The Most Common Words in English Aren't Nouns or Verbs

None of the most common words are nouns. Viorika / Getty Images

Have you ever stopped mid-sentence and wondered, "What are the most common words in English?"

Words matter. They shape our thoughts, our interactions and our understanding of the world. Whether you're writing an article, preparing a speech or just trying to speak more fluently, knowing the most common words in English can make a big difference.

Language is always evolving. By searching through a vast database of English texts, we can find out which words dominate our daily life. Let's take a deep dive into the English language to uncover the words that appear most frequently in written English, everyday English conversations and even business speech.

9 Most Common Words in English

If you're expecting exotic words like "onomatopoeia" or "serendipity" to top the list, think again! The real champions of word frequency are much simpler. While there's no completely conclusive way to rank which words are the most common, we can get close by analyzing as many texts as possible.

A database like the Oxford English Corpus, for instance, allows us to comb through over 2 billion words of text at a time to see what shows up the most often. All that to say, according to linguistic experts and dedicated word searchers, here are some of the most common words in the English language:

The (because articles are tiny but mighty)
Be (is, am, are ... verbs make things happen)
To (not just for infinitives, but also for directions)
Of (small but everywhere)
And (because we like to connect things)
A (our go-to indefinite article)
In (because location, location, location)
That (so you know exactly which one)
Have (helping verbs deserve some love, too)

Now, these words may not be flashy, but they form the foundation of our English vocabulary. Without them, everyday English conversations would be — well, a lot harder to follow.

More Common Words That Make Us Human

Beyond the basic building blocks of language, some words reflect the way we live, think and interact. Common English words related to daily experiences often include:

People and relationships: person, friends, teacher, writer
Time and routine: morning, night, few weeks, half
Feelings and thoughts: worry, hope, idea, understanding, wonder
Communication: talk, speak, speech, answer, forget
Objects and spaces: room, table, picture, light, tv
Concepts and sections: write, play, form, note, account, analysis

It's no surprise that words related to emotions and social interactions appear so frequently. After all, most people spend a good chunk of their day talking, texting or emailing someone (or avoiding someone — no judgment).

The Evolution of Common Words

Language isn't static; it changes over time. New words enter the lexicon, while old ones fade into obscurity. Think about how words like "selfie" or "hashtag" didn't exist a decade ago, and mere months ago "Ohio" was exclusively a place, not an adjective.

English is also a global language, spoken across Africa, Asia, Oceania and the rest of the world. But did you know that common words in English can vary slightly by region? For example, in the U.S., "favorite color" is a familiar phrase in the U.S., while in the U.K. it's spelled "favourite colour."

Word trends also reflect cultural shifts. For instance, the internet and social media have made words like "account," "projects" and "analysis" even more common in written English. Meanwhile, concepts like "war," "money" and "business" remain frequent across history, proving that some things (unfortunately) never change.

3 Fun Word Facts to Impress Your Friends

Need some fun facts to liven up your next dinner party? Here are a few linguistic gems.

The word "alphabet" comes from the first two letters of the Greek alphabet: "alpha" and "beta." It carried over to English because so many of our words come from Latin and Greek roots, as well as some Germanic ones.
The word "wrong" actually meant "twisted" or "crooked" in Old English, which is kind of poetic if you think about it.
The phrase "nice night" may seem simple, but "nice" once meant "foolish" or "ignorant" centuries ago. (Next time someone calls you "nice," maybe double-check what they mean.)

Why Learning Common Words Helps You Speak English Faster

If you're trying to learn English, focusing on the most common English words can give you a huge head start. Why? Because understanding even 1,000 high-frequency words allows you to grasp around 80 percent of spoken English at a conversational level.

That’s right: Mastering just a fraction of the language can make you sound like a pro in no time.

One of the best ways to boost your vocabulary is to practice using these words in real sentences. Write them down, use them in conversations and don’t be afraid to expect a few mistakes. Even the best learners forget things now and then.

We created this article in conjunction with AI technology, then made sure it was fact-checked and edited by a HowStuffWorks editor.