Word lists › French
The most common French words, in frequency order
This is a frequency-based French 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 French. 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 French text is the first 500 words
Learn them in order with Zipf → Free for 7 days, then $4 / €4 a month.
The 250 most common French words
| # | Word | IPA | Part of speech | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | le | /lə/ | article | the (definite article); the; my, your, etc. |
| 2 | de | /də/ | preposition | of (expresses belonging); of (used to express property or association) |
| 3 | un | /œ̃/ | article | an, a |
| 4 | être | /ɛtʁ/ | verb | to be; to be located; to be situated |
| 5 | avoir | /a.vwaʁ/ | verb | to have; to own; to possess; to get; to have (to experience or suffer from a state or condition) |
| 6 | et | /e/ | conjunction | and |
| 7 | en | /ɑ̃/ | preposition | in (used to indicate space, also see usage notes); to (indicates direction towards certain very large locations, see usage notes) |
| 8 | il | /il/ | pronoun | he (third-person singular masculine subject pronoun for human subject); it (third-person singular subject pronoun for grammatically masculine objects) |
| 9 | que | /kə/ | conjunction | introduces a comparison; than |
| 10 | ce | /se.ø/ | pronoun | this, that |
| 11 | pas | /pa/ | adverb | not |
| 12 | pour | /puʁ/ | preposition | for (meant for, intended for); for (in support of) |
| 13 | son | /sɔ̃/ | pronoun | his, her |
| 14 | dans | /dɑ̃/ | preposition | in, inside (enclosed in a physical space, a group, a state); to (indicates direction towards certain large subdivisions, see usage notes) |
| 15 | je | /ʒə/ | pronoun | I |
| 16 | qui | /ki/ | pronoun | who, whom; who, which, that |
| 17 | faire | /fɛʁ/ | verb | to do; to make |
| 18 | au | /o/ | preposition | contraction of à + le, literally “to the, for the, at the” |
| 19 | sur | /syʁ/ | preposition | on, upon; on top of |
| 20 | qu | /ky/ | conjunction | that |
| 21 | par | /paʁ/ | preposition | through; by (used to introduce a means; used to introduce an agent in a passive construction) |
| 22 | tout | /tu/ | adverb | all; totally; completely |
| 23 | on | /ɔ̃/ | pronoun | one, people, you, someone (an unspecified individual); we |
| 24 | ne | /nɔ.ʁɛst/ | adverb | not |
| 25 | plus | /ply/ | adverb | used to express the comparative and superlative of a following adjective or adverb; more, -er (comparative) |
| 26 | avec | /a.vɛk/ | preposition | with |
| 27 | mais | /mɛ/ | conjunction | but, although |
| 28 | pouvoir | /pu.vwaʁ/ | verb | can, to be able to; may (of a choice) |
| 29 | lui | /lɥi/ | pronoun | him, he, it; the third-person masculine singular personal pronoun used after a preposition, or as the predicate of a linking verb, or when disjoined from a sentence, or as a stressed subject |
| 30 | se | /sə/ | pronoun | The third-person reflexive and reciprocal direct and indirect object pronoun.; himself |
| 31 | vous | /vu/ | pronoun | the plural personal pronoun in the second person; you (all) |
| 32 | cela | /sə.la/ | pronoun | that |
