The 500 most common Spanish 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; 's; used after the thing owned and before the owner |
| 2 | la | Determiners | feminine singular definite article; the |
| 3 | que | Conjunctions | that; than; which, who |
| 4 | el | Determiners | masculine singular definite article; the |
| 5 | en | Prepositions | in, at, on |
| 6 | y | Conjunctions | and |
| 7 | a | Prepositions | to |
| 8 | ser | Verbs | to be (essentially or identified as) |
| 9 | no | Adverbs | not |
| 10 | los | Determiners | the (masculine plural) |
| 11 | un | Determiners | an; a |
| 12 | se | Pronouns | oneself, himself, herself (reflexive) |
| 13 | por | Prepositions | by |
| 14 | del | Contractions | of the, from the (de + el) |
| 15 | las | Determiners | the (feminine plural) |
| 16 | con | Prepositions | with |
| 17 | una | Determiners | a, an (feminine) |
| 18 | para | Prepositions | for, to (expressing a recipient) |
| 19 | lo | Determiners | the (neuter); it, him |
| 20 | este | Determiners | this |
| 21 | haber | Verbs | to have; forms the perfect aspect |
| 22 | su | Determiners | his, her, its, their; your (formal) |
| 23 | estar | Verbs | to be (have a temporary or permanent location in space) |
| 24 | tener | Verbs | to have; to possess |
| 25 | al | Contractions | to the (a + el) |
| 26 | como | Prepositions | as (in the manner or role specified) |
| 27 | me | Pronouns | me, to me; myself |
| 28 | todo | Determiners | all; every |
| 29 | el poder | Nouns | power (the ability to coerce, influence or control) |
| 30 | más | Adverbs | more; most |
| 31 | si | Conjunctions | if, whether |
| 32 | pero | Conjunctions | but |
| 33 | hacer | Verbs | to do, perform, execute, carry out |
| 34 | mucho | Determiners | much, a lot of |
| 35 | te | Pronouns | you, to you; yourself (informal) |
| 36 | o | Conjunctions | or |
| 37 | decir | Verbs | to say, to tell, to name, to mention |
| 38 | ir | Verbs | to go (away from speaker and listener) |
| 39 | mío | Determiners | mine, my; of mine |
| 40 | esto | Pronouns | this (thing) |
| 41 | otro | Determiners | other, another |
| 42 | le | Pronouns | to him, for him; dative of él |
| 43 | ver | Verbs | to see, to spot |
| 44 | sus | Determiners | his, her, its, their (before a plural noun) |
| 45 | ya | Adverbs | already; now; any more |
| 46 | el año | Nouns | year |
| 47 | querer | Verbs | to desire, to want, to want to |
| 48 | dar | Verbs | to give, to give out |
| 49 | yo | Pronouns | first-person singular pronoun in the nominative case; I |
| 50 | cuando | Conjunctions | when |
| 51 | el son | Nouns | tone (pleasant sound) |
| 52 | tuyo | Determiners | yours, your |
| 53 | sin | Prepositions | without |
| 54 | bueno | Adjectives | good (of good quality) |
| 55 | también | Adverbs | also, too, as well |
| 56 | sobre | Prepositions | over, above, on, upon, atop |
| 57 | deber | Verbs | to owe |
| 58 | el día | Nouns | day (any period of 24 hours) |
| 59 | nuestro | Determiners | our, ours, to us |
| 60 | porque | Conjunctions | because |
| 61 | mismo | Adverbs | right, exactly, immediately |
| 62 | nuevo | Adjectives | new |
| 63 | alguno | Determiners | some, any |
| 64 | bien | Conjunctions | either ... or |
| 65 | qué | Determiners | what; which |
| 66 | así | Adverbs | like this; like that; as such; thus; so; thereby |
| 67 | dos | Numbers | two |
| 68 | saber | Verbs | to know, to understand (a fact) |
| 69 | entre | Prepositions | between |
| 70 | primero | Adverbs | first; first of all; firstly |
| 71 | desde | Prepositions | since (from a specified time in the past) |
| 72 | crear | Verbs | to create |
