The 500 most common Turkish 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	ve	Conjunctions	and
2	bir	Determiners	a, an
3	olmak	Verbs	to become, come to exist, come into being
4	bu	Determiners	this
5	için	Prepositions	with the aim of, as a result of, for
6	de	Conjunctions	as well, too, also
7	etmek	Verbs	to do; to make
8	da	Conjunctions	as well, too, also
9	çok	Determiners	much, many, plenty, a lot
10	o	Pronouns	he, she, it
11	ben	Pronouns	I, me
12	sen	Pronouns	you (singular, informal), thou
13	ile	Prepositions	with
14	ne	Pronouns	what
15	yapmak	Verbs	to make; to build, construct, fashion; to create
16	daha	Adverbs	forms the comparative of the following adjective
17	en	Adverbs	the most
18	gibi	Pronouns	something like
19	olarak	Adverbs	being, as
20	gelmek	Verbs	to come, move closer
21	her	Determiners	every
22	kadar	Prepositions	Equal in amount or quantity; as much as
23	var	Determiners	every, all
24	demek	Adverbs	so, that is to say
25	ama	Conjunctions	but; however
26	vermek	Verbs	to give
27	istemek	Verbs	to want, desire, wish
28	yer	Nouns	place, location
29	sonra	Prepositions	after
30	almak	Verbs	to take
31	yok	Conjunctions	Used between two contrasting conditional clauses
32	şey	Nouns	thing
33	zaman	Nouns	time
34	iyi	Adverbs	well, fine, decently
35	gün	Nouns	day
36	ki	Conjunctions	so that, so
37	insan	Nouns	human
38	yıl	Nouns	year
39	değil	Adverbs	not (negates meaning of the verb *imek)
40	ya	Conjunctions	what if (used to introduce speculation about future)
41	gitmek	Verbs	to go
42	iş	Nouns	work, task, deed
43	mi	Particles	Used to form interrogatives
44	büyük	Adjectives	big, grand, large
45	el	Nouns	country, homeland, province
46	çıkmak	Verbs	to leave, exit, quit, get out
47	güzel	Adjectives	beautiful
48	son	Nouns	end, ending
49	yeni	Adjectives	new
50	görmek	Verbs	to see, watch
51	bilmek	Verbs	to know, be informed of, be aware of; to understand
52	sadece	Adverbs	only, just
53	ilk	Adverbs	first, firstly
54	iki	Numbers	two
55	ev	Nouns	A building for a family to reside in; house, home, abode
56	çocuk	Nouns	child
57	bakmak	Verbs	to look (at), gaze
58	hiç	Adverbs	Used to emphasize the verb in negative sentences
59	mı	Particles	Used to form interrogatives
60	hayat	Nouns	life
61	ise	Prepositions	regarding
62	kalmak	Verbs	to remain, be left; to be left over
63	dünya	Nouns	world
64	yol	Nouns	path, road, way
65	nasıl	Adverbs	how (in what manner)
66	önce	Prepositions	before
67	tek	Adverbs	emphasizes a wish
68	geçmek	Verbs	to pass, pass through, pass over, cross
69	bile	Conjunctions	even
70	kadın	Nouns	woman
71	benim	Pronouns	I am me
72	böyle	Determiners	such; like this (that, these, those)
73	kendi	Pronouns	self, oneself
74	baş	Nouns	head
75	alan	Nouns	area, square as for place
76	tüm	Adjectives	entire, complete
77	bulunmak	Verbs	to be found
78	söylemek	Verbs	to say, to tell
79	kişi	Nouns	person, human being
80	kız	Nouns	girl
81	biz	Pronouns	we (subject form)
82	artık	Adverbs	after this
83	göre	Prepositions	according to, per
84	doğru	Prepositions	toward, straight toward, straight to (about space)
85	başlamak	Verbs	to begin, to start
86	ülke	Nouns	country (country, nation)
87	şu	Determiners	that, that over there
88	beni	Pronouns	me
89	edilmek	Verbs	passive of etmek: to be done
90	aynı	Adjectives	same
91	bana	Pronouns	me, to me, for me (dative of ben)
92	tarafından	Prepositions	by
93	tarih	Nouns	date
94	konu	Nouns	topic, subject, issue
95	ara	Nouns	space or time between two things
96	veya	Conjunctions	or
97	neden	Adverbs	why