| 33 | mon | /mɔ̃/ | article | my (used to qualify masculine nouns and vowel-initial words regardless of gender); Followed by rank, obligatory way of addressing a (male) superior officer within the military. (Folk etymology: military-specific short for "monsieur".) |
| 34 | tu | /ty/ | pronoun | you (singular) |
| 35 | y | /i.ɡʁɛk/ | pronoun | there (at a place); there, thither (to there) |
| 36 | ou | /u/ | conjunction | or; either...or |
| 37 | si | /ɛ.si/ | conjunction | if, whether; if (assuming that) |
| 38 | aller | /a.le/ | verb | to go; to attend (school, church regularly) |
| 39 | dire | /diʁ/ | verb | to say, to tell (to express through speech); to tell (to order, to advise) |
| 40 | nous | /nu/ | pronoun | the plural personal pronoun in the first person:; we |
| 41 | comme | /kɔm/ | conjunction | as, like |
| 42 | bien | /bjɛ̃/ | adverb | well; indeed; so |
| 43 | même | /mɛm/ | adjective | same |
| 44 | voir | /vwaʁ/ | verb | to see (visually); to see (to understand) |
| 45 | me | /mə/ | pronoun | me (direct object); me (indirect object) |
| 46 | autre | /otʁ/ | adjective | other; another |
| 47 | devoir | /də.vwaʁ/ | verb | must, to have to, should (as a requirement); must |
| 48 | luire | /lɥiʁ/ | verb | to shine |
| 49 | aussi | /o.si/ | adverb | too, also, as well; as (used for equal comparisons) |
| 50 | vouloir | /vu.lwaʁ/ | verb | to want, wish, desire; to expect; to think; forms rhetorical questions, perhaps better translated to English by rephrasing with would or should |
| 51 | deux | /dø/ | numeral | two |
| 52 | bon | /bɔ̃/ | adjective | good; right, correct, appropriate |
| 53 | moi | /mwa/ | pronoun | me (first-person singular disjunctive pronoun); me (first-person singular object pronoun of imperative verbs) |
| 54 | ton | /tɔ̃/ | pronoun | your |
| 55 | savoir | /sa.vwaʁ/ | verb | to know (something); to know how (to do something) |
| 56 | quand | /kɑ̃/ | conjunction | when (at the time that); whenever |
| 57 | notre | /nɔtʁ/ | article | our |
| 58 | après | /a.pʁɛ/ | preposition | after, later than in time.; after, coming for, trying to get (someone). |
| 59 | très | /tʁɛ/ | adverb | very |
| 60 | grand | /ɡʁɑ̃/ | adjective | big; tall |
| 61 | celui | /sə.lɥi/ | pronoun | the one |
| 62 | nouveau | /nu.vo/ | adjective | new, novel |
| 63 | sans | /sɑ̃/ | preposition | without (not having); without (not doing or having done) |
| 64 | votre | /vɔtʁ/ | article | your, belonging to you (plural or formal) |
| 65 | premier | /pʁə.mje/ | adjective | first |
| 66 | an | /ɑ̃/ | noun | year |
| 67 | non | /nɔ̃/ | adverb | no |
| 68 | prendre | /pʁɑ̃.dʁə/ | verb | to take; to eat; to drink |
| 69 | où | /u/ | adverb | where |
| 70 | entrer | /ɑ̃.tʁe/ | verb | to enter |
| 71 | falloir | /fa.lwaʁ/ | verb | to need, have to, to be necessary (that); to take (time) |
| 72 | passer | /pa.se/ | verb | to go past; to cross (a border) |
| 73 | encore | /ɑ̃.kɔʁ/ | adverb | still; more |
| 74 | alors | /a.lɔʁ/ | adverb | then (at that time); so, hence (as a consequence) |
| 75 | temps | /tɑ̃/ | noun | time (in general); weather |
| 76 | jour | /ʒuʁ/ | noun | day; daylight, light |
| 77 | petit | /pə.ti/ | adjective | small |
| 78 | trouver | /tʁu.ve/ | verb | to find; to retrieve something lost, turn up something hidden, or encounter something previously unknown to one; to find (something to be the case); to think or consider (something to be so) |
