Frequency list
The 5,000 most frequent Spanish words
Ranked by how often each word appears in real Spanish. Start at #1 and work down — the first few hundred words alone unlock most everyday conversation. Every word links to its own page with a meaning, an example, and a memory hook.
Showing the top 600 by frequency. Use search, or the previous/next links on any word page, to reach all 5,000.
#1deThe name of the Latin script letter D/d#2quethat#3nonot#4aThe first letter of the Spanish alphabet, written in the Latin script#5lafeminine singular definite article; the#6elmasculine singular definite article; the#7yThe twenty-sixth letter of the Spanish alphabet, called ye or i griega and written in the Latin script#8eshe/she/it is (present form of ser)#9enin, at, on#10loneuter definite article used only before nominalized adjectives: the, that which is#11unan; a#12porby#13quéwhat; which#14meaccusative of yo: me (I)#15unaone (an indefinite plural pronoun using a singular feminine item, used for females)#16losaccusative of ellos; them#17seA reflexive or reciprocal pronoun: oneself, himself, herself, itself, yourself; themselves; yourselves; each other; one another#18teThe name of the Latin script letter T/t#19conwith#20parafor, to (expressing a recipient)#21estáhe/she/it is (present form of estar)#22mimu; the Greek letter Μ, μ#23perobut#24síyes, yeah, (used to respond affirmatively to a question, used both informally and formally)#25siif, whether#26bienwell (adverbial form of bueno)#27esoneuter singular of ése; that (this)#28suapocopic form of suyo his, her, its, one's, their, your (formal)#29lasfeminine plural definite article; the#30yofirst-person singular pronoun in the nominative case; I#31delof the, from the (+ a masculine noun in singular)#32comoas (to such an extent or degree)#33aquíhere#34tuapocopic form of tuyo, your#35alcontraction of a + el, literally “at the, to the”#36másmore; -er (used to make comparisons)#37leto him, for him; dative of él#38estoneuter singular of este (“this”) (east)#39todoall; every#40yanow (often as opposed to before), anymore, no longer#41estoyI am (present form of estar)#42ahoranow (at the present time)#43muyapocopic form of mucho; very#44hahe/she/it has (present form of haber)#45estafeminine singular of este (east)#46asílike this; like that; as such; thus; so; thereby; this way, that way#47vamoslet's go!#48algosomething, anything#49hayhe/she/it has (present form of haber)#50buenogood#51tengoI have (present form of tener)#52élhe, him, masculine personal third person subject and disjunctive pronoun (used as a subject and after prepositions)#53cuandowhen#54estásyou are (present form of estar)#55séyes#56túsecond person pronoun in singular tense; you#57nosdative of nosotros: to us, for us (us)#58nadanothing, zero, zilch, not...anything#59cómohow?#60estethis#61oThe sixteenth letter of the Spanish alphabet, called o and written in the Latin script#62hehere is#63serto be (essentially or identified as)#64tienehe/she/it has (present form of tener)#65puedoI can (present form of poder)#66ellashe, her (used subjectively and after prepositions)#67quieroI want (present form of querer)#68hacerto do#69fuehe/she/it went (preterite form of ir)#70graciasthank you, thanks#71veztime, instance#72eraera, age#73soyI am (present form of ser)#74sóloexclusively; just; only#75todosmasculine plural of todo (entire)#76porquebecause#77sontone (pleasant sound)#78tienesyou have (present form of tener)#79creoI create (present form of crear)#80voyI go (present form of ir)#81sabesyou know? (rhetorical question)#82estabaI was (imperfect form of estar)#83puedeit's possible; could be#84eresyou are (present form of ser)#85eseThe name of the Latin script letter S/s#86ustedsecond person formal; you (singular)#87entoncesthen, next, thereupon, at that time, at that point#88holahello, hi, hey#89solosole; one; only; single (unique)#90verdadtruth#91casahouse#92tanso, as#93quiénwho?, whom?; (with “de”) whose?#94susplural of su; one's, his, her, its, their (with plural possessee) (her)#95tiempotime#96dostwo#97esafeminine singular of ese (this)#98nuncanever#99dóndewhere?; in what place?#100vaokay#101ohoh (expression of awe, surprise, pain or realization)#102favorfavor/favour#103muchomuch, a lot of#104míme; (declined form of yo used as the object of a preposition)#105quieresyou want (present form of querer)#106sientoI seat (present form of sentar)#107señormister, sir, lord (title conferred on a married or older male)#108mejorbetter#109haceago (Note: unlike in English, hace precedes the number.)