🇪🇸 Spanish vocabulary

The 300 most common Spanish 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.

Test your Spanish vocabulary Spanish phrases

#	Spanish	Meaning	Type
1	de Soy de México. — I'm from Mexico.	of, from	preposition
2	que Creo que tienes razón. — I think that you're right.	that, which, than	conjunction
3	no No sé nada. — I don't know anything.	no, not	adverb
4	a Vamos a la playa. — We're going to the beach.	to, at	preposition
5	la La casa es grande. — The house is big.	the (fem.); her, it	determiner
6	el El perro duerme. — The dog is sleeping.	the (masc.)	determiner
7	y Pan y agua, por favor. — Bread and water, please.	and	conjunction
8	es Mi hermana es médica. — My sister is a doctor.	is (ser)	verb
9	en Vivo en Madrid. — I live in Madrid.	in, on, at	preposition
10	lo No lo entiendo. — I don't understand it.	it, him; the (neuter)	pronoun
11	un Tengo un coche rojo. — I have a red car.	a, an (masc.); one	determiner
12	por Gracias por todo. — Thanks for everything.	for, by, through, because of	preposition
13	qué ¿Qué quieres comer? — What do you want to eat?	what, which; how	pronoun
14	me Me gusta el café. — I like coffee.	me, to me, myself	pronoun
15	una Quiero una cerveza. — I want a beer.	a, an (fem.); one	determiner
16	los Los niños juegan fuera. — The children are playing outside.	the (masc. pl.); them	determiner
17	se Se llama Ana. — Her name is Ana.	himself, herself, itself; (reflexive/impersonal)	pronoun
18	te Te quiero mucho. — I love you very much.	you, to you, yourself (informal)	pronoun
19	con Voy con mi madre. — I'm going with my mother.	with	preposition
20	para Este regalo es para ti. — This gift is for you.	for, in order to	preposition
21	está ¿Dónde está el baño? — Where is the bathroom?	is (estar); you are (formal)	verb
22	mi Mi casa es tu casa. — My house is your house.	my	determiner
23	pero Es caro, pero es bueno. — It's expensive, but it's good.	but	conjunction
24	sí Sí, claro que sí. — Yes, of course.	yes; himself, itself	adverb
25	si Si llueve, me quedo en casa. — If it rains, I'll stay home.	if, whether	conjunction
26	bien Estoy bien, gracias. — I'm fine, thanks.	well, fine, good	adverb
27	eso Eso no es verdad. — That's not true.	that (neuter)	pronoun
28	su Su hijo vive en Londres. — Her son lives in London.	his, her, its, their, your (formal)	determiner
29	las Las llaves están en la mesa. — The keys are on the table.	the (fem. pl.); them	determiner
30	yo Yo no fui. — It wasn't me.	I	pronoun
31	del Es la hora del almuerzo. — It's lunch time.	of the, from the (de + el)	preposition
32	como Habla como su padre. — He talks like his father.	like, as; how; I eat	conjunction
33	aquí Ven aquí, por favor. — Come here, please.	here	adverb
34	tu ¿Cómo se llama tu perro? — What's your dog's name?	your (informal)	determiner
35	al Voy al mercado. — I'm going to the market.	to the, at the (a + el)	preposition
36	más Quiero más tiempo. — I want more time.	more, most; plus	adverb
37	le Le di el libro. — I gave him the book.	him, her, you (formal), to him/her	pronoun
38	esto ¿Qué es esto? — What is this?	this (neuter)	pronoun
39	todo Todo está bien. — Everything is fine.	all, everything	pronoun
40	ya Ya terminé. — I've already finished.	already, now; anymore (with no)	adverb
41	estoy Estoy cansado. — I'm tired.	I am (estar)	verb
42	ahora Ahora no puedo hablar. — I can't talk now.	now	adverb
43	muy Hace muy buen tiempo. — The weather is very nice.	very	adverb
44	ha Ella ha llegado tarde. — She has arrived late.	has (auxiliary)	verb
45	esta Esta noche salimos. — We're going out tonight.	this (fem.)	determiner
46	así Hazlo así. — Do it like this.	like this, so, thus	adverb
47	vamos ¡Vamos, que llegamos tarde! — Come on, we're going to be late!	we go; let's go, come on	verb
48	algo ¿Quieres algo de beber? — Do you want something to drink?	something, somewhat	pronoun
49	hay Hay mucha gente aquí. — There are a lot of people here.	there is, there are	verb
50	bueno Es un buen libro, muy bueno. — It's a good book, very good.	good; well, okay	adjective