| 79 | là | /la/ | adverb | referring to physical place; there |
| 80 | peu | /pø/ | adverb | little, few |
| 81 | mettre | /mɛtʁ/ | verb | to put; to place; to put on |
| 82 | personne | /pɛʁ.sɔn/ | pronoun | no one |
| 83 | rien | /ʁjɛ̃/ | pronoun | nothing; anything |
| 84 | te | /tə/ | pronoun | you; yourself |
| 85 | quelque | /kɛlk/ | article | some (singular) |
| 86 | parler | /paʁ.le/ | verb | to speak, talk; to be able to communicate in a language; to speak |
| 87 | fois | /fwa/ | noun | time (an instance or repetition of something happening) |
| 88 | année | /a.ne/ | noun | year (period) |
| 89 | toujours | /tu.ʒuʁ/ | adverb | always; still |
| 90 | français | /fʁɑ̃.sɛ/ | adjective | French; Franco-American or Francophone |
| 91 | contre | /kɔ̃tʁ/ | preposition | against (in physical contact with); against (not in favor of) |
| 92 | venir | /və.niʁ/ | verb | to come (to move from one place to another that is nearer the speaker); See venir de. |
| 93 | avant | /a.vɑ̃/ | preposition | before (in time); before (in space), in front of, ahead of |
| 94 | depuis | /də.pɥi/ | preposition | since; since, ever since |
| 95 | donc | /dɔ̃k/ | adverb | therefore, consequently; thus |
| 96 | vie | /vi/ | noun | life, the state of organisms (organic beings) prior to death; life, period in which one is alive, between birth and death |
| 97 | homme | /ɔm/ | noun | man (adult male human); man, Man (species) |
| 98 | sou | /su/ | noun · masculine | sou (coin) |
| 99 | chose | /ʃoz/ | noun | thing |
| 100 | jamais | /ʒa.mɛ/ | adverb | never; ever |
| 101 | seul | /sœl/ | adjective | lonely; alone |
| 102 | moins | /mwɛ̃/ | adverb | comparative degree of peu; less, fewer; minus; negative |
| 103 | dont | /dɔ̃/ | pronoun | of/from whom/which, whose; whereof; by which |
| 104 | toi | /twa/ | pronoun | you (informal second-person singular personal pronoun, disjunctive); yourself (reflexive object pronoun of imperative verbs) |
| 105 | dernier | /dɛʁ.nje/ | adjective | last; latest (most recent) |
| 106 | déjà | /de.ʒa/ | adverb | already, before; again (following a question) |
| 107 | quoi | /kwa/ | pronoun | what |
| 108 | aimer | /ɛ.me/ | verb | to love (usually of a person, otherwise the meaning is closer to English like); to like (often with bien) |
| 109 | trop | /tʁo/ | adverb | too; too much; very, really, so |
| 110 | donner | /dɔ.ne/ | verb | to give, to transfer the possession/holding of something to someone else; to donate |
| 111 | femme | /fam/ | noun | woman; wife |
| 112 | leur | /lœʁ/ | pronoun | to them |
| 113 | certain | /sɛʁ.tɛ̃/ | adjective | certain |
| 114 | penser | /pɑ̃.se/ | verb | to think, reflect, concentrate one's mind on something; to think, imagine, believe |
| 115 | partir | /paʁ.tiʁ/ | verb | to share, to share out, to divide; to go away, leave, depart |
| 116 | juste | /ʒyst/ | adjective | fair, just |
| 117 | chez | /ʃe/ | preposition | to, at, in or into the home, office, etc. of; by extension, to, at or in the country of |
| 118 | gens | /ʒɑ̃/ | noun | set of people |
| 119 | oui | /wi/ | adverb | yes |
| 120 | vraiment | /vʁɛ.mɑ̃/ | adverb | truly, really, genuinely; really; very |