#110hasyou have (present form of haber)#111decirto say, to tell#112tambiénalso, too, as well#113sobreover, above, on, upon, atop#114diosgod#115sinwithout#116tenemoswe have (present form of tener)#117estánthey are (present form of estar)#118tiprepositional of tú (thou)#119puedesyou can (present form of poder)#120verto see, to spot#121hombreman, (adult male human)#122vidalife#123alguiensomeone, somebody#124cosasplural of cosa (thing)#125siemprealways#126hastaeven#127ahíthere: used to designate a place near the listener#128irto go (away from speaker and listener)#129añosplural of año (year)#130antesearlier; before; sooner; previously; formerly; beforehand (at an earlier time)#131estarto be (have a temporary or permanent location in space)#132niUsed when negating two or more elements, and not, not A or B, not A nor B, neither A nor B#133pocolittle, not much#134díaday (any period of 24 hours)#135unoone#136nochenight (the period between sunset and sunrise)#137hechodone, completed#138misplural of mi (my)#139estamoswe are (present form of estar)#140otrafeminine singular of otro (other)#141acuerdoagreement#142trabajowork, job#143nosotroswe (masculine plural)#144parecehe/she/it seems (present form of parecer)#145gentepeople#146seaI am (present form of ser)#147padrefather#148miratarget#149mismosame; identical; one and the same; indicates that the two compared noun clauses both represent the one thing#150dijohe/she/it say (preterite form of decir)#151nadieno one; nobody (anyone or anybody)#152quierehe/she/it wants (present form of querer)#153podríaI could (conditional form of poder)#154hablarto talk; to speak; to communicate using words#155vasyou go (present form of ir)#156ellosplural of él (“they, them”) (he)#157talsuch#158pasaraisin#159fueraoutside#160despuéslater, afterwards, afterward, post#161hanthey have (present form of haber)#162desdesince (from a specified time in the past)#163dineromoney#164mundoworld, earth (human collective existence)#165claroclear (easily understood)#166momentomoment, instant#167lesthe (plural)#168tenerto have; to possess#169estadocountry, land (any broad area or territory)#170otroother, another#171habíaI had (imperfect form of haber)#172mañanatomorrow#173teníaI had (imperfect form of tener)#174madremother#175valea voucher; an IOU#176lugarplace#177haciendo-ing form of hacer: do; make#178dondewhere, in what place#179segurosecure; safe (free from danger)#180sabehe/she/it know factss (present form of saber)#181podemoswe the verb podar (present form of podar)#182tusplural of tu (thou)#183esperawait#184nuevonew#185sidopast participle of ser: be#186cosathing (object, concept)#187hijoson#188allíthere (away from the speaker and the listener)#189menosless#190tipokind, type, sort, manner#191amigofriend#192granapocopic form of grande; great, grand#193nuestroours#194mujerwoman#195mamámum, mom#196luegothen (afterward)#197papádad#198díasplural of día (day)#199dicehe/she/it says (present form of decir)#200hoytoday#201tresthree#202buenafeminine singular of bueno (good)#203necesitoI need (present form of necesitar)#204dijeadorns, locket#205oyehey! listen! (call to attract attention of a single person)#206gustahe/she/it pleases (present form of gustar)#207queríaI want (imperfect form of querer)#208seráhe/she/it will be (future form of ser)#209haberhave; forms the perfect aspect#210partepart; section; portion; share; piece; bit; cut; proportion#211todasfeminine plural of todo (entire)#212creesyou create (present form of crear)#213buenapocopic form of bueno (“good, fine”)#214conmigowith me#215nombrename#216nuestrafeminine singular of nuestro (our)#217malbadly, poorly, ill#218debehe/she/it shoulds (present form of deber)#219realmentereally, actually, genuinely#220estasfeminine plural of este (east)#221aúnstill, yet#222míomine; of mine#223todafeminine singular of todo (entire)#224cadaeach; every#225vistoseen#226importahe/she/it amounttos (present form of importar)#227contigowith you (singular)#228tienenthey have (present form of tener)#229hemosplural of hemo#230razónreason#231algunafeminine singular of alguno (a)#232tantoso much; as much; that much#233saberto know, to understand (a fact)#234hizohe/she/it do (preterite form of hacer)#235vecesby, times (multiplication)#236serioserious, earnest, sober, solemn (without humor)#237vencommand form of venir: come#238ideaidea#239ehhey! (used to call, draw attention, warn or reprehend)#240tardelate#241problemaproblem, issue, challenge (a difficulty or obstacle that has to be dealt with)#242horahour (a