| 73 | hasta | Prepositions | until |
| 74 | él | Pronouns | he, him |
| 75 | grande | Adjectives | big, large |
| 76 | solo | Adverbs | only; solely; just |
| 77 | la parte | Nouns | part; section; portion; share; piece; bit; cut |
| 78 | el tiempo | Nouns | time |
| 79 | ahora | Conjunctions | now...now, whether...or |
| 80 | la vez | Nouns | time, instance |
| 81 | nada | Pronouns | nothing, zero, zilch, not...anything |
| 82 | hace | Prepositions | ago (Note: unlike in English, hace precedes the number.) |
| 83 | mejor | Adverbs | better |
| 84 | el estado | Nouns | country, land (any broad area or territory) |
| 85 | la persona | Nouns | person (an individual; usually a human being) |
| 86 | ni | Conjunctions | Used when negating two or more elements, and not |
| 87 | la cosa | Nouns | thing (object, concept) |
| 88 | dejar | Verbs | to leave (to place) |
| 89 | donde | Pronouns | where, in what place |
| 90 | llegar | Verbs | to arrive, get (to) |
| 91 | algo | Pronouns | something, anything |
| 92 | hablar | Verbs | to talk; to speak; to communicate using words |
| 93 | seguir | Verbs | to follow |
| 94 | la vida | Nouns | life |
| 95 | poco | Determiners | little, not much |
| 96 | uno | Determiners | one |
| 97 | tan | Determiners | such, such a |
| 98 | tanto | Determiners | so much; as much; that much |
| 99 | poner | Verbs | to put, to place (cause to assume a specified position) |
| 100 | ese | Determiners | that |
| 101 | e | Conjunctions | and |
| 102 | siempre | Adverbs | always |
| 103 | el país | Nouns | country (the territory of a nation) |
| 104 | llevar | Verbs | to take somewhere |
| 105 | parecer | Verbs | to seem, to see fit |
| 106 | pasar | Verbs | to pass, to hand, to slip |
| 107 | la gente | Nouns | people |
| 108 | después | Adverbs | later, afterwards, afterward, post |
| 109 | cada | Determiners | each; every |
| 110 | el mundo | Nouns | world, earth (human collective existence) |
| 111 | pensar | Verbs | to think, ponder |
| 112 | quedar | Verbs | to be (as a result of something), to end up |
| 113 | encontrar | Verbs | to meet |
| 114 | la gracia | Nouns | grace, charm |
| 115 | les | Determiners | the (plural) |
| 116 | el lugar | Nouns | place |
| 117 | mas | Conjunctions | but |
| 118 | el trabajo | Nouns | work, job |
| 119 | venir | Verbs | to come (move closer to some location |
| 120 | quien | Pronouns | who |
| 121 | la forma | Nouns | shape; form; figure |
| 122 | la cuenta | Nouns | count, tally |
| 123 | menos | Determiners | less, fewer |
| 124 | nunca | Adverbs | never |
| 125 | el caso | Nouns | case (situation or fact) |
| 126 | salir | Verbs | to go out, to leave, to depart, to head out |
| 127 | la mujer | Nouns | woman |
| 128 | esperar | Verbs | to hope |
| 129 | casar | Verbs | to marry, wed someone to (unite two others in wedlock) |
| 130 | volver | Verbs | to return, to revert, to get back |
| 131 | antes | Prepositions | before (earlier than) |
| 132 | el hombre | Nouns | man, (adult male human) |
| 133 | gobernar | Verbs | to govern |
| 134 | había | Verbs | makes pluperfect to verbs as part of the auxiliary verb |
| 135 | conocer | Verbs | to know (a person or a place), to be familiar with |
| 136 | durante | Prepositions | during, in, over |
| 137 | tomar | Verbs | to take |
| 138 | llamar | Verbs | to summon, to call |
| 139 | cómo | Adverbs | how? |
| 140 | el hecho | Nouns | act, deed |
| 141 | político | Adjectives | political |
| 142 | contra | Prepositions | against, versus |
| 143 | aunque | Conjunctions | though, although, even though, albeit |
| 144 | la ciudad | Nouns | city |
| 145 | gustar | Verbs | to like in a general sense |