| 121 | ainsi | /ɛ̃.si/ | adverb | in this way, thus |
| 122 | pays | /pɛ.i/ | noun | land; region; home ground; homeland; home country; country; nation; country |
| 123 | croire | /kʁwaʁ/ | verb | to believe (someone); to believe, to accept as true |
| 124 | état | /e.ta/ | noun | state, condition; alternative letter-case form of État |
| 125 | connaître | /kɔ.nɛtʁ/ | verb | to know (of), to be familiar with (a person, place, fact, event); to know, to experience (glory, hunger, problems etc.) |
| 126 | beaucoup | /bo.ku/ | adverb | much, very much, a lot; very |
| 127 | travail | /tʁa.vaj/ | noun | work; labor; job |
| 128 | arriver | /a.ʁi.ve/ | verb | to arrive (often followed by a location); to happen (unlike other translations of happen, can be used with an indirect object to specify something/somebody affected by the action; it may also be used with a relative clause in the subjunctive) |
| 129 | ville | /vil/ | noun | town, city |
| 130 | comment | /kɔ.mɑ̃/ | adverb | how; how many; how much |
| 131 | point | /pwɛ̃/ | noun | point (small mark); point |
| 132 | politique | /pɔ.li.tik/ | noun · feminine | politics |
| 133 | mort | /mɔʁ/ | adjective | dead |
| 134 | parce | /paʁs/ | conjunction | because |
| 135 | permettre | /pɛʁ.mɛtʁ/ | verb | to permit, to allow (to grant permission or access); to allow, to enable (to provide the means, opportunity, etc.) |
| 136 | aucun | /o.kœ̃/ | article | no, none, not any |
| 137 | celer | /sə.le/ | verb | to conceal |
| 138 | trois | /tʁwa/ | numeral | three |
| 139 | fin | /fɛ̃/ | noun | end, close, finish; end, end goal, objective, purpose |
| 140 | droit | /dʁwa/ | noun | right (entitlement); law (study of law) |
| 141 | enfant | /ɑ̃.fɑ̃/ | noun | child (someone who is not yet an adult); child (offspring of any age) |
| 142 | place | /plas/ | noun | place, square, plaza, piazza; place, space, room |
| 143 | ici | /i.si/ | adverb | here |
| 144 | quel | /kɛl/ | article | which; what, what a (used to form exclamations) |
| 145 | moment | /mɔ.mɑ̃/ | noun | moment (point in time); moment (short period of time) |
| 146 | cas | /ka/ | noun | case, situation; case |
| 147 | partie | /paʁ.ti/ | noun | part (portion, amount); party |
| 148 | devenir | /də.v(ə).niʁ/ | verb | to become; to come from |
| 149 | vrai | /vʁɛ/ | adjective | true; real, proper |
| 150 | mal | /mal/ | noun · masculine | pain, harm |
| 151 | meilleur | /mɛ.jœʁ/ | adjective | comparative degree of bon ("better"); comparative degree of bien |
| 152 | heure | /œʁ/ | noun | hour, time; o'clock |
| 153 | rendre | /ʁɑ̃dʁ/ | verb | to give back; to return, to restore, to give back |
| 154 | compte | /kɔ̃t/ | verb | counts |
| 155 | car | /kaʁ/ | conjunction | as, since, because, for |
| 156 | histoire | /is.twaʁ/ | noun | story; history |
| 157 | sortir | /sɔʁ.tiʁ/ | verb | to exit, go out, come out; to take out, bring out |
| 158 | pendant | /pɑ̃.dɑ̃/ | preposition | during |
| 159 | mieux | /mjø/ | adverb | comparative degree of bien; better; superlative degree of bien; best |
| 160 | question | /kɛs.tjɔ̃/ | noun | question (interrogation by torture); question (sentence, phrase or word which asks for information, reply or response) |