98	diye	Adverbs	someone who is named ..., something which is called
99	şekil	Nouns	shape
100	sevmek	Verbs	to love
101	yaşamak	Verbs	to live
102	yazmak	Verbs	to write, write down, inscribe
103	çalışmak	Verbs	to work
104	orta	Nouns	middle
105	yemek	Verbs	to eat
106	devam	Nouns	continuation
107	teşekkür	Nouns	a thanking
108	karşı	Prepositions	opposite (located directly across from)
109	ad	Nouns	name, first name, last name
110	gece	Adverbs	at night, in the night, by night
111	durum	Nouns	situation; status, condition
112	saat	Nouns	time
113	birlikte	Adverbs	together
114	atmak	Verbs	to throw, cast, fire
115	önemli	Adjectives	important (having relevant and crucial value)
116	diğer	Adjectives	other
117	göz	Nouns	eye
118	ada	Nouns	island, isle
119	fazla	Adverbs	too
120	mu	Particles	Used to form interrogatives
121	arkadaş	Nouns	friend
122	kim	Pronouns	who
123	sahip	Nouns	owner, possessor; someone who owns a property
124	siz	Pronouns	you
125	bulmak	Verbs	to find
126	devlet	Nouns	state (any sovereign polity)
127	girmek	Verbs	to enter, to go in
128	oyun	Nouns	game, amusement, entertainment
129	içinde	Prepositions	in, within, inside
130	şimdi	Adverbs	now
131	yüz	Prepositions	because of
132	başka	Prepositions	except
133	çünkü	Conjunctions	because
134	söz	Nouns	word, statement, speech
135	geri	Adverbs	back, backwards
136	kimse	Pronouns	somebody, anybody
137	ancak	Conjunctions	however, but
138	biri	Pronouns	someone
139	işte	Interjections	"lo! there it is", ta-da, presto, voilà
140	su	Nouns	water; H₂O
141	bugün	Adverbs	today
142	düşünmek	Verbs	to think
143	para	Nouns	money
144	arasında	Prepositions	between
145	öyle	Adverbs	in that way
146	gerçek	Adverbs	for real
147	anne	Nouns	mother
148	bütün	Determiners	entire, complete
149	senin	Pronouns	yours
150	başkan	Nouns	president
151	erkek	Adjectives	male
152	varmak	Verbs	to arrive; to reach a location
153	bölüm	Nouns	part
154	kullanmak	Verbs	to use, to utilize, to employ
155	dönem	Nouns	period, era
156	maç	Nouns	match
157	genel	Adjectives	general, broad, universal
158	hemen	Adverbs	immediately, without delay
159	yine	Adverbs	again, still, yet
160	çalışma	Nouns	exercise
161	film	Nouns	a medium used to capture images in a camera
162	yan	Nouns	side
163	haber	Nouns	news
164	tam	Adverbs	exactly
165	hak	Nouns	justice, fairness
166	sonuç	Nouns	consequence
167	iç	Nouns	inside, interior part of something
168	sistem	Nouns	system
169	uzun	Adjectives	tall
170	hakkında	Prepositions	about, concerning
171	bırakmak	Verbs	to let go, release, relinquish
172	bölge	Nouns	region
173	kitap	Nouns	book
174	okul	Nouns	school
175	az	Determiners	few, little
176	küçük	Adjectives	small, little
177	soru	Nouns	question
178	konuşmak	Verbs	to speak, to talk, to use verbal language
179	göstermek	Verbs	to show, to display
180	baba	Nouns	father
181	çekmek	Verbs	to pull
182	adam	Nouns	human
183	aile	Nouns	family
184	beklemek	Verbs	To wait for, to await
185	üç	Numbers	three
186	bazı	Determiners	some; an unspecified quantity or number of
187	bilgi	Nouns	information
188	gelen	Adjectives	coming, incoming
189	eğitim	Nouns	education
190	ay	Nouns	moon
191	eski	Adjectives	old (for objects)
192	üniversite	Nouns	university
193	hep	Adverbs	altogether
194	alt	Nouns	bottom
195	biraz	Adverbs	a bit, a little
196	hem	Conjunctions	both … and
197	yani	Interjections	in other words, actually, namely, to wit, kind of
198	takım	Nouns	set
199	halk	Nouns	people
200	görev	Nouns	task
201	anlamak	Verbs	To understand, to comprehend, to get
202	ölmek	Verbs	to die
203	kabul	Nouns	acceptation
