Word lists › Spanish
The most common Spanish words, in frequency order
This is a frequency-based Spanish word list: words ranked by how often they actually occur in everyday text, with translations and pronunciation. Frequency-based learning means studying words in this order, so every hour goes to the words you will meet most. Learn the first 500 and you will recognise about 67% of the words in everyday Spanish. That is Zipf's law, and it is why this list is in this order. The first 250 are below; Zipf teaches all 5,000.
67%of everyday Spanish text is the first 500 words
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The 250 most common Spanish words
| # | Word | IPA | Part of speech | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | el | /el/ | article | masculine singular definite article; the |
| 2 | de | /de/ | preposition | of; 's; used after the thing owned and before the owner; from (with the source or provenance of or at) |
| 3 | que | /ke/ | conjunction | that; than |
| 4 | en | /en/ | preposition | in, at, on; in (a time) |
| 5 | y | /ʝ/ | conjunction | and; plus, and |
| 6 | él | /ˈel/ | pronoun | he, him, masculine personal third person subject and disjunctive pronoun (used as a subject and after prepositions); it, masculine non-personal third-person subject and disjunctive pronoun (usually used after prepositions to refer to masculine nouns) |
| 7 | a | /a/ | preposition | to; by |
| 8 | uno | /ˈuno/ | numeral | one |
| 9 | ser | /ˈseɾ/ | verb | to be (essentially or identified as); to be (in the passive voice sense) |
| 10 | no | /ˈno/ | adverb | no |
| 11 | por | /poɾ/ | preposition | by; for (indicates something given in an exchange) |
| 12 | del | /del/ | preposition | of the, from the (+ a masculine noun in singular). |
| 13 | con | /kon/ | preposition | with; Dependent preposition following certain verbs. |
| 14 | yo | /ˈʝo/ | pronoun | first-person singular pronoun in the nominative case; I |
| 15 | su | /su/ | article | apocopic form of suyo his, her, its, one's, their, your (formal); used to express an approximate number: about, approximately |
| 16 | para | /paɾa/ | preposition | for, to (expressing a recipient); to, in order to, so, for (expressing the intended purpose of an action) |
| 17 | haber | /aˈbeɾ/ | verb | have; forms the perfect aspect; to hold, to possess |
| 18 | este | /ˈeste/ | pronoun | this |
| 19 | tener | /teˈneɾ/ | verb | to have; to possess; to have; to possess; to be (a condition or quality) |
| 20 | estar | /esˈtaɾ/ | verb | to be (have a temporary or permanent location in space); to be present |
| 21 | como | /komo/ | conjunction | as, like |
| 22 | todo | /ˈtodo/ | adjective | all |
| 23 | poder | /poˈdeɾ/ | verb | to be able to, can |
| 24 | más | /ˈmas/ | adverb | more; -er (used to make comparisons); most; -est (used to make superlatives) |
| 25 | tú | /ˈtu/ | pronoun | second person pronoun in singular tense; you |
| 26 | hacer | /aˈθeɾ/ | verb | to do; to make (something) |
| 27 | si | /si/ | conjunction | if, whether; points out a contradiction (and often implies that it's obvious or that it's easy to find out about) |
| 28 | pero | /ˈpeɾo/ | conjunction | but; well well; so; well (used for emphasis) |
| 29 | ese | /ˈese/ | pronoun | that one |
| 30 | mucho | /ˈmut͡ʃo/ | adverb | much, a lot, far, way, many times; very |
| 31 | o | /o/ | conjunction | The sixteenth letter of the Spanish alphabet, called o and written in the Latin script. |
| 32 | ir | /ˈiɾ/ | verb | to go (away from speaker and listener); to be suitable or apt for its purpose, to match or suit well (of clothing) |