| 161 | jeu | /ʒø/ | noun | game (activity performed for amusement); play (in a theatre/theater) |
| 162 | plusieurs | /ply.zjœʁ/ | adjective | several |
| 163 | pourquoi | /puʁ.kwa/ | adverb | why |
| 164 | lieu | /ljø/ | noun | place; locus (set of all points whose location satisfies or is determined by one or more specified conditions) |
| 165 | public | /py.blik/ | adjective | public; of the people as a whole |
| 166 | général | /ʒe.ne.ʁal/ | noun · masculine | general |
| 167 | nom | /nɔ̃/ | noun | name; last name, family name |
| 168 | mois | /mwa/ | noun | month; period, menstruation |
| 169 | vers | /vɛʁ/ | preposition | towards; to |
| 170 | part | /paʁ/ | noun | share; portion, part, slice |
| 171 | attendre | /a.tɑ̃dʁ/ | verb | to wait for, to await; to expect |
| 172 | service | /sɛʁ.vis/ | noun | service; cutlery |
| 173 | groupe | /ɡʁup/ | noun | group |
| 174 | jeune | /ʒœn/ | adjective | young; who has recently acquired a new status, who has newly become something (without being necessarily young in absolute terms) |
| 175 | reste | /ʁɛst/ | noun · masculine | rest, remainder |
| 176 | moyen | /mwa.jɛ̃/ | noun · masculine | means |
| 177 | coup | /ku/ | noun | blow, hit, strike; sound of the action |
| 178 | merci | /mɛʁ.si/ | noun | mercy; grace |
| 179 | saint | /sɛ̃/ | noun | a male saint; masculine of sainte |
| 180 | suivre | /sɥivʁ/ | verb | to follow (literal sense); to follow; to get (figurative sense; to understand what someone is saying) |
| 181 | cours | /kuʁ/ | noun | stream of water, river; course (of events) |
| 182 | regarder | /ʁə.ɡaʁ.de/ | verb | to look at; to watch |
| 183 | utiliser | /y.ti.li.ze/ | verb | to use, to utilize |
| 184 | ca | /se.a/ | pronoun | this, that |
| 185 | chaque | /ʃak/ | adjective | each, every |
| 186 | commencer | /kɔ.mɑ̃.se/ | verb | to begin, commence |
| 187 | famille | /fa.mij/ | noun | family (group of related people); family |
| 188 | maison | /mɛ.zɔ̃/ | noun · feminine | house, home |
| 189 | semaine | /sə.mɛn/ | noun | week; menstrual period |
| 190 | appeler | /a.p(ə).le/ | verb | to call (out); to call, phone, ring |
| 191 | raison | /ʁɛ.zɔ̃/ | noun | reason (cause); reason (mental faculties) |
| 192 | arrêter | /a.ʁɛ.te/ | verb | to stop, to come to a standstill; to halt, to stop from moving; to arrest (someone, a criminal, etc.) |
| 193 | prix | /pʁi/ | noun | prize; price |
| 194 | également | /e.ɡal.mɑ̃/ | adverb | equally; too; also |
| 195 | gros | /ɡʁo/ | adjective | big, thick, fat; coarse, rough |
| 196 | société | /sɔ.sje.te/ | noun | company, frequentation; group of people |
| 197 | problème | /pʁɔ.blɛm/ | noun | problem; trouble |
| 198 | haut | /o/ | adjective | high; tall |
| 199 | fille | /fij/ | noun | girl; daughter |
| 200 | perdre | /pɛʁdʁ/ | verb | to lose (be unable to find); to lose (not win) |
| 201 | besoin | /bə.zwɛ̃/ | noun | need; want (state of being in need) |
| 202 | côté | /ko.te/ | noun | side; way, direction |
| 203 | lors | /lɔʁ/ | adverb | then, at that time |
| 204 | effet | /ɛ.fɛ/ | noun | effect; spin, bend, curl |
| 205 | équipe | /e.kip/ | noun | team |
| 206 | tête | /tɛt/ | noun | head (part of the body); head (leader) |
| 207 | demande | /də.mɑ̃d/ | noun · feminine | request |