51	tengo	I have	verb
52	él	he, him	pronoun
53	cuando	when	conjunction
54	estás	you are (estar, informal)	verb
55	sé	I know	verb
56	tú	you (informal)	pronoun
57	nos	us, ourselves	pronoun
58	nada	nothing, not at all	pronoun
59	cómo	how	adverb
60	este	this (masc.)	determiner
61	o	or	conjunction
62	he	I have (auxiliary)	verb
63	ser	to be	verb
64	tiene	has; you have (formal)	verb
65	puedo	I can	verb
66	ella	she, her	pronoun
67	quiero	I want; I love	verb
68	hacer	to do, to make	verb
69	fue	was, went (ser/ir)	verb
70	gracias	thanks, thank you	interjection
71	vez	time, occasion	noun
72	era	was (ser, imperfect)	verb
73	soy	I am (ser)	verb
74	solo	only, just; alone	adverb
75	todos	all, everyone	pronoun
76	porque	because	conjunction
77	son	they are (ser)	verb
78	tienes	you have (informal)	verb
79	creo	I think, I believe	verb
80	voy	I go, I'm going	verb
81	sabes	you know (informal)	verb
82	estaba	was (estar, imperfect)	verb
83	puede	can, may; maybe	verb
84	eres	you are (ser, informal)	verb
85	ese	that (masc.)	determiner
86	usted	you (formal)	pronoun
87	entonces	then, so	adverb
88	hola	hello, hi	interjection
89	verdad	truth; right?	noun
90	casa	house, home	noun
91	tan	so, as	adverb
92	quién	who	pronoun
93	sus	his, her, their, your (pl. objects)	determiner
94	tiempo	time; weather	noun
95	dos	two	number
96	esa	that (fem.)	determiner
97	nunca	never	adverb
98	dónde	where	adverb
99	va	goes, is going	verb
100	favor	favor (por favor = please)	noun
101	mucho	a lot, much, very	adverb
102	mí	me (after prepositions)	pronoun
103	quieres	you want (informal)	verb
104	siento	I feel; I'm sorry (lo siento)	verb
105	señor	sir, mister, lord	noun
106	mejor	better, best	adjective
107	hace	does, makes; ago	verb
108	has	you have (auxiliary, informal)	verb
109	decir	to say, to tell	verb
110	también	also, too	adverb
111	sobre	on, about, over	preposition
112	dios	God	noun
113	sin	without	preposition
114	tenemos	we have	verb
115	están	they are (estar)	verb
116	ti	you (after prepositions)	pronoun
117	puedes	you can (informal)	verb
118	ver	to see, to watch	verb
119	hombre	man; hey, man	noun
120	vida	life	noun
121	alguien	someone, anybody	pronoun
122	cosa	thing	noun
123	siempre	always	adverb
124	hasta	until, up to; even	preposition
125	ahí	there	adverb
126	ir	to go	verb
127	año	year	noun
128	antes	before, earlier	adverb
129	estar	to be (state, location)	verb
130	ni	nor, not even	conjunction
131	poco	little, a bit, few	adverb
132	día	day	noun
133	uno	one	number
134	noche	night, evening	noun
135	hecho	done, made; fact	adjective
136	mis	my (pl. objects)	determiner
137	estamos	we are (estar)	verb
138	otra	another, other (fem.)	determiner
139	acuerdo	agreement (de acuerdo = OK, agreed)	noun
140	trabajo	work, job	noun
141	nosotros	we, us	pronoun
142	parece	seems, looks like	verb
143	gente	people	noun
144	sea	be (ser, subjunctive)	verb
145	padre	father	noun
146	mira	look	verb
147	mismo	same; -self	adjective
148	dijo	said	verb
149	nadie	nobody, no one	pronoun
150	quiere	wants	verb
151	podría	could, might	verb
152	hablar	to speak, to talk	verb
153	vas	you go, you're going (informal)	verb
154	ellos	they, them	pronoun
155	tal	such (qué tal = how's it going)	determiner
156	pasa	happens, passes	verb
157	fuera	outside, out	adverb
158	después	after, later, afterwards	adverb
159	han	they have (auxiliary)	verb
160	desde	since, from	preposition
161	dinero	money	noun
162	mundo	world	noun
163	claro	of course; clear, light	adjective
164	momento	moment	noun
165	les	them, to them	pronoun
166	tener	to have	verb
167	estado	been; state, condition	noun
168	otro	another, other	determiner
169	había	there was, there were; had	verb
170	mañana	tomorrow; morning	adverb
171	tenía	had, used to have	verb
172	madre	mother	noun
173	vale	OK, all right; is worth	interjection
174	lugar	place	noun
175	haciendo	doing, making	verb
176	donde	where (relative)	adverb
177	seguro	sure, safe; insurance	adjective
178	sabe	knows	verb
179	podemos	we can	verb
