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.

#WordTypeMeaning
1dePrepositionsof; 's; used after the thing owned and before the owner
2laDeterminersfeminine singular definite article; the
3queConjunctionsthat; than; which, who
4elDeterminersmasculine singular definite article; the
5enPrepositionsin, at, on
6yConjunctionsand
7aPrepositionsto
8serVerbsto be (essentially or identified as)
9noAdverbsnot
10losDeterminersthe (masculine plural)
11unDeterminersan; a
12sePronounsoneself, himself, herself (reflexive)
13porPrepositionsby
14delContractionsof the, from the (de + el)
15lasDeterminersthe (feminine plural)
16conPrepositionswith
17unaDeterminersa, an (feminine)
18paraPrepositionsfor, to (expressing a recipient)
19loDeterminersthe (neuter); it, him
20esteDeterminersthis
21haberVerbsto have; forms the perfect aspect
22suDeterminershis, her, its, their; your (formal)
23estarVerbsto be (have a temporary or permanent location in space)
24tenerVerbsto have; to possess
25alContractionsto the (a + el)
26comoPrepositionsas (in the manner or role specified)
27mePronounsme, to me; myself
28todoDeterminersall; every
29el poderNounspower (the ability to coerce, influence or control)
30másAdverbsmore; most
31siConjunctionsif, whether
32peroConjunctionsbut
33hacerVerbsto do, perform, execute, carry out
34muchoDeterminersmuch, a lot of
35tePronounsyou, to you; yourself (informal)
36oConjunctionsor
37decirVerbsto say, to tell, to name, to mention
38irVerbsto go (away from speaker and listener)
39míoDeterminersmine, my; of mine
40estoPronounsthis (thing)
41otroDeterminersother, another
42lePronounsto him, for him; dative of él
43verVerbsto see, to spot
44susDeterminershis, her, its, their (before a plural noun)
45yaAdverbsalready; now; any more
46el añoNounsyear
47quererVerbsto desire, to want, to want to
48darVerbsto give, to give out
49yoPronounsfirst-person singular pronoun in the nominative case; I
50cuandoConjunctionswhen
51el sonNounstone (pleasant sound)
52tuyoDeterminersyours, your
53sinPrepositionswithout
54buenoAdjectivesgood (of good quality)
55tambiénAdverbsalso, too, as well
56sobrePrepositionsover, above, on, upon, atop
57deberVerbsto owe
58el díaNounsday (any period of 24 hours)
59nuestroDeterminersour, ours, to us
60porqueConjunctionsbecause
61mismoAdverbsright, exactly, immediately
62nuevoAdjectivesnew
63algunoDeterminerssome, any
64bienConjunctionseither ... or
65quéDeterminerswhat; which
66asíAdverbslike this; like that; as such; thus; so; thereby
67dosNumberstwo
68saberVerbsto know, to understand (a fact)
69entrePrepositionsbetween
70primeroAdverbsfirst; first of all; firstly
71desdePrepositionssince (from a specified time in the past)
72crearVerbsto create
73hastaPrepositionsuntil
74élPronounshe, him
75grandeAdjectivesbig, large
76soloAdverbsonly; solely; just
77la parteNounspart; section; portion; share; piece; bit; cut
78el tiempoNounstime
79ahoraConjunctionsnow...now, whether...or
80la vezNounstime, instance
81nadaPronounsnothing, zero, zilch, not...anything
82hacePrepositionsago (Note: unlike in English, hace precedes the number.)
83mejorAdverbsbetter
84el estadoNounscountry, land (any broad area or territory)
85la personaNounsperson (an individual; usually a human being)
86niConjunctionsUsed when negating two or more elements, and not
87la cosaNounsthing (object, concept)
88dejarVerbsto leave (to place)
89dondePronounswhere, in what place
90llegarVerbsto arrive, get (to)
91algoPronounssomething, anything
92hablarVerbsto talk; to speak; to communicate using words
93seguirVerbsto follow
94la vidaNounslife
95pocoDeterminerslittle, not much
96unoDeterminersone
97tanDeterminerssuch, such a
98tantoDeterminersso much; as much; that much
99ponerVerbsto put, to place (cause to assume a specified position)
100eseDeterminersthat
101eConjunctionsand
102siempreAdverbsalways
103el paísNounscountry (the territory of a nation)