| 33 | mi | /mi/ | article | apocopic form of mío, my |
| 34 | decir | /deˈθiɾ/ | verb | to say, to tell; to pronounce, sound out |
| 35 | otro | /ˈotɾo/ | pronoun | someone else; another person; something else; another one |
| 36 | ver | /ˈbeɾ/ | verb | to see, to spot; to see, to look at, to view (perceive) |
| 37 | ya | /ˈʝa/ | adverb | now (often as opposed to before), anymore, no longer; indicates the completion of an action |
| 38 | año | /ˈaɲo/ | noun | year; age |
| 39 | tu | /tu/ | article | apocopic form of tuyo, your |
| 40 | querer | /keˈɾeɾ/ | verb | to desire, to want, to want to; to love; to be fond of (usually used with people or personified objects) |
| 41 | cuando | /ˈkwando/ | adverb | when |
| 42 | dar | /ˈdaɾ/ | verb | to give, to give out; to hand over |
| 43 | tanto | /ˈtanto/ | adjective | so much, so many |
| 44 | sin | /ˈsin/ | preposition | without |
| 45 | pasar | /paˈsaɾ/ | verb | to pass, to hand, to slip; to happen |
| 46 | vez | /ˈbeθ/ | noun | time, instance; place (in a queue) |
| 47 | sobre | /ˈsobɾe/ | preposition | on, about |
| 48 | también | /tamˈbjen/ | adverb | also, too, as well; so |
| 49 | saber | /saˈbeɾ/ | verb | to know, to understand (a fact); to know how to do something |
| 50 | día | /ˈdia/ | noun | day (any period of 24 hours); day (a period from midnight to the following midnight) |
| 51 | nuestro | /ˈnwestɾo/ | article | our, ours, to us; our, ours, to us (as the royal we) |
| 52 | porque | /ˈpoɾke/ | conjunction | because |
| 53 | mismo | /ˈmismo/ | adjective | same |
| 54 | nuevo | /ˈnwebo/ | adjective | new; brand new, all-new |
| 55 | alguno | /alˈɡuno/ | pronoun | some, someone |
| 56 | qué | /ˈke/ | pronoun | what |
| 57 | bien | /ˈbjen/ | adverb | well (adverbial form of bueno); well; fine; okay (state of being satisfied with the status quo) |
| 58 | primero | /pɾiˈmeɾo/ | adjective | first, first up; top (head) |
| 59 | así | /aˈsi/ | adverb | like this |
| 60 | dos | /ˈdos/ | numeral | two |
| 61 | entre | /ˈentɾe/ | preposition | between; among, amongst, from |
| 62 | desde | /ˈdesde/ | preposition | since (from a specified time in the past); from (a location) |
| 63 | hasta | /ˈasta/ | preposition | until |
| 64 | deber | /deˈbeɾ/ | verb | to owe; must, need to, have to (indicates an obligation or requirement) |
| 65 | solo | /ˈsolo/ | adjective | sole; one; only; single (unique); lonely, lonesome |
| 66 | parte | /ˈpaɾte/ | noun | part; section; portion; share; piece; bit; cut; proportion; place; somewhere |
| 67 | ahora | /aˈoɾa/ | adverb | now (at the present time); just now, just a moment ago (in the past) |
| 68 | trabajar | /tɾabaˈxaɾ/ | verb | to work; to work in, work on, to workshop (+ en) |
| 69 | mejor | /meˈxoɾ/ | adjective | better; better off |
| 70 | persona | /peɾˈsona/ | noun | person (an individual; usually a human being); a socially distinguished person, a personality |
| 71 | nada | /ˈnada/ | pronoun | nothing |
| 72 | ni | /ˈni/ | adverb | not even |
| 73 | creer | /kɾeˈeɾ/ | verb | to believe; to think, to believe, to reckon, to be of the opinion |
| 74 | cosa | /ˈkosa/ | noun · feminine | thing |
| 75 | tiempo | /ˈtjempo/ | noun | time; a while, period of time, long time, length of time, indeterminate amount of time |
| 76 | donde | /ˈdonde/ | adverb | where |
| 77 | algo | /ˈalɡo/ | pronoun | something, anything |
| 78 | buen | /ˈbwen/ | adjective | apocopic form of bueno (“good, fine”) |
| 79 | vida | /ˈbida/ | noun | life; lifestyle |