| 146 | el momento | Nouns | moment, instant |
| 147 | mal | Adverbs | badly, poorly, ill |
| 148 | he | Adverbs | here is |
| 149 | cual | Pronouns | suchlike, like (which), such as |
| 150 | el paso | Nouns | step, footstep |
| 151 | el problema | Nouns | problem, issue |
| 152 | el amigo | Nouns | friend |
| 153 | derecho | Adverbs | straight |
| 154 | nacional | Adjectives | national, nationwide (of or relating to a nation) |
| 155 | la hora | Nouns | hour (a time period of sixty minutes) |
| 156 | último | Adjectives | final; last |
| 157 | sí | Pronouns | himself, herself, itself, themself, themselves |
| 158 | vivir | Verbs | to live; to be alive |
| 159 | necesitar | Verbs | to need |
| 160 | sentir | Verbs | to feel |
| 161 | aquí | Adverbs | here (in the speaker's location) |
| 162 | ella | Pronouns | she, her (used subjectively and after prepositions) |
| 163 | tratar | Verbs | to treat (to handle, behave toward in a specific way) |
| 164 | el santo | Nouns | male saint |
| 165 | tú | Pronouns | you (second-person singular pronoun) |
| 166 | el partido | Nouns | party |
| 167 | hoy | Adverbs | today, tonight (on the current day) |
| 168 | alguien | Pronouns | someone, somebody |
| 169 | el grupo | Nouns | group |
| 170 | tipo | Particles | like |
| 171 | usar | Verbs | to use |
| 172 | mayor | Adjectives | of age; adult; grown-up |
| 173 | la historia | Nouns | history (the aggregate of past events) |
| 174 | tres | Numbers | three |
| 175 | cualquiera | Determiners | any, whatever, whichever |
| 176 | tal | Pronouns | such |
| 177 | buscar | Verbs | to seek, search for, look for, try to find, to scour |
| 178 | el público | Nouns | public |
| 179 | general | Adjectives | general, overall |
| 180 | la mi | Nouns | mu; the Greek letter Μ, μ |
| 181 | la ley | Nouns | law (a well-established characteristic of nature) |
| 182 | perder | Verbs | to lose |
| 183 | la verdad | Nouns | truth |
| 184 | luego | Conjunctions | therefore (consequently) |
| 185 | acordar | Verbs | to agree |
| 186 | pues | Conjunctions | so, then; in that case |
| 187 | el hijo | Nouns | son |
| 188 | pedir | Verbs | to ask for something |
| 189 | entender | Verbs | to understand, to fathom |
| 190 | el punto | Nouns | point (specific spot, location, or place) |
| 191 | mientras | Conjunctions | while, whilst, as (at the same time as) |
| 192 | nadie | Pronouns | no one; nobody (anyone or anybody) |
| 193 | veces | Prepositions | by, times (multiplication) |
| 194 | el mes | Nouns | month |
| 195 | el segundo | Nouns | second (unit of time) |
| 196 | ninguno | Determiners | no; none |
| 197 | nombrar | Verbs | to name |
| 198 | la madre | Nouns | mother |
| 199 | trabajar | Verbs | to work |
| 200 | propio | Adjectives | own (belonging to) |
| 201 | bajo | Prepositions | under (in both literal and figurative senses) |
| 202 | entonces | Adverbs | then, next, thereupon, at that time, at that point |
| 203 | la manera | Nouns | way; manner; method; style |
| 204 | el sistema | Nouns | system |
| 205 | noche | Adverbs | after dark, (late) at night, nocturnally |
| 206 | preguntar | Verbs | to ask |
| 207 | empezar | Verbs | to start, begin, to get started |
| 208 | el dios | Nouns | god |
| 209 | varios | Determiners | various, several |
| 210 | además | Adverbs | in addition, moreover, furthermore, further, also |
| 211 | leer | Verbs | to read |
| 212 | medio | Adverbs | half |
| 213 | importante | Adjectives | important, that cares, that matters |
| 214 | la semana | Nouns | week (7 days) |
| 215 | según | Prepositions | according to |
| 216 | la familia | Nouns | family (group of people related to each other) |