204	şehir	Nouns	city (large settlement)
205	güç	Adverbs	with difficulty, in a hard way
206	ayrıca	Adverbs	also
207	özel	Adjectives	special
208	karar	Nouns	decision
209	dönmek	Verbs	to turn
210	resim	Nouns	picture
211	yapılmak	Verbs	passive of yapmak: to be/become done or made
212	hiçbir	Adjectives	no, none
213	ilgili	Adjectives	related (standing in relation or connection)
214	yapılan	Verbs	present participle of yapılmak
215	olay	Nouns	event, happening, incident, phenomenon
216	grup	Nouns	group
217	parti	Nouns	party (social gathering)
218	hafta	Nouns	week
219	izlemek	Verbs	to follow
220	ses	Nouns	voice, sound
221	burada	Adverbs	here
222	evet	Particles	yes
223	verilmek	Verbs	passive of vermek: to be given
224	yüksek	Adjectives	Having a great distance between its bottom and top
225	hâlâ	Adverbs	still, yet
226	getirmek	Verbs	to bring
227	ön	Nouns	front
228	sayı	Nouns	number (abstract entity)
229	inmek	Verbs	to go down, come down, descend
230	farklı	Adjectives	different
231	kez	Nouns	time, occasion (an instance or occurrence)
232	fakat	Conjunctions	but, however, yet
233	zaten	Adverbs	already, in fact
234	üzerine	Prepositions	about
235	durmak	Verbs	to stop
236	merkez	Nouns	center (point on a line midway between the ends)
237	isim	Nouns	name
238	savaş	Nouns	war
239	sizin	Pronouns	your, of you (plural)
240	dil	Nouns	language
241	site	Nouns	gated community
242	üzerinde	Prepositions	on
243	kötü	Adjectives	bad
244	gerekmek	Verbs	to be necessary, be needed, be required
245	bin	Numbers	thousand
246	anmak	Verbs	to make mention of, to commemorate
247	herkes	Pronouns	everybody
248	hava	Nouns	weather
249	eğer	Conjunctions	if (supposing that)
250	hareket	Nouns	action
251	kazanmak	Verbs	to win, gain, acquire
252	lütfen	Adverbs	please
253	yapı	Nouns	building
254	kardeş	Nouns	sibling (brother or sister)
255	sıra	Nouns	row
256	al	Adjectives	blood red
257	yaş	Adjectives	fresh, wet, moist
258	telefon	Nouns	telephone
259	üzere	Prepositions	at the moment when (the specified action) is/was about
260	okumak	Verbs	to read
261	gerek	Conjunctions	Used for combining elements of similar function or
262	şarkı	Nouns	song
263	an	Nouns	moment
264	yakın	Adverbs	close by, nearby
265	süre	Nouns	duration
266	seçim	Nouns	choice
267	düşmek	Verbs	to fall, fall down
268	dikkat	Nouns	attention
269	zor	Adjectives	hard, difficult
270	yerine	Prepositions	in lieu of, instead of
271	açık	Adverbs	clearly, frankly
272	hal	Nouns	covered market
273	anlatmak	Verbs	to tell
274	hayır	Nouns	good; prosperity
275	kullanılmak	Verbs	passive of kullanmak: to be/become used
276	aramak	Verbs	to seek, to look for, to search
277	üye	Nouns	member
278	anlam	Nouns	meaning
279	destek	Nouns	support
280	alınmak	Verbs	to be taken
281	hizmet	Nouns	employment
282	program	Nouns	computer program
283	dakika	Nouns	minute (unit of time)
284	tutmak	Verbs	to hold; to take hold of; to grip; to grab
285	belediye	Nouns	municipality
286	tekrar	Adverbs	again
287	mutlu	Adjectives	happy
288	polis	Nouns	police (an organisation that enforces the law)
289	il	Nouns	province
290	aç	Adverbs	hungrily, in a hungry state
291	üst	Nouns	something's face or side looking upwards or towards the
292	şirket	Nouns	company
293	katılmak	Verbs	to join
294	ora	Pronouns	there
295	akıl	Nouns	mind
296	ihtiyaç	Nouns	need
297	kontrol	Nouns	control, check
298	duymak	Verbs	to hear
299	oynamak	Verbs	to play, amuse oneself, fool around
300	asker	Nouns	soldier
301	yönetim	Nouns	administration, management
302	akşam	Nouns	evening
303	kısa	Adjectives	short
304	kafa	Nouns	head