| 208 | selon | /sə.lɔ̃/ | preposition | according to; whichever applies; depending on |
| 209 | fort | /fɔːʁ/ | adjective | strong |
| 210 | revenir | /ʁə.v(ə).niʁ/ | verb | to come back, to return; to grow back |
| 211 | lequel | /lə.kɛl/ | pronoun | which, that, whom; which one |
| 212 | porte | /pɔʁt/ | noun · feminine | door |
| 213 | site | /sit/ | noun | site; website |
| 214 | long | /lɔ̃/ | adjective | long |
| 215 | article | /aʁ.tikl/ | noun | article (a piece of nonfictional writing); article |
| 216 | social | /sɔ.sjal/ | adjective | social, related to society, community; social, living in society |
| 217 | laisser | /lɛ.se/ | verb | to leave, to leave behind; to forget, to leave alone |
| 218 | vivre | /vivʁ/ | verb | to live; to experience |
| 219 | tant | /tɑ̃/ | adverb | so much; so many |
| 220 | ancien | /ɑ̃.sjɛ̃/ | adjective | old, former, ex- (no longer current); ancient (very old) |
| 221 | demander | /də.mɑ̃.de/ | verb | to ask; to request |
| 222 | suite | /sɥit/ | noun | result; sequel |
| 223 | idée | /i.de/ | noun | idea |
| 224 | genre | /ʒɑ̃ʁ/ | noun | kind; style, look, type |
| 225 | loi | /lwa/ | noun | law (legal code); law (scientific principle) |
| 226 | maintenant | /mɛ̃t.nɑ̃/ | adverb | now, currently |
| 227 | important | /ɛ̃.pɔʁ.tɑ̃/ | adjective | important; large, considerable, significant |
| 228 | entendre | /ɑ̃.tɑ̃dʁ/ | verb | to hear; to be able to hear |
| 229 | tel | /tɛl/ | adjective | such |
| 230 | eau | /o/ | noun | water, a liquid that is transparent, colorless, odorless, and tasteless in its pure form, the primary constituent of lakes, rivers, seas, and oceans; In particular, rain |
| 231 | rester | /ʁɛs.te/ | verb | to stay; to remain, be left over |
| 232 | changer | /ʃɑ̃.ʒe/ | verb | to exchange (something); to change (money, a job, one's circumstances etc.) |
| 233 | projet | /pʁɔ.ʒɛ/ | noun | project; plan |
| 234 | national | /na.sjɔ.nal/ | adjective | national |
| 235 | jouer | /ʒwe/ | verb | to play (engage in games or play); to play (produce music from a musical instrument) |
| 236 | assez | /a.se/ | adverb | to a sufficient or moderate degree; enough; sufficiently |
| 237 | main | /mɛ̃/ | noun | hand; handball |
| 238 | comprendre | /kɔ̃.pʁɑ̃dʁ/ | verb | to understand, comprehend; to comprise, include |
| 239 | ligne | /liɲ/ | noun | line; route, course, service, line |
| 240 | tenir | /tə.niʁ/ | verb | to have; to hold; to keep |
| 241 | soir | /swaʁ/ | noun | evening |
| 242 | affaire | /a.fɛʁ/ | noun | business; matter; affair; deal, transaction, bargain |
| 243 | sens | /sɑ̃s/ | noun | meaning, sense; sense, sensation |
| 244 | porter | /pɔʁ.te/ | verb | to carry; to support, to bear |
| 245 | film | /film/ | noun | movie, film |
| 246 | rapport | /ʁa.pɔʁ/ | noun | ratio; report |
| 247 | retrouver | /ʁə.tʁu.ve/ | verb | to find (again); to rediscover; to remember; to recall |
| 248 | mot | /mo/ | noun | word; note, (short) message |
| 249 | devant | /də.vɑ̃/ | preposition | confronted with, faced with; in front of, before |
| 250 | ailleurs | /a.jœʁ/ | adverb | elsewhere; somewhere else |
Words 251–5,000, with inflection tables, practice and the AI tutor, are in the app. Open Zipf →