| 217 | desarrollar | Verbs | to develop |
| 218 | el niño | Nouns | child, boy |
| 219 | la mano | Nouns | hand |
| 220 | único | Adjectives | only; single; sole |
| 221 | unos | Determiners | about, approximately |
| 222 | el pueblo | Nouns | town, village |
| 223 | el servicio | Nouns | service |
| 224 | ganar | Verbs | to gain |
| 225 | la foto | Nouns | photo, photograph |
| 226 | fuera | Adverbs | outside |
| 227 | hacia | Prepositions | toward, towards |
| 228 | sino | Conjunctions | but (rather) (after a negative clause) |
| 229 | el equipo | Nouns | team |
| 230 | idea | Verbs | third-person singular present indicative |
| 231 | el lado | Nouns | side |
| 232 | claro | Adverbs | certainly, naturally, of course |
| 233 | recordar | Verbs | to remember, to recollect |
| 234 | existir | Verbs | to exist |
| 235 | cambiar | Verbs | to change, to shift, to switch, to alter |
| 236 | pasado | Adjectives | past |
| 237 | la palabra | Nouns | word |
| 238 | terminar | Verbs | to (cause to) finish, to (cause to) end |
| 239 | el tema | Nouns | theme; plot (of a book, film or other media) |
| 240 | español | Adjectives | Spanish (from or native to Spain) |
| 241 | recibir | Verbs | to receive, get |
| 242 | entrar | Verbs | to enter; to come in; to get in; to go in |
| 243 | final | Adjectives | final (last, ultimate) |
| 244 | realizar | Verbs | to carry out; to perform; to conduct |
| 245 | cierto | Determiners | a certain, a specific |
| 246 | escribir | Verbs | to write |
| 247 | pagar | Verbs | to pay |
| 248 | el juego | Nouns | play |
| 249 | el cambio | Nouns | change, shift |
| 250 | casi | Adverbs | almost |
| 251 | la empresa | Nouns | company |
| 252 | nosotros | Pronouns | we (masculine plural) |
| 253 | tu | Determiners | apocopic form of tuyo, your |
| 254 | pequeño | Adjectives | small; little |
| 255 | el número | Nouns | number (counting) |
| 256 | argentino | Adjectives | Argentinian, Argentine |
| 257 | presentar | Verbs | to present, to submit |
| 258 | apoyar | Verbs | to lean, to rest, to lie or lay |
| 259 | comenzar | Verbs | to begin, to commence |
| 260 | ahí | Adverbs | there (away from the speaker) |
| 261 | dentro | Adverbs | inside (for space) |
| 262 | junto | Prepositions | next to, together with, alongside |
| 263 | seguro | Adverbs | surely; certainly |
| 264 | el video | Nouns | VHS player, videocassette recorder, VCR |
| 265 | el centro | Nouns | center |
| 266 | la guerra | Nouns | war, warfare |
| 267 | aún | Adverbs | still, yet |
| 268 | el ejemplo | Nouns | example |
| 269 | el señor | Nouns | mister, sir |
| 270 | el millón | Nouns | million (10⁶) |
| 271 | permitir | Verbs | to allow, permit |
| 272 | igual | Adverbs | in the same way; just like |
| 273 | mirar | Verbs | to look at |
| 274 | el artículo | Nouns | article |
| 275 | la obra | Nouns | work (usually literary or artistic) |
| 276 | mí | Pronouns | me |
| 277 | publicar | Verbs | to publish |
| 278 | intentar | Verbs | to try, to attempt |
| 279 | la razón | Nouns | reason |
| 280 | largo | Adjectives | long |
| 281 | la información | Nouns | information, data |
| 282 | ayudar | Verbs | to help |
| 283 | mantener | Verbs | to keep |
| 284 | mañana | Adverbs | tomorrow |
| 285 | la agua | Nouns | water |
| 286 | siguiente | Adjectives | following |
| 287 | vamos | Interjections | let's go! |
| 288 | comprar | Verbs | to buy (to obtain in exchange of money or goods) |
| 289 | el real | Nouns | real (unit of currency) |
| 290 | el favor | Nouns | favor/favour |
| 291 | mil | Numbers | thousand |
| 292 | estudiar | Verbs | to study |
| 293 | el programa | Nouns | programme, program |