time period of sixty minutes)#243ciertotrue#244dichomentioned, said, aforementioned#245quienwho#246demasiadotoo much, too many, excessive#247amorlove#248entrebetween#249veThe name of the Latin script letter V/v#250pasadopast#251familiafamily (group of people related to each other)#252estosmasculine plural of este (east)#253policíaCivility, polity, public order, police, fineness, neatness, urbanity#254deberíaI would should (conditional form of deber)#255ustedesyou (plural), you guys, y'all, yous, yinz, ye#256chicafemale equivalent of chico: girl (boy)#257esosplural of ese; those (this)#258chicosmasculine plural of chico (boy)#259cuentacount, tally#260hacesplural of haz#261todavíastill, yet#262salirto go out, to leave, to depart, to head out#263algúnapocopic form of alguno; some, any#264vayaexpresses surprise: wow!, why, oh!, whoa!, well!, man!, boy!#265unosplural of uno: some, a few (one)#266veoI see (present form of ver)#267amigosplural of amigo (friend)#268hermanobrother#269penséI think (preterite form of pensar)#270sabíaI know facts (imperfect form of saber)#271cabezahead#272ahah (expression of relief, realization, awe)#273cariñoaffection, fondness#274digoI mean; used to explain or correct a previous utterance#275vanvan (vehicle)#276hombresplural of hombre (man)#277buenashello, good morning, good afternoon, good evening (greeting used irrespective of the time)#278somoswe are (present form of ser)#279cualquierapocopic form of cualquiera; any; whatever; whichever#280formashape; form; figure#281mientrasmeanwhile#282ladoside#283deboI should (present form of deber)#284seríaI would be (conditional form of ser)#285casocase (situation or fact)#286puedenthey can (present form of poder)#287pasóhe/she/it happen (preterite form of pasar)#288primerafirst gear (lowest gear in a motor vehicle)#289genialingenious, genius#290chicosmall#291supuestosupposed, self-styled, alleged#292hiceI do (preterite form of hacer)#293puesso, then; in that case#294adiósgoodbye, farewell#295muchasfeminine plural of mucho (a lot of)#296personasplural of persona (person)#297señoraMs; a title or form of address for a woman; formerly for a married, divorced, or widowed woman and now commonly for any adult woman regardless of marital status, depending on the region#298volverto return, to revert, to get back#299esasfeminine plural of ese; those (this)#300quizáperhaps, maybe#301contraagainst, versus#302caminoway, route#303duranteduring, in, over#304hablando-ing form of hablar: speak; talk#305maneraway; manner; method; style#306muertodead#307personaperson (an individual; usually a human being)#308rápidorapid, quick, fast#309cuálwhat; which#310ayudahelp, aid#311historiahistory (the aggregate of past events)#312ibaI went (imperfect form of ir)#313supongoI guess (present form of suponer)#314nuevanews, novelty#315entiendoI understand (present form of entender)#316dentroinside (for space)#317casialmost#318puertadoor (portal of entry into a building)#319vesyou see (present form of ver)#320pasarto pass, to hand, to slip#321primeroformer (in contrast to the latter), first, first one#322significahe/she/it implys (present form of significar)#323semanaweek (7 days)#324haciatoward, towards#325quizásmaybe, perhaps#326esperoI wait (present form of esperar)#327juntosmasculine plural of junto (together)#328añoyear#329niñosplural of niño (bairn)#330prontoprompt, on time#331tíouncle (the brother, brother-in-law, or male cousin or cousin-in-law of either parent)#332suerteluck, fortune#333ciudadcity#334siquieraat least, at the least#335felizhappy, merry (trait)#336venirSenses relating to literal movement; to come (move closer to some location (most often closer to the speaker), by default the speaker's location)#337hijadaughter; female equivalent of hijo#338gustaríaI would please (conditional form of gustar)#339minutosplural of minuto (minute)#340cuántohow much; how many#341osyou, to you, for you; dative and accusative of vosotros#342muertedeath (the cessation of life)#343dejarto leave (to place)#344realidadreality#345dejarest (that remaining after cutting textiles)#346problemasplural of problema (problem)#347viI see (preterite form of ver)#348dahe/she/it gives (present form of dar)#349importanteimportant, that cares, that matters#350dijisteyou say (preterite form of decir)#351corazónheart (organ of the body)#352miedofear#353jefechief; president; head; leader of a business, political party, or other organization#354aguawater#355haréI will do (future form of hacer)#356justoright, just#357horasplural of hora (hour)#358poderto be able to, can#359buenosmasculine plural of bueno (good)#360esposawife#361manosplural of mano (hand)#362debesyou should (present form of deber)#363vienehe/she/it comes (present form of venir)#364vengaA cheer or expression of support, encouragement, etc.; come on, attaboy#365nuestrosmasculine plural of nuestro (our)#366ojosplural of ojo (eye)#367adelanteforward (toward the front)#368encontrarto meet#369manohand#370cincofive#371niñochild, boy#372ningunafeminine singular of ninguno (neither)#373otrosmasculine plural of otro (other)#374caraface (the front part of the head)#375cuidadowatch out!