🇩🇪 German vocabulary
The 300 most common German words
Learn these first: they make up a big share of everything you'll read. Ranked by frequency, with meanings and examples for the top 50.
| # | German | Meaning | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ich Ich komme aus Berlin. — I'm from Berlin. | I | pronoun |
| 2 | sie Sie wohnt in München. — She lives in Munich. | she, they; (Sie) you (formal) | pronoun |
| 3 | das Das ist mein Bruder. — That's my brother. | the (neuter); that, this | determiner |
| 4 | ist Das Wetter ist heute schön. — The weather is nice today. | is (sein) | verb |
| 5 | du Kommst du mit? — Are you coming along? | you (informal) | pronoun |
| 6 | nicht Ich verstehe das nicht. — I don't understand that. | not | adverb |
| 7 | die Die Kinder spielen im Garten. — The children are playing in the garden. | the (fem./pl.); who, which | determiner |
| 8 | es Es regnet. — It's raining. | it | pronoun |
| 9 | und Kaffee und Kuchen, bitte. — Coffee and cake, please. | and | conjunction |
| 10 | der Der Zug ist pünktlich. — The train is on time. | the (masc.); who, which | determiner |
| 11 | wir Wir gehen ins Kino. — We're going to the cinema. | we | pronoun |
| 12 | was Was machst du? — What are you doing? | what; something | pronoun |
| 13 | zu Ich gehe zu meiner Oma. — I'm going to my grandma's. | to; too; closed | preposition |
| 14 | er Er arbeitet als Lehrer. — He works as a teacher. | he, it | pronoun |
| 15 | ein Ich habe ein Auto. — I have a car. | a, an; one | determiner |
| 16 | in Wir wohnen in Hamburg. — We live in Hamburg. | in, into | preposition |
| 17 | ja Ja, gerne! — Yes, gladly! | yes; indeed | adverb |
| 18 | mir Kannst du mir helfen? — Can you help me? | me, to me | pronoun |
| 19 | mit Ich fahre mit dem Bus. — I'm going by bus. | with | preposition |
| 20 | wie Wie geht es dir? — How are you? | how; like, as | adverb |
| 21 | den Ich sehe den Hund. — I see the dog. | the (masc. accusative; dative pl.) | determiner |
| 22 | mich Ruf mich morgen an. — Call me tomorrow. | me, myself | pronoun |
| 23 | auf Das Buch liegt auf dem Tisch. — The book is on the table. | on, onto, at; open | preposition |
| 24 | dass Ich glaube, dass er recht hat. — I believe that he's right. | that (conj.) | conjunction |
| 25 | aber Es ist klein, aber gemütlich. — It's small, but cozy. | but | conjunction |
| 26 | eine Ich möchte eine Tasse Tee. — I'd like a cup of tea. | a, an (fem.); one | determiner |
| 27 | so Mach es so. — Do it like this. | so, like this, such | adverb |
| 28 | hat Sie hat zwei Katzen. — She has two cats. | has | verb |
| 29 | hier Ich bin hier! — I'm here! | here | adverb |
| 30 | haben Wir haben keine Zeit. — We don't have time. | to have; (we/they) have | verb |
| 31 | für Das ist für dich. — This is for you. | for | preposition |
| 32 | sind Wir sind müde. — We're tired. | are (wir/sie sind) | verb |
| 33 | war Das war lecker. — That was delicious. | was | verb |
| 34 | von Das ist ein Geschenk von meiner Mutter. — That's a present from my mother. | from, of, by | preposition |
| 35 | wenn Wenn du Zeit hast, ruf mich an. — If you have time, call me. | if, when | conjunction |
| 36 | dich Ich liebe dich. — I love you. | you (informal, accusative) | pronoun |
| 37 | ihr Habt ihr Hunger? — Are you (all) hungry? | you (pl.); her, their | pronoun |
| 38 | nein Nein, danke. — No, thanks. | no | adverb |
| 39 | habe Ich habe eine Frage. — I have a question. | have (ich habe) | verb |
| 40 | an Das Bild hängt an der Wand. — The picture is hanging on the wall. | at, on, to | preposition |
| 41 | bin Ich bin Student. — I'm a student. | am (ich bin) | verb |
| 42 | noch Möchtest du noch einen Kaffee? — Would you like another coffee? | still, yet, another | adverb |
| 43 | nur Ich habe nur zehn Euro. — I only have ten euros. | only, just | adverb |