| 294 | jugar | Verbs | to play |
| 295 | acabar | Verbs | to finish; to end |
| 296 | el nivel | Nouns | level, tier |
| 297 | el embargo | Nouns | trade embargo |
| 298 | diferente | Adverbs | differently |
| 299 | ante | Prepositions | in front of, before |
| 300 | el hermano | Nouns | brother |
| 301 | el dinero | Nouns | money |
| 302 | morir | Verbs | to die |
| 303 | cuanto | Determiners | as much [of]; as many; however much; however many |
| 304 | la relación | Nouns | relation |
| 305 | utilizar | Verbs | to use; to make use of; to utilize |
| 306 | internacional | Adjectives | international |
| 307 | la tierra | Nouns | Earth |
| 308 | contar | Verbs | to count; to tally |
| 309 | la fuerza | Nouns | force |
| 310 | la muerte | Nouns | death (the cessation of life) |
| 311 | tarde | Adverbs | late (after a specified deadline) |
| 312 | unido | Adjectives | united |
| 313 | la falta | Nouns | lack, shortage |
| 314 | considerar | Verbs | to consider, to regard, to see, to look, to view |
| 315 | alto | Adverbs | up, high, highly |
| 316 | posible | Adjectives | possible |
| 317 | conseguir | Verbs | to achieve, succeed in, reach, accomplish, attain |
| 318 | suponer | Verbs | to suppose, to surmise, to assume, to guess |
| 319 | principal | Adjectives | main, most important |
| 320 | la sociedad | Nouns | society, social order |
| 321 | la zona | Nouns | zone, district, area |
| 322 | humano | Adjectives | human |
| 323 | la realidad | Nouns | reality |
| 324 | el resultado | Nouns | result, outcome, finding, upshot |
| 325 | tras | Prepositions | after, following, in the wake of; upon |
| 326 | el través | Nouns | bend, turn |
| 327 | la universidad | Nouns | university, (US) college |
| 328 | incluir | Verbs | to include, to enclose, to contain |
| 329 | comer | Verbs | to eat |
| 330 | el amor | Nouns | love |
| 331 | el cuerpo | Nouns | body (the physical structure of a human or animal) |
| 332 | convertir | Verbs | to turn into, to cause to become |
| 333 | lograr | Verbs | to get, to obtain |
| 334 | la calle | Nouns | street |
| 335 | el frente | Nouns | front |
| 336 | proyectar | Verbs | to project, plan |
| 337 | la situación | Nouns | situation, scenario, picture |
| 338 | el uso | Nouns | use |
| 339 | joven | Adjectives | young, youthful |
| 340 | dicho | Determiners | said |
| 341 | incluso | Adverbs | even |
| 342 | importar | Verbs | to matter |
| 343 | el puesto | Nouns | position, employment, job |
| 344 | el proceso | Nouns | process |
| 345 | cuatro | Numbers | four |
| 346 | el ojo | Nouns | eye |
| 347 | económico | Adjectives | economic |
| 348 | la imagen | Nouns | image |
| 349 | el personal | Nouns | personnel, staff |
| 350 | escuchar | Verbs | to listen to, to hear out |
| 351 | la acción | Nouns | action, act, deed (something done) |
| 352 | la escuela | Nouns | school |
| 353 | la orden | Nouns | order (command) |
| 354 | sacar | Verbs | to put out, to get out |
| 355 | especial | Adjectives | special (distinguished by a unique quality) |
| 356 | el oficial | Nouns | officer, official |
| 357 | la cabeza | Nouns | head |
| 358 | el precio | Nouns | price |
| 359 | la línea | Nouns | line (a straight path through two or more points) |
| 360 | la base | Nouns | basis |
| 361 | el sitio | Nouns | site, place |
| 362 | aparecer | Verbs | to appear, to turn up, to pop up, to come up |
| 363 | cerca | Adverbs | close, near, around, about, nearly |
| 364 | pesar | Verbs | to weigh (to determine the weight of an object) |
| 365 | caer | Verbs | to fall (to move to a lower position due to gravity) |
| 366 | quién | Pronouns | who?, whom?; (with “de”) whose? |