305	tür	Nouns	kind, variety
306	belki	Adverbs	maybe, possibly, probably
307	ikinci	Adjectives	second
308	değer	Nouns	value
309	yardımcı	Nouns	helper
310	parça	Nouns	component
311	cevap	Nouns	response, reply, answer
312	sabah	Adverbs	in the morning
313	hangi	Pronouns	which
314	denmek	Verbs	passive of demek: to be called
315	birçok	Determiners	many
316	dış	Nouns	outside; exterior part, area or surface of something
317	öğrenmek	Verbs	to learn, study, master
318	ders	Nouns	lecture
319	olup	Adverbs	to be [something] and, to become [something] and
320	bitmek	Verbs	to end, to finish
321	kaybetmek	Verbs	to lose
322	takip	Nouns	follow-up
323	altında	Prepositions	under
324	bence	Adverbs	I think, in my opinion
325	dizi	Nouns	A row
326	oda	Nouns	room, chamber
327	kapı	Nouns	door
328	milyon	Numbers	million
329	kalp	Nouns	heart
330	sanmak	Verbs	to suppose, think, reckon, assume
331	deniz	Nouns	sea
332	uzak	Adjectives	far, distant, remote
333	aslında	Adverbs	actually
334	pek	Adverbs	very
335	yeniden	Adverbs	anew
336	yoksa	Conjunctions	Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see yok
337	gereken	Adjectives	necessary
338	sormak	Verbs	to ask, to ask about, to inquire
339	unutmak	Verbs	to forget
340	boyunca	Adverbs	along
341	video	Nouns	videotape
342	can	Nouns	soul, life, being
343	kaynak	Nouns	spring (water source)
344	açmak	Verbs	to open
345	doğu	Nouns	east
346	öğrenci	Nouns	student
347	ana	Adjectives	main
348	yarın	Adverbs	tomorrow
349	ilişki	Nouns	relationship, intercourse
350	yardım	Nouns	help
351	fark	Nouns	difference
352	et	Nouns	The muscle and fat tissue in humans and animals
353	birlik	Nouns	unity
354	gerçekten	Adverbs	really, for real
355	lazım	Adjectives	necessary, required
356	sonunda	Adverbs	finally
357	koymak	Verbs	to put
358	inanmak	Verbs	to believe, have faith
359	geçirmek	Verbs	To take or carry something from one place or side to
360	ölü	Adjectives	dead
361	tane	Nouns	grain
362	kurmak	Verbs	to assemble
363	sağlamak	Verbs	to provide, ensure, supply
364	olmayan	Adjectives	missing
365	kan	Nouns	blood
366	sürmek	Verbs	To operate a wheeled vehicle; to drive, to ride
367	yaşam	Nouns	life
368	falan	Pronouns	you-know-what
369	müzik	Nouns	music
370	kolay	Adjectives	easy
371	arka	Nouns	back
372	ek	Nouns	annex
373	asla	Adverbs	never (as a matter of principle or intent; compare hiç)
374	birkaç	Determiners	a few
375	genç	Adjectives	young
376	kaç	Determiners	how many
377	aşk	Nouns	love (romantic feelings)
378	iz	Nouns	footprint
379	nokta	Nouns	dot
380	birisi	Pronouns	one, anybody, anyone, a random person
381	hızlı	Adjectives	fast, rapid, quick
382	fotoğraf	Nouns	photo
383	taraf	Nouns	side
384	dört	Numbers	four
385	sebep	Nouns	reason
386	ait	Prepositions	concerning, relating (to)
387	bağlı	Adjectives	connected (to), related (to)
388	sosyal	Adjectives	social (relating to society)
389	özellikle	Adverbs	in particular
390	yalnız	Conjunctions	but, however
391	korumak	Verbs	to protect, to shield
392	kısım	Nouns	section, division
393	bey	Nouns	gentleman, mister
394	yanlış	Adjectives	false, wrong, incorrect, erroneous
395	kültür	Nouns	culture
396	hadi	Interjections	come on
397	yanında	Prepositions	beside, next to
398	mücadele	Nouns	challenge
399	din	Nouns	System of beliefs dealing with soul
400	aday	Nouns	candidate
401	bura	Nouns	this place here
402	oyuncu	Nouns	player
403	merak	Nouns	curiosity
404	hayal	Nouns	dream, wish
405	teknik	Adjectives	technical
406	saldırı	Nouns	attack, invasion
407	toprak	Nouns	earth, soil
408	sorun	Nouns	problem, difficulty, issue