| 44 | da Ist jemand da? — Is anyone there? | there; since | adverb |
| 45 | dir Ich gebe dir das Buch. — I'll give you the book. | you, to you (informal, dative) | pronoun |
| 46 | sich Er freut sich sehr. — He's very happy. | oneself, himself, herself, themselves | pronoun |
| 47 | einen Ich brauche einen Stift. — I need a pen. | a, an (masc. accusative) | determiner |
| 48 | uns Besuch uns bald! — Visit us soon! | us, ourselves | pronoun |
| 49 | hast Hast du Geschwister? — Do you have any siblings? | have (du hast) | verb |
| 50 | dem Er spricht mit dem Chef. — He's talking with the boss. | the (masc./neuter dative) | determiner |
| 51 | kann | can (ich/er kann) | verb |
| 52 | gut | good, well | adjective |
| 53 | auch | also, too | adverb |
| 54 | schon | already; surely | adverb |
| 55 | als | as, than; when (past) | conjunction |
| 56 | sein | to be; his | verb |
| 57 | mal | time(s); just (softener) | adverb |
| 58 | jetzt | now | adverb |
| 59 | ihn | him, it | pronoun |
| 60 | dann | then | adverb |
| 61 | aus | out of, from | preposition |
| 62 | mein | my | determiner |
| 63 | um | around, at (time); in order to | preposition |
| 64 | im | in the (in + dem) | preposition |
| 65 | wird | becomes, will | verb |
| 66 | bist | are (du bist) | verb |
| 67 | doch | but, yet; yes (contradicting) | adverb |
| 68 | alles | everything | pronoun |
| 69 | weiß | know (ich/er weiß); white | verb |
| 70 | kein | no, not a | determiner |
| 71 | oder | or | conjunction |
| 72 | nach | after; to (places); according to | preposition |
| 73 | nichts | nothing | pronoun |
| 74 | man | one, you, people | pronoun |
| 75 | muss | must, have to | verb |
| 76 | werden | to become; will | verb |
| 77 | will | want (ich/er will) | verb |
| 78 | Ihnen | you, to you (formal) | pronoun |
| 79 | geht | goes; works | verb |
| 80 | wo | where | adverb |
| 81 | etwas | something; somewhat | pronoun |
| 82 | mehr | more | adverb |
| 83 | bei | at, near, with | preposition |
| 84 | also | so, therefore, well | adverb |
| 85 | bitte | please; you're welcome | adverb |
| 86 | immer | always | adverb |
| 87 | warum | why | adverb |
| 88 | vor | before, in front of; ago | preposition |
| 89 | los | off, loose (was ist los? = what's wrong?) | adverb |
| 90 | können | can, to be able to | verb |
| 91 | wieder | again | adverb |
| 92 | sagen | to say, to tell | verb |
| 93 | machen | to do, to make | verb |
| 94 | danke | thanks | interjection |
| 95 | sehr | very | adverb |
| 96 | alle | all, everyone | pronoun |
| 97 | denn | because, then (in questions) | conjunction |
| 98 | Mann | man, husband | noun |
| 99 | tun | to do | verb |
| 100 | ihm | him, to him | pronoun |
| 101 | zum | to the (zu + dem) | preposition |
| 102 | gehen | to go, to walk | verb |
| 103 | sehen | to see | verb |
| 104 | vielleicht | maybe, perhaps | adverb |
| 105 | wer | who | pronoun |
| 106 | diese | this, these | determiner |
| 107 | euch | you (pl., accusative/dative) | pronoun |
| 108 | komm | come (command) | verb |
| 109 | über | over, about, above | preposition |
| 110 | gibt | gives (es gibt = there is) | verb |
| 111 | wissen | to know | verb |
| 112 | dein | your (informal) | determiner |
| 113 | müssen | must, to have to | verb |
| 114 | soll | shall, should, is supposed to | verb |
| 115 | werde | will (ich werde) | verb |
| 116 | nie | never | adverb |
| 117 | wirklich | really | adverb |
| 118 | viel | much, a lot | adverb |
| 119 | weg | away, gone | adverb |
| 120 | würde | would | verb |
| 121 | tut | does (es tut mir leid = I'm sorry) | verb |
| 122 | am | at the, on the (an + dem) | preposition |
| 123 | des | of the (genitive) | determiner |
| 124 | einfach | simple; simply, just | adjective |
| 125 | Leben | life | noun |
| 126 | hatte | had | verb |
| 127 | Zeit | time | noun |