| 80 | dejar | /deˈxaɾ/ | verb | to leave (to place); to leave, to keep (to allow to continue) |
| 81 | llegar | /ʝeˈɡaɾ/ | verb | to arrive, get (to); to get up to, to go up to, to reach (+ a or + hasta) |
| 82 | hablar | /aˈblaɾ/ | verb | to talk; to speak; to communicate using words; to speak (a language) |
| 83 | poner | /poˈneɾ/ | verb | to put, to put up, to place, to lay; to set, to set up (e.g. set an alarm, set up chairs) |
| 84 | seguir | /seˈɡiɾ/ | verb | to follow; to continue (on); to keep, to keep on (can be combined with the gerund to indicate that someone or something continues doing something) |
| 85 | poco | /ˈpoko/ | adjective | little, few |
| 86 | contar | /konˈtaɾ/ | verb | to count; to tally; to tell (a story); narrate |
| 87 | e | /e/ | conjunction | The fifth letter of the Spanish alphabet, written in the Latin script. |
| 88 | siempre | /ˈsjempɾe/ | adverb | always; in spite of it, still...at least |
| 89 | país | /paˈis/ | noun | country (the territory of a nation); country, land (a set region of land having particular human occupation or agreed limits) |
| 90 | encontrar | /enkonˈtɾaɾ/ | verb | to meet; to find, encounter, come across |
| 91 | gente | /ˈxente/ | noun | people; guys, lads (used to address a group of people) |
| 92 | cada | /ˈkada/ | article | each; every |
| 93 | después | /desˈpwes/ | adverb | later, afterwards, afterward, post; next |
| 94 | mundo | /ˈmundo/ | noun | world, earth (human collective existence); world, globe (the Earth) |
| 95 | hecho | /ˈet͡ʃo/ | noun · masculine | fact |
| 96 | medio | /ˈmedjo/ | noun · masculine | half |
| 97 | gracia | /ˈɡɾaθja/ | noun | grace, charm; mercy |
| 98 | lugar | /luˈɡaɾ/ | noun | place |
| 99 | mas | /mas/ | conjunction | but |
| 100 | parecer | /paɾeˈθeɾ/ | verb | to seem, to see fit; to look like, to seem like |
| 101 | quien | /ˈkjen/ | pronoun | who; whom |
| 102 | quedar | /keˈdaɾ/ | verb | to be (as a result of something), to end up; to be situated; to be located (used with only static objects, such as buildings) |
| 103 | forma | /ˈfoɾma/ | noun | shape; form; figure; way; manner |
| 104 | pensar | /penˈsaɾ/ | verb | to think, ponder; to reflect, think through |
| 105 | llevar | /ʝeˈbaɾ/ | verb | to take somewhere (most of the time away from the speaker); to take away or take with oneself |
| 106 | gran | /ˈɡɾan/ | adjective | apocopic form of grande; great, grand |
| 107 | menos | /ˈmenos/ | adverb | less; least |
| 108 | nunca | /ˈnunka/ | adverb | never; ever |
| 109 | caso | /ˈkaso/ | noun | case (situation or fact); case (instance of a medical condition) |
| 110 | salir | /saˈliɾ/ | verb | to go out, to leave, to depart, to head out; to go out, to come out (to leave one's abode to go to public places) |
| 111 | mujer | /muˈxeɾ/ | noun | woman; wife |
| 112 | antes | /ˈantes/ | adverb | earlier; before; sooner; previously; formerly; beforehand (at an earlier time); soon (in certain phrases) |
| 113 | vivir | /biˈbiɾ/ | verb | to live; to be alive; to make a living, to live on |
| 114 | venir | /beˈniɾ/ | verb | Senses relating to literal movement.; to come (move closer to some location (most often closer to the speaker), by default the speaker's location) |
| 115 | hombre | /ˈombɾe/ | noun | man, (adult male human); man, (all humans collectively); mankind, humankind |
| 116 | durante | /duˈɾante/ | preposition | during, in, over; for (as a duration) |
| 117 | esperar | /espeˈɾaɾ/ | verb | to hope; to expect |
| 118 | sólo | /ˈsolo/ | adverb | superseded spelling of solo |
| 119 | cómo | /ˈkomo/ | adverb | how |
