua	Nouns	tongue
383	ottenere	Verbs	to obtain, to achieve, to gain (something desired)
384	il personale	Nouns	staff, personnel
385	la attività	Nouns	activity, operation
386	attraverso	Prepositions	through
387	qualsiasi	Determiners	any
388	il soldi	Nouns	money
389	la condizione	Nouns	condition
390	la tratta	Nouns	seine fishing
391	la questione	Nouns	question, issue, matter, point
392	basso	Adverbs	low
393	la posizione	Nouns	position
394	difficile	Adjectives	difficult, hard
395	il voto	Nouns	vow
396	necessario	Adjectives	necessary
397	futuro	Adjectives	future
398	pieno	Adjectives	full
399	produrre	Verbs	to produce, yield, bear, generate
400	il fondo	Nouns	bottom
401	la linea	Nouns	line
402	il nero	Nouns	black (color/colour)
403	storico	Adjectives	historic, historical
404	ormai	Adverbs	by now, by this time, now, at this point, by then
405	il cittadino	Nouns	citizen, subject
406	il inglese	Nouns	Englishman, Englishwoman
407	il danno	Nouns	damage, harm, injury
408	la pagina	Nouns	page (of a book, etc.)
409	semplice	Adjectives	simple
410	terzo	Adjectives	third
411	valore	Adverbs	as much as, as many as
412	ciao	Interjections	hello!
413	il ricordo	Nouns	memory, recollection, remembrance
414	il maggio	Nouns	May (fifth month of the Gregorian calendar)
415	ufficiale	Adjectives	official
416	morire	Verbs	to die
417	entrare	Verbs	to enter, to go in
418	il mare	Nouns	sea
419	simile	Adjectives	similar
420	la giornata	Nouns	day
421	la esperienza	Nouns	experience
422	il controllo	Nouns	check, control, verification, examination, inspection
423	la immagine	Nouns	image
424	guardare	Verbs	to look at, to watch, to glance or gaze at
425	chiaro	Adverbs	plainly, frankly, candidly, openly
426	usato	Adjectives	usual, customary, habitual
427	internazionale	Adjectives	international
428	il interesse	Nouns	interest, concern
429	il favore	Nouns	favour/favor
430	fatti	Verbs	compound of fa'
431	nemmeno	Adverbs	not even
432	parla	Verbs	third-person singular present indicative
433	quei	Pronouns	Old Italian form of quegli
434	sembrare	Verbs	to seem, to look (like), to appear
435	il signore	Nouns	Lord, God
436	il aspetto	Nouns	look (act of looking)
437	il mercato	Nouns	market (in all senses)
438	medico	Adjectives	medical
439	il euro	Nouns	euro (currency)
440	la sicurezza	Nouns	safety, security
441	il prezzo	Nouns	price
442	avanti	Prepositions	before (in time)
443	tuttavia	Conjunctions	but, still
444	la cura	Nouns	care
445	medio	Adjectives	mean, average
446	il cuore	Nouns	muscular organ that pumps blood
447	la sera	Nouns	evening
448	diretto	Adverbs	direct, straight
449	la paura	Nouns	fear
450	il resto	Nouns	rest, remainder, balance
451	la cultura	Nouns	culture
452	precedente	Adjectives	preceding, previous, foregoing, earlier
453	aprile	Verbs	compound of apri
454	il giugno	Nouns	June
455	trova	Verbs	third-person singular present indicative
456	nato	Adjectives	born (also used in combination)
457	la nota	Nouns	note (in all senses)
458	utilizzare	Verbs	to use, make use of, utilize
459	partire	Verbs	to depart; to leave; to set forth
460	pronto	Adjectives	ready, prepared
461	il processo	Nouns	trial, action, lawsuit, suit, proceedings
462	la luce	Nouns	light
463	la azione	Nouns	action, deed
464	continuare	Verbs	to continue, to keep on doing (an action)
465	la musica	Nouns	music
466	il fratello	Nouns	brother, sibling
467	il aiuto	Nouns	help, assistance, aid
468	la azienda	Nouns	firm, company, business, concern, establishment
469	la arte	Nouns	art
470	cioè	Adverbs	used to rephrase
471	lì	Adverbs	there, in that place
472	il ottobre	Nouns	October
473	la parola	Nouns	word (distinct unit of language)
474	stai	Verbs	second-person singular present indicative
475	il sud	Nouns	south
476	civile	Adjectives	civil
477	la squadra	Nouns	set square, triangle (tool)
478	speciale	Adjectives	special
479	raggiungere	Verbs	to reach, arrive at, get to, touch
480	il colore	Nouns	color/colour
481	pagare	Verbs	to pay (money, a bill, the rent, etc.)
482	viaggiare	Verbs	to travel, to journey
483	la relazione	Nouns	connection
484	cinque	Numbers	five
485	il luglio	Nouns	July
486	sopra	Prepositions	over
487	il ordine	Nouns	order (command, instruction)
488	il evento	Nouns	event
489	americano	Adjectives	American, United Statesian, US-American, Yankee
490	la classe	Nouns	class (all senses)
491	il sviluppo	Nouns	development, growth, strengthening, expansion
492	aggiungere	Verbs	to add, to append
493	dietro	Prepositions	behind
494	nord	Adjectives	northern
495	il post	Nouns	post (message in a forum)
496	il re	Nouns	king (male monarch)
497	il ruolo	Nouns	role
498	il messaggio	Nouns	message
499	considerare	Verbs	to consider, to examine, to weigh, to contemplate
500	il piede	Nouns	foot

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

The rest of the list

A2A2 Beginner: 500 more wordsaspettare · autore · spazio · abbastanza · possibilità
B1B1 Intermediate: 750 more wordscattivo · nave · capello · dettaglio · ampio
B2B2 Upper intermediate: 750 more wordstavola · causare · esistenza · chimico · agente

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.