What are the most commonly used words in English? When we are starting to learn a new language, one of the ways to start familiarizing ourselves with it is to look for the most commonly spoken words that are most commonly found in texts and in the daily lives of native speakers, to understand their meanings, contexts and how to apply them.

This technique helps – a lot – in the beginning and can be a differentiator for those who want to expand your knowledge and learn to communicate in English, even at the basic level.

How many words do you need to speak English at a basic level? Of course, the larger your word collection, the easier it will be to identify them and read magazines, newspapers, articles, and have a larger repertoire for conversation and listening. But let's take it easy on the journey and add new words little by little, okay?

What are the most used words in English?

When you search for words and terms most used in English, you will come across nouns, verbs, prepositions, conjunctions and a multitude of grammatical words, just like we have in the Portuguese language.

There are some “champion” words that we often see in our daily lives without having to look too hard, such as:

• Yes (sim);
• No (no);
• The (a, o, as, os);
• To (for);
• In (inside, in);
• Is (is);
• A (one, an);
• You (you);
• That (that, that, which);
• Boy (boy);
• Girl (girl);
• Fake (false).

This list goes on and on, you know? But to help you out, we've separated the most used words in English by grammatical groups, this will make it easier to understand their meanings and what they are for.

These are words selected based on language teaching methodologies and that you can easily find in books with the most common words in the English language. So, let's meet the words?

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Most used nouns in English

Nouns, just like in Portuguese, are the words used to name objects, beings, feelings, qualities, in short, everything that can be used to name something. Check out a list of the most common nouns in the English language.

Most used adjectives in English

Adjectives are words that usually accompany nouns and have the function of giving characteristics, state and way of being. Check out some of the most commonly used nouns in English below.

Most used verbs in English

Verbs are what indicate the action within a sentence, then it is everything that shows that something is being done. There are many verbs in English, below we bring you the main ones to use in everyday life. Check it out!

Most used pronouns in English

Pronouns are the words we use in everyday life to replace the noun, indicating the person in the speech or even situating the time and space, without needing to use the name. Check out some examples of pronouns in English.

Most used prepositions in English

Prepositions are invariable words that have the function of connecting two terms of the sentence through a subordination relationship. In most cases, the second term subordinates the first term, completing the meaning of the sentence. Check out the main prepositions in English.

Most common adverbs in English

Adverbs are words that do not allow variation in their form and have the function of modifying the verb within a sentence. Depending on the type of meaning they give to the sentence, they can be classified as interrogative adverbs, time, manner, affirmation, place, negation, doubt, intensity and frequency. Check out the list of the most used adverbs in English:

Conjunctions widely used in English

Conjunctions are words that help to relate two sentences or even two terms that have the same syntactic function. The main conjunctions that you will encounter when you start learning English are the ones we list below:

Extra tip: beware of false cognates!

It is quite common to find words in English that look similar to Portuguese words in writing, but in meaning they are not the same. We call these words false cognates. We have already talked about cognates in English here in blog, take a look to add more of this knowledge to your learning journey.

Furthermore, it is also important to pay attention to words that are spelled the same but, depending on the context, mean different things, such as the word “Like“, which can be the verb “to like” and also the preposition “as”.

By learning the main words used in English, you will have the knowledge needed to start studying, read simpler texts and even communicate minimally in English.

So, did you like our tips? Keep following our blog because we always bring a different subject to make your journey to learn English easier.