| 128 | weil | because | conjunction |
| 129 | willst | want (du willst) | verb |
| 130 | kommen | to come | verb |
| 131 | heute | today | adverb |
| 132 | kommt | comes | verb |
| 133 | wollen | to want | verb |
| 134 | damit | so that; with it | conjunction |
| 135 | ganz | whole; quite, completely | adverb |
| 136 | wäre | would be | verb |
| 137 | wollte | wanted | verb |
| 138 | weißt | know (du weißt) | verb |
| 139 | sicher | sure, safe; certainly | adjective |
| 140 | gesagt | said | verb |
| 141 | Frau | woman, wife; Mrs. | noun |
| 142 | nun | now, well | adverb |
| 143 | bis | until, by | preposition |
| 144 | wurde | became, was | verb |
| 145 | leid | sorry (es tut mir leid) | adjective |
| 146 | kannst | can (du kannst) | verb |
| 147 | macht | makes, does | verb |
| 148 | zurück | back | adverb |
| 149 | lassen | to let, to leave | verb |
| 150 | hallo | hello | interjection |
| 151 | Gott | God | noun |
| 152 | hätte | would have | verb |
| 153 | zwei | two | number |
| 154 | könnte | could | verb |
| 155 | genau | exactly | adverb |
| 156 | waren | were | verb |
| 157 | zur | to the (zu + der) | preposition |
| 158 | lass | let, leave (command) | verb |
| 159 | klar | clear; sure | adjective |
| 160 | morgen | tomorrow; (Morgen) morning | adverb |
| 161 | Leute | people | noun |
| 162 | Vater | father | noun |
| 163 | schön | beautiful, nice | adjective |
| 164 | glaube | believe, think (ich glaube) | verb |
| 165 | ab | from, off | preposition |
| 166 | gerade | just, right now; straight | adverb |
| 167 | Tag | day | noun |
| 168 | gesehen | seen | verb |
| 169 | reden | to talk | verb |
| 170 | wohl | probably, well | adverb |
| 171 | Liebe | love | noun |
| 172 | sollte | should | verb |
| 173 | sagte | said | verb |
| 174 | unser | our | determiner |
| 175 | jemand | someone | pronoun |
| 176 | Geld | money | noun |
| 177 | durch | through | preposition |
| 178 | ob | whether, if | conjunction |
| 179 | Mutter | mother | noun |
| 180 | raus | out | adverb |
| 181 | gemacht | done, made | verb |
| 182 | paar | couple (ein paar = a few) | determiner |
| 183 | mach | do, make (command) | verb |
| 184 | passiert | happened; happens | verb |
| 185 | dachte | thought | verb |
| 186 | besser | better | adjective |
| 187 | musst | must (du musst) | verb |
| 188 | wieso | why | adverb |
| 189 | selbst | self; even | pronoun |
| 190 | gehört | heard; belongs | verb |
| 191 | möchte | would like | verb |
| 192 | ohne | without | preposition |
| 193 | hör | listen (command) | verb |
| 194 | her | here, (to)ward the speaker; ago | adverb |
| 195 | sag | say, tell (command) | verb |
| 196 | andere | other | adjective |
| 197 | helfen | to help | verb |
| 198 | Nacht | night | noun |
| 199 | finden | to find | verb |
| 200 | gute | good | adjective |
| 201 | wirst | will (du wirst) | verb |
| 202 | lange | long, for a long time | adverb |
| 203 | natürlich | of course; natural | adverb |
| 204 | gar | at all (gar nicht = not at all) | adverb |
| 205 | ins | into the (in + das) | preposition |
| 206 | sei | be (command); be (subjunctive) | verb |
| 207 | dort | there | adverb |
| 208 | weiter | further, on | adverb |
| 209 | geben | to give | verb |
| 210 | seit | since, for | preposition |
| 211 | gleich | right away; same | adverb |
| 212 | sagt | says | verb |
| 213 | recht | right (recht haben = to be right) | adjective |
| 214 | richtig | right, correct; really | adjective |
| 215 | Ordnung | order (in Ordnung = OK) | noun |
| 216 | vom | from the (von + dem) | preposition |
| 217 | hören | to hear, to listen | verb |
| 218 | sieht | sees, looks | verb |
| 219 | davon | of it, from it | adverb |
| 220 | dafür | for it | adverb |
| 221 | geh | go (command) | verb |
| 222 | wegen | because of | preposition |
| 223 | Hause | home (zu Hause = at home) | noun |