104llevarVerbsto take somewhere
105parecerVerbsto seem, to see fit
106pasarVerbsto pass, to hand, to slip
107la genteNounspeople
108despuésAdverbslater, afterwards, afterward, post
109cadaDeterminerseach; every
110el mundoNounsworld, earth (human collective existence)
111pensarVerbsto think, ponder
112quedarVerbsto be (as a result of something), to end up
113encontrarVerbsto meet
114la graciaNounsgrace, charm
115lesDeterminersthe (plural)
116el lugarNounsplace
117masConjunctionsbut
118el trabajoNounswork, job
119venirVerbsto come (move closer to some location
120quienPronounswho
121la formaNounsshape; form; figure
122la cuentaNounscount, tally
123menosDeterminersless, fewer
124nuncaAdverbsnever
125el casoNounscase (situation or fact)
126salirVerbsto go out, to leave, to depart, to head out
127la mujerNounswoman
128esperarVerbsto hope
129casarVerbsto marry, wed someone to (unite two others in wedlock)
130volverVerbsto return, to revert, to get back
131antesPrepositionsbefore (earlier than)
132el hombreNounsman, (adult male human)
133gobernarVerbsto govern
134habíaVerbsmakes pluperfect to verbs as part of the auxiliary verb
135conocerVerbsto know (a person or a place), to be familiar with
136durantePrepositionsduring, in, over
137tomarVerbsto take
138llamarVerbsto summon, to call
139cómoAdverbshow?
140el hechoNounsact, deed
141políticoAdjectivespolitical
142contraPrepositionsagainst, versus
143aunqueConjunctionsthough, although, even though, albeit
144la ciudadNounscity
145gustarVerbsto like in a general sense
146el momentoNounsmoment, instant
147malAdverbsbadly, poorly, ill
148heAdverbshere is
149cualPronounssuchlike, like (which), such as
150el pasoNounsstep, footstep
151el problemaNounsproblem, issue
152el amigoNounsfriend
153derechoAdverbsstraight
154nacionalAdjectivesnational, nationwide (of or relating to a nation)
155la horaNounshour (a time period of sixty minutes)
156últimoAdjectivesfinal; last
157Pronounshimself, herself, itself, themself, themselves
158vivirVerbsto live; to be alive
159necesitarVerbsto need
160sentirVerbsto feel
161aquíAdverbshere (in the speaker's location)
162ellaPronounsshe, her (used subjectively and after prepositions)
163tratarVerbsto treat (to handle, behave toward in a specific way)
164el santoNounsmale saint
165Pronounsyou (second-person singular pronoun)
166el partidoNounsparty
167hoyAdverbstoday, tonight (on the current day)
168alguienPronounssomeone, somebody
169el grupoNounsgroup
170tipoParticleslike
171usarVerbsto use
172mayorAdjectivesof age; adult; grown-up
173la historiaNounshistory (the aggregate of past events)
174tresNumbersthree
175cualquieraDeterminersany, whatever, whichever
176talPronounssuch
177buscarVerbsto seek, search for, look for, try to find, to scour
178el públicoNounspublic
179generalAdjectivesgeneral, overall
180la miNounsmu; the Greek letter Μ, μ
181la leyNounslaw (a well-established characteristic of nature)
182perderVerbsto lose
183la verdadNounstruth
184luegoConjunctionstherefore (consequently)
185acordarVerbsto agree
186puesConjunctionsso, then; in that case
187el hijoNounsson
188pedirVerbsto ask for something
189entenderVerbsto understand, to fathom
190el puntoNounspoint (specific spot, location, or place)
191mientrasConjunctionswhile, whilst, as (at the same time as)
192nadiePronounsno one; nobody (anyone or anybody)
193vecesPrepositionsby, times (multiplication)
194el mesNounsmonth
195el segundoNounssecond (unit of time)
196ningunoDeterminersno; none
197nombrarVerbsto name
198la madreNounsmother
199trabajarVerbsto work
200propioAdjectivesown (belonging to)
201bajoPrepositionsunder (in both literal and figurative senses)
202entoncesAdverbsthen, next, thereupon, at that time, at that point
203la maneraNounsway; manner; method; style
204el sistemaNounssystem
205nocheAdverbsafter dark, (late) at night, nocturnally