180	tus	your (pl. objects, informal)	determiner
181	espera	wait; hope, waits	verb
182	nuevo	new	adjective
183	sido	been (ser)	verb
184	hijo	son, child	noun
185	allí	there	adverb
186	menos	less, fewer, minus	adverb
187	tipo	type, kind; guy	noun
188	amigo	friend	noun
189	gran	great, big	adjective
190	nuestro	our, ours	determiner
191	mujer	woman, wife	noun
192	mamá	mom	noun
193	luego	later, then	adverb
194	papá	dad	noun
195	dice	says	verb
196	hoy	today	adverb
197	tres	three	number
198	necesito	I need	verb
199	dije	I said	verb
200	oye	hey, listen; hears	interjection
201	gusta	is pleasing (me gusta = I like)	verb
202	quería	wanted	verb
203	será	will be	verb
204	haber	to have (auxiliary); there to be	verb
205	parte	part, share	noun
206	crees	you think, you believe	verb
207	conmigo	with me	pronoun
208	nombre	name	noun
209	nuestra	our (fem.)	determiner
210	mal	badly, wrong; evil	adverb
211	debe	must, should; owes	verb
212	realmente	really	adverb
213	estas	these (fem.)	determiner
214	aún	still, yet	adverb
215	mío	mine	pronoun
216	cada	each, every	determiner
217	visto	seen	verb
218	importa	matters	verb
219	contigo	with you (informal)	pronoun
220	tienen	they have	verb
221	hemos	we have (auxiliary)	verb
222	razón	reason; right (tener razón = to be right)	noun
223	alguna	some, any (fem.)	determiner
224	tanto	so much, so many	adverb
225	saber	to know	verb
226	hizo	did, made	verb
227	serio	serious	adjective
228	ven	come (command)	verb
229	idea	idea	noun
230	tarde	late; afternoon	adverb
231	problema	problem	noun
232	hora	hour, time	noun
233	cierto	certain, true	adjective
234	dicho	said	verb
235	quien	who (relative)	pronoun
236	demasiado	too, too much	adverb
237	amor	love	noun
238	entre	between, among	preposition
239	pasado	past, last	adjective
240	familia	family	noun
241	estos	these (masc.)	determiner
242	policía	police; police officer	noun
243	debería	should, ought to	verb
244	ustedes	you (pl.)	pronoun
245	chica	girl	noun
246	esos	those (masc.)	determiner
247	chico	boy, guy	noun
248	cuenta	account, bill; counts, tells	noun
249	haces	you do, you make	verb
250	todavía	still, yet	adverb
251	salir	to go out, to leave	verb
252	algún	some, any	determiner
253	vaya	wow; go (subjunctive)	interjection
254	unos	some, a few	determiner
255	veo	I see	verb
256	hermano	brother	noun
257	pensé	I thought	verb
258	sabía	knew	verb
259	cabeza	head	noun
260	cariño	darling, honey; affection	noun
261	digo	I say	verb
262	van	they go	verb
263	buenas	hi (informal greeting)	interjection
264	somos	we are (ser)	verb
265	cualquier	any	determiner
266	forma	form, shape, way	noun
267	mientras	while, meanwhile	conjunction
268	lado	side	noun
269	debo	I must, I owe	verb
270	sería	would be	verb
271	caso	case	noun
272	pueden	they can	verb
273	pasó	happened	verb
274	primera	first (fem.)	adjective
275	genial	great, brilliant	adjective
276	supuesto	supposed (por supuesto = of course)	adjective
277	hice	I did, I made	verb
278	pues	well, then, since	conjunction
279	adiós	goodbye	interjection
280	muchas	many (fem.)	determiner
281	persona	person	noun
282	señora	lady, madam, Mrs.	noun
283	volver	to return, to come back	verb
284	esas	those (fem.)	determiner
285	quizá	maybe, perhaps	adverb
286	contra	against	preposition
287	camino	way, road, path	noun
288	durante	during	preposition
289	hablando	talking, speaking	verb
290	manera	way, manner	noun
291	muerto	dead	adjective
292	rápido	fast, quickly	adjective
293	cuál	which, what	pronoun
294	ayuda	help	noun
295	historia	story, history	noun
296	iba	was going	verb
297	supongo	I suppose	verb
298	entiendo	I understand	verb
299	dentro	inside	adverb
300	casi	almost	adverb

Frequency ranking based on OpenSubtitles 2018 subtitles (hermitdave/FrequencyWords).

Questions

What are the most common Spanish words?

The top ten are de (of), que (that), no (no), a (to), la (the (fem.); her), el (the (masc.)), y (and), es (is (ser)), en (in), lo (it).

How many Spanish 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 Spanish 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.