| 224 | sollen | should, to be supposed to | verb |
| 225 | Mädchen | girl | noun |
| 226 | hin | there, towards (away from speaker) | adverb |
| 227 | Abend | evening | noun |
| 228 | Haus | house | noun |
| 229 | denke | think (ich denke) | verb |
| 230 | viele | many | determiner |
| 231 | drei | three | number |
| 232 | Freund | friend, boyfriend | noun |
| 233 | unter | under, among | preposition |
| 234 | warte | wait (command) | verb |
| 235 | machst | do, make (du machst) | verb |
| 236 | Mensch | human, person (Menschen = people) | noun |
| 237 | essen | to eat | verb |
| 238 | Angst | fear | noun |
| 239 | bleiben | to stay | verb |
| 240 | zusammen | together | adverb |
| 241 | Welt | world | noun |
| 242 | habt | have (ihr habt) | verb |
| 243 | schnell | fast, quickly | adjective |
| 244 | tot | dead | adjective |
| 245 | getan | done | verb |
| 246 | darf | may, am allowed | verb |
| 247 | erst | only, not until; first | adverb |
| 248 | rein | in; pure | adverb |
| 249 | stimmt | is right (das stimmt = that's true) | verb |
| 250 | nehmen | to take | verb |
| 251 | Kind | child (Kinder = children) | noun |
| 252 | glauben | to believe | verb |
| 253 | bringen | to bring | verb |
| 254 | genug | enough | adverb |
| 255 | brauchen | to need | verb |
| 256 | gegen | against | preposition |
| 257 | Moment | moment | noun |
| 258 | Junge | boy | noun |
| 259 | steht | stands | verb |
| 260 | sonst | otherwise, else | adverb |
| 261 | Musik | music | noun |
| 262 | Arbeit | work | noun |
| 263 | seid | are (ihr seid) | verb |
| 264 | fragen | to ask | verb |
| 265 | Herr | Mr., sir, lord | noun |
| 266 | dabei | with it, there; while | adverb |
| 267 | heißt | is called; means | verb |
| 268 | Familie | family | noun |
| 269 | warten | to wait | verb |
| 270 | niemand | nobody | pronoun |
| 271 | sofort | immediately | adverb |
| 272 | bevor | before | conjunction |
| 273 | Jahr | year | noun |
| 274 | einmal | once | adverb |
| 275 | Problem | problem | noun |
| 276 | Sohn | son | noun |
| 277 | wann | when | adverb |
| 278 | brauche | need (ich brauche) | verb |
| 279 | fertig | ready, finished | adjective |
| 280 | halt | stop!; just (particle) | interjection |
| 281 | allein | alone | adverb |
| 282 | beim | at the (bei + dem) | preposition |
| 283 | sprechen | to speak | verb |
| 284 | beide | both | determiner |
| 285 | gefunden | found | verb |
| 286 | hatten | had (we/they) | verb |
| 287 | Sache | thing, matter | noun |
| 288 | Hilfe | help | noun |
| 289 | jeder | everyone, each | pronoun |
| 290 | gern | gladly; like to | adverb |
| 291 | konnte | could | verb |
| 292 | darüber | about it, over it | adverb |
| 293 | halten | to hold, to stop | verb |
| 294 | verstehe | understand (ich verstehe) | verb |
| 295 | kam | came | verb |
| 296 | wusste | knew | verb |
| 297 | wahr | true | adjective |
| 298 | dazu | to it, in addition | adverb |
| 299 | Bruder | brother | noun |
| 300 | daran | on it, of it | adverb |
Frequency ranking based on OpenSubtitles 2018 subtitles (hermitdave/FrequencyWords).
Questions
What are the most common German words?
The top ten are ich (I), sie (she), das (the (neuter); that), ist (is (sein)), du (you (informal)), nicht (not), die (the (fem./pl.); who), es (it), und (and), der (the (masc.); who).
How many German words do I need to know?
The few hundred most frequent words make up a large share of any everyday text, which is why they're the best place to start. To read graded stories comfortably you need roughly 1,000–2,000; for unadapted books, several thousand. Test yourself with the German vocabulary size test.
Where does this list come from?
The ranking is based on OpenSubtitles 2018 subtitles (hermitdave/FrequencyWords), cleaned by hand to remove names, fragments and noise, with meanings added for learners.