206preguntarVerbsto ask
207empezarVerbsto start, begin, to get started
208el diosNounsgod
209variosDeterminersvarious, several
210ademásAdverbsin addition, moreover, furthermore, further, also
211leerVerbsto read
212medioAdverbshalf
213importanteAdjectivesimportant, that cares, that matters
214la semanaNounsweek (7 days)
215segúnPrepositionsaccording to
216la familiaNounsfamily (group of people related to each other)
217desarrollarVerbsto develop
218el niñoNounschild, boy
219la manoNounshand
220únicoAdjectivesonly; single; sole
221unosDeterminersabout, approximately
222el puebloNounstown, village
223el servicioNounsservice
224ganarVerbsto gain
225la fotoNounsphoto, photograph
226fueraAdverbsoutside
227haciaPrepositionstoward, towards
228sinoConjunctionsbut (rather) (after a negative clause)
229el equipoNounsteam
230ideaVerbsthird-person singular present indicative
231el ladoNounsside
232claroAdverbscertainly, naturally, of course
233recordarVerbsto remember, to recollect
234existirVerbsto exist
235cambiarVerbsto change, to shift, to switch, to alter
236pasadoAdjectivespast
237la palabraNounsword
238terminarVerbsto (cause to) finish, to (cause to) end
239el temaNounstheme; plot (of a book, film or other media)
240españolAdjectivesSpanish (from or native to Spain)
241recibirVerbsto receive, get
242entrarVerbsto enter; to come in; to get in; to go in
243finalAdjectivesfinal (last, ultimate)
244realizarVerbsto carry out; to perform; to conduct
245ciertoDeterminersa certain, a specific
246escribirVerbsto write
247pagarVerbsto pay
248el juegoNounsplay
249el cambioNounschange, shift
250casiAdverbsalmost
251la empresaNounscompany
252nosotrosPronounswe (masculine plural)
253tuDeterminersapocopic form of tuyo, your
254pequeñoAdjectivessmall; little
255el númeroNounsnumber (counting)
256argentinoAdjectivesArgentinian, Argentine
257presentarVerbsto present, to submit
258apoyarVerbsto lean, to rest, to lie or lay
259comenzarVerbsto begin, to commence
260ahíAdverbsthere (away from the speaker)
261dentroAdverbsinside (for space)
262juntoPrepositionsnext to, together with, alongside
263seguroAdverbssurely; certainly
264el videoNounsVHS player, videocassette recorder, VCR
265el centroNounscenter
266la guerraNounswar, warfare
267aúnAdverbsstill, yet
268el ejemploNounsexample
269el señorNounsmister, sir
270el millónNounsmillion (10⁶)
271permitirVerbsto allow, permit
272igualAdverbsin the same way; just like
273mirarVerbsto look at
274el artículoNounsarticle
275la obraNounswork (usually literary or artistic)
276Pronounsme
277publicarVerbsto publish
278intentarVerbsto try, to attempt
279la razónNounsreason
280largoAdjectiveslong
281la informaciónNounsinformation, data
282ayudarVerbsto help
283mantenerVerbsto keep
284mañanaAdverbstomorrow
285la aguaNounswater
286siguienteAdjectivesfollowing
287vamosInterjectionslet's go!
288comprarVerbsto buy (to obtain in exchange of money or goods)
289el realNounsreal (unit of currency)
290el favorNounsfavor/favour
291milNumbersthousand
292estudiarVerbsto study
293el programaNounsprogramme, program
294jugarVerbsto play
295acabarVerbsto finish; to end
296el nivelNounslevel, tier
297el embargoNounstrade embargo
298diferenteAdverbsdifferently
299antePrepositionsin front of, before
300el hermanoNounsbrother
301el dineroNounsmoney
302morirVerbsto die
303cuantoDeterminersas much [of]; as many; however much; however many
304la relaciónNounsrelation
305utilizarVerbsto use; to make use of; to utilize
306internacionalAdjectivesinternational
307la tierraNounsEarth
308contarVerbsto count; to tally
309la fuerzaNounsforce
310la muerteNounsdeath (the cessation of life)
311tardeAdverbslate (after a specified deadline)
312unidoAdjectivesunited
313la faltaNounslack, shortage
314considerarVerbsto consider, to regard, to see, to look, to view
315altoAdverbsup, high, highly
316posibleAdjectivespossible