409	bebek	Nouns	baby
410	millet	Nouns	nation
411	rağmen	Adverbs	despite
412	açıklamak	Verbs	to explain
413	spor	Nouns	sport
414	beraber	Adverbs	together
415	niye	Adverbs	why
416	oldukça	Adverbs	quite
417	sağlık	Nouns	health
418	sezon	Nouns	season (of a series/show)
419	sanat	Nouns	art
420	sağ	Adjectives	right (side)
421	güçlü	Adjectives	powerful, strong
422	dinlemek	Verbs	to listen, hear
423	ifade	Nouns	expression
424	ayak	Nouns	foot
425	ilçe	Nouns	district
426	sevgili	Nouns	beloved, lover, darling
427	eş	Adverbs	as, like, kind of
428	köy	Adjectives	village, country
429	olma	Verbs	second-person singular negative imperative of olmak
430	beri	Prepositions	since
431	tamam	Adjectives	complete, without defects
432	uygulama	Nouns	enforcement, implementation
433	mesaj	Nouns	message
434	kelime	Nouns	word
435	toplam	Nouns	sum, total
436	içeri	Adverbs	inside
437	değildir	Verbs	is not
438	taş	Nouns	stone, rock (aggregate of solid mineral matter)
439	canlı	Adverbs	In a lively manner
440	oğul	Nouns	son
441	bakan	Nouns	minister
442	kalan	Nouns	remainder, rest
443	madde	Nouns	article (section of a legal document)
444	oturmak	Verbs	to sit
445	fikir	Nouns	thought, idea
446	bazen	Adverbs	every now and then
447	dışında	Prepositions	without, outside of, aside from, besides, except
448	herhangi	Determiners	whichever, whatever
449	yaklaşık	Adjectives	approximate
450	cumhuriyet	Nouns	republic
451	proje	Nouns	project
452	temmuz	Nouns	July
453	ışık	Nouns	light (electromagnetic wave)
454	oluşmak	Verbs	to arise, to come into existence
455	belli	Adjectives	known
456	beyaz	Nouns	white
457	gazete	Nouns	newspaper, journal
458	on	Numbers	ten
459	uluslararası	Adjectives	international
460	liste	Nouns	list
461	temel	Nouns	fundament, basics
462	yapma	Adjectives	artificial
463	hazır	Adjectives	ready
464	dost	Nouns	friend
465	millî	Adjectives	national
466	kayıt	Nouns	record, recording
467	birbiri	Pronouns	each other
468	beş	Numbers	five
469	sınıf	Nouns	class
470	dolar	Nouns	dollar
471	sanki	Conjunctions	as if, like
472	tabi	Nouns	follower
473	gol	Nouns	goal (act of placing the object into the goal)
474	öğretmen	Nouns	teacher
475	güneş	Nouns	sun (light and warmth received from the sun)
476	model	Nouns	model (miniature; simplified representation; prototype)
477	eylül	Nouns	September
478	çıkarmak	Verbs	to remove
479	hasta	Nouns	patient, sufferer
480	tamamen	Adverbs	completely, fully
481	suç	Nouns	crime, offense
482	yıldız	Nouns	star
483	dava	Nouns	suit, action
484	böylece	Adverbs	in this way, thus, thence, so, like this, in this manner
485	dün	Adverbs	yesterday
486	üzeri	Prepositions	above, over, on
487	araç	Nouns	tool, means, implement
488	içmek	Verbs	to drink, to swallow a liquid
489	güvenlik	Nouns	security, safety
490	yalan	Adjectives	false, fabricated, fake
491	seks	Nouns	sex (sexual category)
492	özellik	Nouns	specialness, exceptionality
493	yarı	Prepositions	half
494	taşımak	Verbs	to carry, carry away
495	doktor	Nouns	doctor, physician
496	sınır	Nouns	border
497	günlük	Nouns	a quantity sufficient for a given number of days
498	uygun	Adjectives	available
499	zorunda	Adjectives	forced, obliged
500	giriş	Nouns	entrance

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

The rest of the list

A2A2 Beginner: 500 more wordssokak · hissetmek · başarı · dilemek · ziyaret
B1B1 Intermediate: 750 more wordshuzur · kurtulmak · düğün · kamu · düzey
B2B2 Upper intermediate: 750 more wordskartal · istatistik · öğle · göç · alınma

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.