| 367 | todavía | Adverbs | still, yet |
| 368 | blanco | Adjectives | white |
| 369 | la mayoría | Nouns | majority |
| 370 | la ayuda | Nouns | help, aid |
| 371 | el padre | Nouns | father, parent |
| 372 | la seguridad | Nouns | safety, security |
| 373 | visto | Adjectives | seen |
| 374 | la policía | Nouns | Civility, polity, public order, police, fineness |
| 375 | librar | Verbs | to save, to rescue, to deliver, to preserve |
| 376 | la lista | Nouns | list, roll |
| 377 | la actividad | Nouns | activity (state of being active) |
| 378 | fuerte | Adverbs | hard |
| 379 | el principio | Nouns | principle |
| 380 | la elección | Nouns | election |
| 381 | el sentido | Nouns | sense (faculties of perception) |
| 382 | ofrecer | Verbs | to offer, to offer up, to provide |
| 383 | causar | Verbs | to cause, to make |
| 384 | la película | Nouns | film (layer) |
| 385 | la noticia | Nouns | notice |
| 386 | el minuto | Nouns | minute (a unit of time equal to 60 seconds or ¹⁄₆₀ hour) |
| 387 | ambos | Pronouns | both |
| 388 | libre | Adjectives | free (not imprisoned or enslaved) |
| 389 | la red | Nouns | web, mesh |
| 390 | elegir | Verbs | to choose |
| 391 | necesario | Adjectives | necessary, requisite |
| 392 | el camino | Nouns | way, route |
| 393 | el rey | Nouns | king |
| 394 | servir | Verbs | to serve (to be a servant or worker; to render service) |
| 395 | la medida | Nouns | measurement; measure, gauge |
| 396 | el miembro | Nouns | limb (a major appendage of a person or animal) |
| 397 | subir | Verbs | to go up or come up |
| 398 | enviar | Verbs | to send |
| 399 | el aire | Nouns | air (the substance constituting earth's atmosphere) |
| 400 | aumentar | Verbs | to increase, grow |
| 401 | el solar | Nouns | ground, land |
| 402 | el plan | Nouns | scheme (systematic plan of future action) |
| 403 | desear | Verbs | to wish |
| 404 | reír | Verbs | to laugh |
| 405 | producir | Verbs | to produce |
| 406 | abrir | Verbs | to open, open up |
| 407 | aprender | Verbs | to learn |
| 408 | la cara | Nouns | face (the front part of the head) |
| 409 | explicar | Verbs | to explain |
| 410 | ocurrir | Verbs | to happen, to occur |
| 411 | el papá | Nouns | dad |
| 412 | el valor | Nouns | value (all senses) |
| 413 | el datos | Nouns | data |
| 414 | la educación | Nouns | education |
| 415 | cumplir | Verbs | to fulfil, to fulfill, to meet, to deliver |
| 416 | creer | Verbs | to believe |
| 417 | la luz | Nouns | light |
| 418 | la prueba | Nouns | proof; evidence (usually in the plural) |
| 419 | informar | Verbs | to inform |
| 420 | el local | Nouns | premises, rooms |
| 421 | cinco | Numbers | five |
| 422 | la clase | Nouns | lecture |
| 423 | ello | Pronouns | it, neuter third-person subject and disjunctive pronoun |
| 424 | usted | Pronouns | second person formal; you (singular) |
| 425 | olvidar | Verbs | to forget |
| 426 | demasiado | Adverbs | too much, excessively, far too much |
| 427 | obtener | Verbs | to obtain |
| 428 | la página | Nouns | page |
| 429 | total | Adverbs | basically, so, in short (used to summarise) |
| 430 | mundial | Adjectives | related to all parts of the world; global |
| 431 | el futuro | Nouns | future (the time ahead) |
| 432 | el campo | Nouns | countryside, country |
| 433 | el cargo | Nouns | charge, burden |
| 434 | inglés | Adjectives | English |
| 435 | la comunidad | Nouns | community |
| 436 | valer | Verbs | to be worth |
| 437 | el web | Nouns | web (Internet) |
| 438 | el interés | Nouns | interest (a fraction of the amount of what was borrowed) |
| 439 | realmente | Adverbs | really, actually, genuinely |