| 120 | tomar | /toˈmaɾ/ | verb | to take; to drink, have |
| 121 | contra | /kontɾa/ | preposition | against |
| 122 | aunque | /awnke/ | conjunction | though, although, even though, albeit; even if, irrespective of (followed by subjunctive verb form) |
| 123 | ciudad | /θjuˈdad/ | noun | city |
| 124 | momento | /moˈmento/ | noun | moment, instant; timing |
| 125 | cual | /ˈkwal/ | pronoun | which |
| 126 | volver | /bolˈbeɾ/ | verb | to return, to revert, to get back; to come back, go back |
| 127 | problema | /pɾoˈblema/ | noun | problem, issue, challenge (a difficulty or obstacle that has to be dealt with); trouble (in the singular or in the plural) |
| 128 | partido | /paɾˈtido/ | noun | party; game, match (chiefly for soccer) |
| 129 | último | /ˈultimo/ | adjective | final; last; latest; most recent |
| 130 | hora | /ˈoɾa/ | noun | hour (a time period of sixty minutes); time (the moment, as indicated by a clock or similar device) |
| 131 | gustar | /ɡusˈtaɾ/ | verb | translated as "to like", analyzable in structure as "to please" [with dative ‘someone’] (the thing being liked is the subject, while the "liker" is in the dative case ("indirect object")). See the usage notes for more. Compare similar structures in Italian piacere, Romanian plăcea, German gefallen and Russian нравиться (nravitʹsja).; to like in a general sense |
| 132 | aquí | /aˈki/ | adverb | here (in the speaker's location) |
| 133 | sí | /ˈsi/ | pronoun | himself, herself |
| 134 | tratar | /tɾaˈtaɾ/ | verb | to treat (to handle, behave toward in a specific way); to treat (to apply medical care) |
| 135 | hoy | /ˈoi/ | adverb | today |
| 136 | necesitar | /neθesiˈtaɾ/ | verb | to need |
| 137 | alguien | /ˈalɡjen/ | pronoun | someone, somebody; anyone, anybody |
| 138 | tipo | /ˈtipo/ | noun | kind, type, sort, manner; rate, interest rate |
| 139 | grupo | /ˈɡɾupo/ | noun | group; class group |
| 140 | mayor | /maˈʝoɾ/ | adjective | comparative degree of grande: bigger; comparative degree of viejo: older; elder |
| 141 | historia | /isˈtoɾja/ | noun | history (the aggregate of past events); history (the branch of knowledge that studies the past) |
| 142 | tres | /ˈtɾes/ | numeral | three |
| 143 | cualquiera | /kwalˈkjeɾa/ | pronoun | anyone |
| 144 | tal | /ˈtal/ | adjective | such |
| 145 | grande | /ˈɡɾande/ | adjective | big, large; great, grand |
| 146 | público | /ˈpubliko/ | noun · masculine | public, audience |
| 147 | bueno | /ˈbweno/ | interjection | okay |
| 148 | general | /xeneˈɾal/ | adjective | general, overall |
| 149 | ley | /ˈlei/ | noun | law (a well-established characteristic of nature); law (body of rules issued by a legislative body) |
| 150 | amigo | /aˈmiɡo/ | noun | friend; penis |
| 151 | luego | /ˈlweɡo/ | adverb | then (afterward); later, later on (at some point in the future) |
| 152 | verdad | /beɾˈda/ | noun | truth; fact |
| 153 | social | /soˈθjal/ | adjective | social |
| 154 | nombre | /ˈnombɾe/ | noun · masculine | name |
| 155 | derecho | /deˈɾet͡ʃo/ | noun | right (a legal, just or moral entitlement); law, jurisprudence (the study of laws) |
| 156 | pues | /ˈpwes/ | conjunction | so, then; in that case; because, since |
| 157 | conocer | /konoˈθeɾ/ | verb | to know (a person or a place), to be familiar with, to be acquainted with; to meet |
| 158 | mientras | /ˈmjentɾas/ | conjunction | while, whilst, as (at the same time as); as long as, so long as (expressing a condition) |
| 159 | nadie | /ˈnadje/ | pronoun | no one; nobody (anyone or anybody) |