317conseguirVerbsto achieve, succeed in, reach, accomplish, attain
318suponerVerbsto suppose, to surmise, to assume, to guess
319principalAdjectivesmain, most important
320la sociedadNounssociety, social order
321la zonaNounszone, district, area
322humanoAdjectiveshuman
323la realidadNounsreality
324el resultadoNounsresult, outcome, finding, upshot
325trasPrepositionsafter, following, in the wake of; upon
326el travésNounsbend, turn
327la universidadNounsuniversity, (US) college
328incluirVerbsto include, to enclose, to contain
329comerVerbsto eat
330el amorNounslove
331el cuerpoNounsbody (the physical structure of a human or animal)
332convertirVerbsto turn into, to cause to become
333lograrVerbsto get, to obtain
334la calleNounsstreet
335el frenteNounsfront
336proyectarVerbsto project, plan
337la situaciónNounssituation, scenario, picture
338el usoNounsuse
339jovenAdjectivesyoung, youthful
340dichoDeterminerssaid
341inclusoAdverbseven
342importarVerbsto matter
343el puestoNounsposition, employment, job
344el procesoNounsprocess
345cuatroNumbersfour
346el ojoNounseye
347económicoAdjectiveseconomic
348la imagenNounsimage
349el personalNounspersonnel, staff
350escucharVerbsto listen to, to hear out
351la acciónNounsaction, act, deed (something done)
352la escuelaNounsschool
353la ordenNounsorder (command)
354sacarVerbsto put out, to get out
355especialAdjectivesspecial (distinguished by a unique quality)
356el oficialNounsofficer, official
357la cabezaNounshead
358el precioNounsprice
359la líneaNounsline (a straight path through two or more points)
360la baseNounsbasis
361el sitioNounssite, place
362aparecerVerbsto appear, to turn up, to pop up, to come up
363cercaAdverbsclose, near, around, about, nearly
364pesarVerbsto weigh (to determine the weight of an object)
365caerVerbsto fall (to move to a lower position due to gravity)
366quiénPronounswho?, whom?; (with “de”) whose?
367todavíaAdverbsstill, yet
368blancoAdjectiveswhite
369la mayoríaNounsmajority
370la ayudaNounshelp, aid
371el padreNounsfather, parent
372la seguridadNounssafety, security
373vistoAdjectivesseen
374la policíaNounsCivility, polity, public order, police, fineness
375librarVerbsto save, to rescue, to deliver, to preserve
376la listaNounslist, roll
377la actividadNounsactivity (state of being active)
378fuerteAdverbshard
379el principioNounsprinciple
380la elecciónNounselection
381el sentidoNounssense (faculties of perception)
382ofrecerVerbsto offer, to offer up, to provide
383causarVerbsto cause, to make
384la películaNounsfilm (layer)
385la noticiaNounsnotice
386el minutoNounsminute (a unit of time equal to 60 seconds or ¹⁄₆₀ hour)
387ambosPronounsboth
388libreAdjectivesfree (not imprisoned or enslaved)
389la redNounsweb, mesh
390elegirVerbsto choose
391necesarioAdjectivesnecessary, requisite
392el caminoNounsway, route
393el reyNounsking
394servirVerbsto serve (to be a servant or worker; to render service)
395la medidaNounsmeasurement; measure, gauge
396el miembroNounslimb (a major appendage of a person or animal)
397subirVerbsto go up or come up
398enviarVerbsto send
399el aireNounsair (the substance constituting earth's atmosphere)
400aumentarVerbsto increase, grow
401el solarNounsground, land
402el planNounsscheme (systematic plan of future action)
403desearVerbsto wish
404reírVerbsto laugh
405producirVerbsto produce
406abrirVerbsto open, open up
407aprenderVerbsto learn
408la caraNounsface (the front part of the head)
409explicarVerbsto explain
410ocurrirVerbsto happen, to occur
411el papáNounsdad
412el valorNounsvalue (all senses)
413el datosNounsdata
414la educaciónNounseducation
415cumplirVerbsto fulfil, to fulfill, to meet, to deliver
416creerVerbsto believe
417la luzNounslight
418la pruebaNounsproof; evidence (usually in the plural)
419informarVerbsto inform
420el localNounspremises, rooms
421cincoNumbersfive
422la claseNounslecture