| 440 | difícil | Adjectives | difficult, hard, tough, challenging, rough, tricky |
| 441 | cerrar | Verbs | to close, to shut |
| 442 | meter | Verbs | to put in, insert |
| 443 | la población | Nouns | population (of a geographical region, a country, etc.) |
| 444 | iniciar | Verbs | to begin; to initiate |
| 445 | la región | Nouns | region |
| 446 | el movimiento | Nouns | movement (physical motion between points in space) |
| 447 | la serie | Nouns | series (a number of things that follow one another) |
| 448 | demás | Pronouns | others, other ones |
| 449 | el medios | Nouns | media, mass media as a whole |
| 450 | decidir | Verbs | to decide, to make up one's mind, to determine |
| 451 | el militar | Nouns | soldier |
| 452 | matar | Verbs | to kill, slay |
| 453 | actual | Adjectives | present, current |
| 454 | la respuesta | Nouns | reply, response, answer |
| 455 | la cultura | Nouns | culture |
| 456 | rico | Adjectives | rich (having a lot of money and possessions) |
| 457 | mostrar | Verbs | to show (have somebody see something) |
| 458 | la organización | Nouns | organization |
| 459 | alcanzar | Verbs | to reach; to get to to catch up |
| 460 | la voz | Nouns | voice |
| 461 | la paz | Nouns | peace (warlessness) |
| 462 | muerto | Adjectives | dead |
| 463 | significar | Verbs | to signify |
| 464 | hola | Interjections | hello, hi, hey |
| 465 | salud | Interjections | bless you (said to somebody who has sneezed) |
| 466 | capital | Adjectives | capital (important) |
| 467 | proponer | Verbs | to propose, to propound, to put forth, to put forward |
| 468 | aceptar | Verbs | to accept, to take up, to take up on |
| 469 | partir | Verbs | to divide, split |
| 470 | la fuente | Nouns | spring (water), fountain |
| 471 | el producto | Nouns | product, commodity, item |
| 472 | la investigación | Nouns | investigation |
| 473 | participar | Verbs | to participate, to take part, to partake |
| 474 | la duda | Nouns | doubt |
| 475 | os | Pronouns | you, to you, for you; dative and accusative of vosotros |
| 476 | sociales | Adjectives | plural of social |
| 477 | fácil | Adverbs | easily |
| 478 | formar | Verbs | to form, to create |
| 479 | serio | Adjectives | serious, earnest, sober, solemn (without humor) |
| 480 | el modo | Nouns | way, manner |
| 481 | contener | Verbs | to contain |
| 482 | compartir | Verbs | to share |
| 483 | bastante | Adverbs | quite, rather, pretty, fairly |
| 484 | el objetivo | Nouns | objective |
| 485 | tocar | Verbs | to touch |
| 486 | la atención | Nouns | attention |
| 487 | negro | Adjectives | black |
| 488 | traer | Verbs | to bring |
| 489 | la oportunidad | Nouns | opportunity, chance, shot, break, occasion |
| 490 | el consejo | Nouns | advice, counsel, piece of advice |
| 491 | la condición | Nouns | condition |
| 492 | el mensaje | Nouns | message |
| 493 | común | Adjectives | common, ordinary |
| 494 | establecer | Verbs | to establish |
| 495 | allí | Adverbs | there (away from the speaker and the listener) |
| 496 | el julio | Nouns | July |
| 497 | el respecto | Nouns | respect, regard, connection, relation, relationship |
| 498 | el miedo | Nouns | fear |
| 499 | la canción | Nouns | song |
| 500 | vender | Verbs | to sell |
All 500 A1 words are on this page, free, with no sign-up.
The rest of the list
- A2A2 Beginner: 500 more wordsanterior · experiencia · control · suerte · espacio
- B1B1 Intermediate: 750 more wordsfrío · representante · aprobar · escrito · jamás
- B2B2 Upper intermediate: 750 more wordsclima · derrotar · fase · introducir · posterior
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.