| 160 | punto | /ˈpunto/ | noun | point (specific spot, location, or place); point (unit of scoring) |
| 161 | mes | /ˈmes/ | noun | month |
| 162 | segundo | /seˈɡundo/ | numeral | second |
| 163 | sentir | /senˈtiɾ/ | verb | to feel; to regret, feel or be sorry |
| 164 | buscar | /busˈkaɾ/ | verb | to seek, search for, look for, try to find, to scour; to look up (in a search engine, dictionary, etc.) |
| 165 | ninguno | /ninˈɡuno/ | pronoun | none, nobody |
| 166 | propio | /ˈpɾopjo/ | adjective | own (belonging to); proper |
| 167 | hijo | /ˈixo/ | noun | son; child (of unknown gender) |
| 168 | bajo | /ˈbaxo/ | adjective | low, short |
| 169 | entonces | /enˈtonθes/ | adverb | then, next, thereupon, at that time, at that point; then, therefore, so, thus; in that case |
| 170 | manera | /maˈneɾa/ | noun | way; manner; method; style |
| 171 | sistema | /sisˈtema/ | noun | system; scheme (a systematic plan of future action; also, a group of independent but interrelated elements comprising a unified whole) |
| 172 | noche | /ˈnot͡ʃe/ | noun | night (the period between sunset and sunrise); evening (after sunset) |
| 173 | acuerdo | /aˈkweɾdo/ | noun | agreement; compromise |
| 174 | varios | /ˈbaɾjos/ | adjective | various, several |
| 175 | además | /adeˈmas/ | adverb | in addition, moreover, furthermore, further, also, additionally; as well, also, not to mention (when in the middle of a sentence or toward the end) |
| 176 | ganar | /ɡaˈnaɾ/ | verb | to gain; to earn |
| 177 | mal | /ˈmal/ | adverb | badly, poorly, ill; awry, amiss, wrong, wrongly |
| 178 | fin | /ˈfin/ | noun | end; purpose, aim, objective, goal |
| 179 | política | /poˈlitika/ | noun | politics (activities associated with running a government or organisation); policy (a formal principle or protocol of conduct) |
| 180 | importante | /impoɾˈtante/ | adjective | important, that cares, that matters. |
| 181 | semana | /seˈmana/ | noun | week (7 days) |
| 182 | según | /seˈɡun/ | preposition | according to; as, just as, the same way |
| 183 | familia | /faˈmilja/ | noun | family (group of people related to each other); family (grouping of things possessing common characteristics) |
| 184 | usar | /uˈsaɾ/ | verb | to use; to wear |
| 185 | único | /ˈuniko/ | adjective | only; single; sole; unique, one-of-a-kind |
| 186 | alto | /ˈalto/ | adjective | tall; high |
| 187 | mano | /ˈmano/ | noun | hand; front foot |
| 188 | dio | /ˈdjo/ | verb | gave |
| 189 | servicio | /seɾˈbiθjo/ | noun | service; public toilet |
| 190 | pueblo | /ˈpweblo/ | noun | town, village; the common people, the working classes |
| 191 | perder | /peɾˈdeɾ/ | verb | to lose; to lose someone (experience the death of someone) |
| 192 | empezar | /empeˈθaɾ/ | verb | to start, begin, to get started; to start |
| 193 | entender | /entenˈdeɾ/ | verb | to understand, to fathom; to hear |
| 194 | foto | /ˈfoto/ | noun | photo, photograph |
| 195 | hacia | /ˈaθja/ | preposition | toward, towards; around, about (indicating time) |
| 196 | sino | /ˈsino/ | conjunction | but (rather) (after a negative clause); except, apart from |
| 197 | llamar | /ʝaˈmaɾ/ | verb | to summon, to call; to call (on the telephone) |
| 198 | equipo | /eˈkipo/ | noun | team; equipment, kit, hardware |
| 199 | lado | /ˈlado/ | noun | side; face |
| 200 | idea | /iˈdea/ | noun · feminine | idea |
| 201 | claro | /ˈklaɾo/ | adjective | clear (easily understood); light, pale (not dark in hue) |
| 202 | preguntar | /pɾeɡunˈtaɾ/ | verb | to ask; to wonder, to ask oneself, to ponder |
| 203 | palabra | /paˈlabɾa/ | noun | word; wording |