423elloPronounsit, neuter third-person subject and disjunctive pronoun
424ustedPronounssecond person formal; you (singular)
425olvidarVerbsto forget
426demasiadoAdverbstoo much, excessively, far too much
427obtenerVerbsto obtain
428la páginaNounspage
429totalAdverbsbasically, so, in short (used to summarise)
430mundialAdjectivesrelated to all parts of the world; global
431el futuroNounsfuture (the time ahead)
432el campoNounscountryside, country
433el cargoNounscharge, burden
434inglésAdjectivesEnglish
435la comunidadNounscommunity
436valerVerbsto be worth
437el webNounsweb (Internet)
438el interésNounsinterest (a fraction of the amount of what was borrowed)
439realmenteAdverbsreally, actually, genuinely
440difícilAdjectivesdifficult, hard, tough, challenging, rough, tricky
441cerrarVerbsto close, to shut
442meterVerbsto put in, insert
443la poblaciónNounspopulation (of a geographical region, a country, etc.)
444iniciarVerbsto begin; to initiate
445la regiónNounsregion
446el movimientoNounsmovement (physical motion between points in space)
447la serieNounsseries (a number of things that follow one another)
448demásPronounsothers, other ones
449el mediosNounsmedia, mass media as a whole
450decidirVerbsto decide, to make up one's mind, to determine
451el militarNounssoldier
452matarVerbsto kill, slay
453actualAdjectivespresent, current
454la respuestaNounsreply, response, answer
455la culturaNounsculture
456ricoAdjectivesrich (having a lot of money and possessions)
457mostrarVerbsto show (have somebody see something)
458la organizaciónNounsorganization
459alcanzarVerbsto reach; to get to to catch up
460la vozNounsvoice
461la pazNounspeace (warlessness)
462muertoAdjectivesdead
463significarVerbsto signify
464holaInterjectionshello, hi, hey
465saludInterjectionsbless you (said to somebody who has sneezed)
466capitalAdjectivescapital (important)
467proponerVerbsto propose, to propound, to put forth, to put forward
468aceptarVerbsto accept, to take up, to take up on
469partirVerbsto divide, split
470la fuenteNounsspring (water), fountain
471el productoNounsproduct, commodity, item
472la investigaciónNounsinvestigation
473participarVerbsto participate, to take part, to partake
474la dudaNounsdoubt
475osPronounsyou, to you, for you; dative and accusative of vosotros
476socialesAdjectivesplural of social
477fácilAdverbseasily
478formarVerbsto form, to create
479serioAdjectivesserious, earnest, sober, solemn (without humor)
480el modoNounsway, manner
481contenerVerbsto contain
482compartirVerbsto share
483bastanteAdverbsquite, rather, pretty, fairly
484el objetivoNounsobjective
485tocarVerbsto touch
486la atenciónNounsattention
487negroAdjectivesblack
488traerVerbsto bring
489la oportunidadNounsopportunity, chance, shot, break, occasion
490el consejoNounsadvice, counsel, piece of advice
491la condiciónNounscondition
492el mensajeNounsmessage
493comúnAdjectivescommon, ordinary
494establecerVerbsto establish
495allíAdverbsthere (away from the speaker and the listener)
496el julioNounsJuly
497el respectoNounsrespect, regard, connection, relation, relationship
498el miedoNounsfear
499la canciónNounssong
500venderVerbsto 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.

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Where this comes from

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

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

Questions

Where does the order come from?

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

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

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

Is every word in the list a real dictionary word?

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

Do I need the app?

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

Has a native speaker checked these?

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