#376bajoshort (of little height)#377cercaclose, near, around, about, nearly, nigh (referring to quantity or time-related)#378viejoold (having existed for a long time)#379nochesplural of noche (night)#380bastanteenough; sufficient#381finaim; goal; purpose#382tomarto take#383únicoonly; single; sole#384mismafeminine singular of mismo (even)#385escuchalistening#386ningúnapocopic form of ninguno (“not any”)#387suficientesufficient, enough#388puntopoint (specific spot, location, or place)#389cuándowhen#390siguehe/she/it continues (present form of seguir)#391hayabeech, beech tree#392equipoteam#393grandebig, large#394necesitahe/she/it needs (present form of necesitar)#395llegarto arrive, get (to)#396inclusoenclosed, included#397algunosmasculine plural of alguno (a)#398doctordoctor (Ph.D.)#399difícildifficult, hard, tough, challenging, rough, tricky, trying, arduous, testing#400aunquethough, although, even though, albeit#401hubieraI had (imperfect form of haber)#402primerapocopic form of primero (first)#403cochecar, automobile#404hagoI do (present form of hacer)#405claselecture#406cuatrofour#407masbut#408dicesyou say (present form of decir)#409pequeñosmall; little#410llamaflame#411tomaconquest, capture, taking, takeover#412hicisteyou do (preterite form of hacer)#413alláthere, over there, thither, yonder (in a direction away from the speaker and the listener)#414últimafeminine singular of último (last)#415arribaabove, over#416tierraEarth (planet of the Solar System in which all of humanity resides)#417guerrawar, warfare#418pensarto think, ponder#419puedaI can (present form of poder)#420igualequal, same#421lococrazy, insane, mad, nuts (asserting that something is out of place in the head)#422sangreblood#423mujeresplural of mujer (“women”) (wife)#424vueltaturn#425fuiI went (preterite form of ir)#426trabajarto work#427tenidopast participle of tener: have#428juegoplay#429deberíasyou would should (conditional form of deber)#430cuerpobody (the physical structure of a human or animal)#431eThe fifth letter of the Spanish alphabet, written in the Latin script#432algunasfeminine plural of alguno (a)#433entrarto enter; to come in; to get in; to go in; to get inside; to come on in#434creeI create (present form of crear)#435podíaI was/were able to (imperfect form of poder)#436debemoswe should (present form of deber)#437oportunidadopportunity, chance, shot, break, occasion, time (in both senses: “chance for advancement, progress or profit” and “favorable circumstance or occasion”)#438teléfonotelephone (a telecommunication device used for two-way talking with another person)#439necesitamoswe need (present form of necesitar)#440finalfinal (last, ultimate)#441listoclever, smart (with ser)#442fiestaparty#443muchosmasculine plural of mucho (a lot of)#444estabasyou were (imperfect form of estar)#445quierenthey want (present form of querer)#446vetecommand form of ir: go#447autocar, automobile#448darto give, to give out#449vivirto live; to be alive#450posiblepossible#451hermanasister; female equivalent of hermano (“brother”)#452númeronumber (counting)#453mesesplural of mes (month)#454exactamenteexactly#455culpafault#456abajodown, downwards#457escuelaschool (an institution dedicated to teaching and learning)#458idoaway with the fairies; absent-minded#459fuertestrong#460diciendo-ing form of decir: say; tell#461hablaspeech (faculty of speech)#462estéI am (present form of estar)#463elloit, neuter third-person subject and disjunctive pronoun#464preguntaquestion (sentence that asks for information)#465chicasfeminine plural of chico (boy)#466eranthey were (imperfect form of ser)#467unasfeminine plural of un (one)#468pasando-ing form of pasar: happen; pass#469atrásbehind#470malobad (of bad quality)#471capitáncaptain (leader)#472bebébaby#473segundosecond (after the first)#474sabemoswe know facts (present form of saber)#475mayorcomparative degree of grande: bigger (big)#476comidafood#477morirto die#478conozcoI