| 204 | español | /espaˈɲol/ | adjective | Spanish (from or native to Spain); Spanish (pertaining to Spain or to the language) |
| 205 | existir | /eɡsisˈtiɾ/ | verb | to exist |
| 206 | niño | /ˈniɲo/ | noun | child, boy |
| 207 | final | /fiˈnal/ | adjective | final (last, ultimate); final (conclusive, decisive) |
| 208 | tema | /ˈtema/ | noun · masculine | topic |
| 209 | cierto | /ˈθjeɾto/ | adjective | true |
| 210 | padre | /ˈpadɾe/ | adjective | great, cool |
| 211 | pedir | /peˈdiɾ/ | verb | to ask for something; to request someone else to do something |
| 212 | mirar | /miˈɾaɾ/ | verb | to look at (to try to see, to pay attention to with one’s eyes); to watch (to look at, view, or observe for a period of time) |
| 213 | dicho | /ˈdit͡ʃo/ | noun · masculine | saying |
| 214 | agua | /ˈaɡwa/ | noun | water; body of water |
| 215 | cambio | /ˈkambjo/ | noun | change, shift; change (money given back) |
| 216 | leer | /leˈeɾ/ | verb | to read |
| 217 | empresa | /emˈpɾesa/ | noun | company; enterprise, undertaking |
| 218 | casi | /ˈkasi/ | adverb | almost |
| 219 | presidente | /pɾesiˈdente/ | noun | president |
| 220 | cambiar | /kamˈbjaɾ/ | verb | to change, to shift, to switch, to alter; to modify |
| 221 | pequeño | /peˈkeɲo/ | adjective | small; little |
| 222 | faltar | /falˈtaɾ/ | verb | to be lacking, to lack, to not have (of a quality or circumstance); to be lacking, to lack, to not have (of a person) |
| 223 | recibir | /reθiˈbiɾ/ | verb | to receive, get; to welcome, to greet, to receive (guests, patients) |
| 224 | libro | /ˈlibɾo/ | noun | book |
| 225 | número | /ˈnumeɾo/ | noun | number (counting); musical number |
| 226 | ahí | /aˈi/ | adverb | there (away from the speaker); that (in certain phrases) |
| 227 | dentro | /ˈdentɾo/ | adverb | inside (for space); indoors |
| 228 | proyecto | /pɾoˈʝeɡto/ | noun | project, plan |
| 229 | junto | /ˈxunto/ | adjective | together; joined |
| 230 | seguro | /seˈɡuɾo/ | adjective | secure; safe (free from danger); certain; sure; positive; definite (of being correct) |
| 231 | argentino | /aɾxenˈtino/ | adjective | Argentinian, Argentine; silver, silvery |
| 232 | guerra | /ˈɡera/ | noun | war, warfare |
| 233 | centro | /ˈθentɾo/ | noun | center; center, moderate tendencies or ideas |
| 234 | aún | /aˈun/ | adverb | still, yet; even (implying an extreme example in the case mentioned) |
| 235 | ejemplo | /eˈxemplo/ | noun | example; instance |
| 236 | millón | /miˈʝon/ | noun | million (10⁶) |
| 237 | igual | /iˈɡwal/ | adjective | equal, same; identical, sharing the same characteristics |
| 238 | artículo | /aɾˈtikulo/ | noun | article; article (in a dictionary, encyclopedia etc.) |
| 239 | recordar | /rekoɾˈdaɾ/ | verb | to remember, to recollect; to recall, remind of |
| 240 | señor | /seˈɲoɾ/ | noun | mister, sir, lord (title conferred on a married or older male); gentleman |
| 241 | obra | /ˈobɾa/ | noun · feminine | work |
| 242 | razón | /raˈθon/ | noun | reason; reasoning |
| 243 | información | /infoɾmaˈθjon/ | noun | information, data |
| 244 | aquel | /aˈkel/ | article | that (over there; implying some distance) |
| 245 | mañana | /maˈɲana/ | adverb | tomorrow; soon, shortly |
| 246 | siguiente | /siˈɡjente/ | adjective | following; next |
| 247 | unido | /uˈnido/ | adjective | united; joined, linked |
| 248 | llamado | /ʝaˈmado/ | noun · masculine | call |
| 249 | favor | /faˈboɾ/ | noun | favor/favour |
| 250 | real | /reˈal/ | adjective | royal, real |
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