know (present form of conocer)#479fácileasy, facile, simple (requiring little effort)#480comerto eat#481vinowine (an alcoholic beverage made by fermenting grape juice, with an ABV ranging from 5.5–16%)#482listalist, roll#483hagaI do (present form of hacer)#484necesitasyou need (present form of necesitar)#485hijosplural of hijo (“sons, children”) (son)#486probablementeprobably, likely#487padresplural of padre (father)#488habitaciónroom (separate part of a building)#489creerto believe#490pensando-ing form of pensar: think#491fueronthey went (preterite form of ir)#492dimecommand form of decir: say; tell#493tratatrafficking, trade, slave trade#494buscando-ing form of buscar: look for#495tuveI had (preterite form of tener)#496tampoconeither; nor; also not#497amomaster (man who owns a slave)#498jovenyoung, youthful#499podríasyou could (conditional form of poder)#500solafeminine singular of solo (exclusively)#501pareven (divisible by two)#502únicafeminine singular of único (alone)#503hacenthey do (present form of hacer)#504seguirto follow#505simplementesimply#506dicenthey say (present form of decir)#507mediohalf (of or related to one of two equal divisions of a whole)#508sabenthey know facts (present form of saber)#509sentidodeeply felt, heartfelt#510hagasyou do (present form of hacer)#511segurafeminine singular of seguro (insurance)#512esperarto hope#513lejosfar#514armaweapon, arm#515altotall#516pequeñafeminine singular of pequeño (diminutive)#517dólaresplural of dólar (dollar)#518seissix#519estabanthey were (imperfect form of estar)#520seguridadsafety, security#521estuvohe/she/it was (preterite form of estar)#522preocupesyou agitate (present form of preocupar)#523palabraword#524esperando-ing form of esperar: wait; hope#525quedacurfew#526oficinaoffice (a room used for non-manual work)#527matarto kill, slay#528iréI will go (future form of ir)#529camabed#530ademásin addition, moreover, furthermore, further, also, additionally#531últimofinal; last#532oídohearing#533habríaI would have (conditional form of haber)#534estaráhe/she/it will be (future form of estar)#535diohe/she/it give (preterite form of dar)#536recuerdomemory#537siendo-ing form of ser: be#538acercaonly used in acerca de (“about; concerning”)#539tengaI have (present form of tener)#540luzlight#541correctocorrect, right#542demoniosthe hell, on earth (for emphasis after a question word)#543nuestrasfeminine plural of nuestro (our)#544verteyou see (verb form form of ver)#545dormirto sleep#546sitiosite, place#547ayudarto help#548conseguirto achieve, succeed in, reach, accomplish, attain#549diI give (preterite form of dar)#550maridohusband#551pazpeace (warlessness)#552planplan#553dadoa die or dice#554cuantowhatever quantity, as much, however much#555peorcomparative degree of malo: worse (erroneous)#556murióhe/she/it die (preterite form of morir)#557pueblotown, village#558vivoalive, living (having life)#559venidopast participle of venir: come#560bastastop!, enough!#561pasostep, footstep#562deberíamoswe would should (conditional form of deber)#563músicamusic#564digaway to say hello on the telephone#565minutominute (a unit of time equal to 60 seconds or ¹⁄₆₀ hour)#566anochelast night#567llamarto summon, to call#568piensahe/she/it thinks (present form of pensar)#569paíscountry (the territory of a nation)#570digasyou say (present form of decir)#571reyking#572perdónsorry, pardon me (excuse me)#573muchafeminine singular of mucho (a lot of)#574faltalack, shortage#575piensoanimal feed#576perdidolost#577niñagirl, female equivalent of niño#578señoritayoung woman#579diezten#580llevahe/she/it carrys (present form of llevar)#581hospitalhospital#582grandesplural of grande (big)#583otrasfeminine plural of otro (other)#584llamadocall#585hacemoswe do (present form of hacer)#586llevarto take, to carry, to take away, to carry away, to carry around, to bring, to bear, to lug (implies to move something further from who speaks)#587fuegofire#588aquihere; over here#589tuvohe/she/it had (preterite form of tener)#590ponerto put, to put up, to place, to lay#591callestreet#592acabahe/she/it finishs (present form of acabar)#593pruebaproof; evidence (usually in the plural)#594increíbleincredible, unbelievable#595realreal#596librobook#597ordenorder (command)#598semanasplural of semana (week)#599especialspecial (distinguished by a unique quality)#600míaa regiment of 100 soldiers in the Spanish protectorate of Morocco
Learn them, don't just read them
Turn this list into recall with Fijario's spaced-repetition flashcards and daily quiz.