Top 100

The top 100 Spanish words

Name: Top 100 Most Common Spanish Words
Creator: Most Common Spanish

These are the 100 most common Spanish words, ranked by how often they appear in real spoken Spanish. Remarkably, just these 100 words make up around half of everything you'll hear in everyday conversation. That's why they're the single highest-value place to start. Each word below includes its English meaning and an example sentence. When you're ready, continue to the full 1,000-word list.

Words on this list

100

Comprehension coverage

~50%

of everyday spoken Spanish

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1,000 most common Top 500 Common verbs How this list is built

#	Spanish	English	Example
1	ser	to be (permanent) · being	Mi hermano es médico.My brother is a doctor.
2	estar	to be (temporary) · to be located	La sopa está fría.The soup is cold.
3	ir	to go · to match	Mañana vamos al cine.Tomorrow we are going to the movies.
4	tener	to have · to hold	¿Tienes tiempo para hablar?Do you have time to talk?
5	haber	to have · to be (there is/are) · to have to	He terminado el proyecto a tiempo.I have finished the project on time.
6	qué	what · how	¿Qué quieres?What do you want?
7	hacer	to do · to make	¡Hazlo! No tengas miedo.Do it! Don't be afraid.
8	poder	to be able to · power	No puedo abrir la puerta.I can't open the door.
9	te	you · yourself	Te vi ayer en el mercado.I saw you yesterday at the market.
10	con	with	Voy al cine con mis amigos.I'm going to the movies with my friends.
11	decir	to say · to tell · to mean	Ella dice que vendrá mañana.She says she will come tomorrow.
12	querer	to want · to love	Quiero un café, por favor.I want a coffee, please.
13	saber	to know · knowledge · to taste like	No sé la respuesta.I don't know the answer.
14	si	if · whether	Si llueve, nos quedamos en casa.If it rains, we stay home.
15	ver	to see · to watch · to view	Sin mis gafas no puedo ver los letreros.Without my glasses I can't see the signs.
16	bien	well · okay · good · Good!	Ella canta bien.She sings well.
17	eso	that	Eso no me gusta.I don't like that.
18	pero	but · objection	Quería ir, pero no pude.I wanted to go, but I couldn't.
19	tu	your	¿Dónde está tu libro?Where is your book?
20	yo	I	Yo no lo hice.I didn't do it.
21	aquí	here	Puedes dejar las llaves aquí sobre la mesa.You can leave the keys here on the table.
22	este	this · this one · east	Este celular es mío.This phone is mine.
23	ese	that · that one	Me gusta ese libro.I like that book.
24	esto	this	¿Qué es esto?What is this?
25	creer	to believe · to think	No te creo.I don't believe you.
26	esta	this · this one	Esta casa es muy antigua.This house is very old.
27	ya	already · yet · now · anymore	Ya terminé el informe.I already finished the report.
28	como	like · as · as · about	Corre como un loco.He runs like a madman.
29	bueno	good · OK	Es una buena idea.It's a good idea.
30	le	him · her · you (formal, singular)	Le di el libro a él.I gave him the book.
31	todo	all · everything · every · everyone	Todos los estudiantes entregaron el trabajo.All the students turned in the assignment.
32	lo	it · him	El cerebro es increíble; aún no lo entendemos por completo.The brain is incredible; we still don't fully understand it.
33	más	more · most · else · plus	Quiero más café.I want more coffee.
34	deber	to have to · to owe · duty	Mañana debo levantarme temprano.Tomorrow I have to get up early.
35	dar	to give · to hit · to produce · to face	Me dio un regalo.He gave me a gift.
36	muy	very	Es muy interesante.It is very interesting.
37	ahora	now · currently	Ahora no puedo hablar; te llamo luego.I can't talk now; I'll call you later.
38	algo	something · anything · somewhat	Quiero algo dulce.I want something sweet.
39	pasar	to pass · to spend (time) · to happen · to hand	El tren pasa por aquí a las ocho.The train passes by here at eight.
40	nos	us · ourselves	¿Nos puedes ayudar?Can you help us?
41	tú	you	¿Tú vienes mañana?Are you coming tomorrow?
42	así	like this · like that · thus	Hazlo así, por favor.Do it like this, please.
43	dejar	to leave · to let · to stop	Dejé las llaves en la mesa.I left the keys on the table.
44	hablar	to speak · to talk	Ella habla español con fluidez.She speaks Spanish fluently.
45	nada	nothing · at all · nothingness	Nada es permanente.Nothing is permanent.
46	cuando	when	Te llamaré cuando llegue a casa.I'll call you when I get home.
47	otro	other · another · another one	Los otros estudiantes ya llegaron.The other students have already arrived.
48	cómo	how	¿Cómo lo hiciste?How did you do it?
49	venir	to come	¿A qué hora vienes a casa?What time are you coming home?
50	mucho	a lot of · a lot · much	Desde la playa se ven muchas estrellas por la noche.A lot of stars are visible from the beach at night.
51	sólo	only · just	Sólo tengo diez euros.I only have ten euros.
52	tanto	so much · so many · so much · point	Gastó tanto dinero en el viaje.He spent so much money on the trip.
53	o	or	¿Quieres té o café?Do you want tea or coffee?
54	él	he · him	Él compró flores para su mamá.He bought flowers for his mom.
55	esperar	to wait · to hope · to expect	Estoy esperando el autobús.I am waiting for the bus.
56	un hombre	man · humankind	Ese hombre vive en mi edificio.That man lives in my building.
57	pensar	to think · to intend	Pienso que tienes razón.I think you are right.
58	usted	you (formal)	¿Desea usted algo más?Do you want anything else?
59	necesitar	to need · to require	Necesito un vaso de agua.I need a glass of water.
60	un día	day · daytime	El paquete llegará en tres días.The package will arrive in three days.
61	una cosa	thing · matter	Esa cosa no funciona.That thing doesn't work.
62	ella	she · her	Ella vive en Buenos Aires.She lives in Buenos Aires.
63	mirar	to look at · to watch · to check	No mires directamente al sol.Don't look directly at the sun.
64	nuestro	our · ours	Nuestro carro está en el taller.Our car is in the repair shop.
65	un dios	god · deity	Los antiguos griegos creían en muchos dioses.The ancient Greeks believed in many gods.
66	quién	who	¿Quién llamó anoche?Who called last night?
67	llamar	to call · to name	Te llamo mañana para contarte todo.I'll call you tomorrow to tell you everything.
68	porque	because · since	No fui a la fiesta porque estaba cansado.I didn't go to the party because I was tired.
69	señor	sir · Mr. · gentleman · Lord	Disculpe, señor, ¿puede ayudarme?Excuse me, sir, can you help me?
70	tiempo	time · weather	Tenemos tiempo para caminar por el parque.We have time to walk through the park.
71	mejor	better · best · better · the best	Este método es mejor que el anterior.This method is better than the previous one.
72	nunca	never	Nunca llego tarde al trabajo.I never arrive late to work.
73	dónde	where	¿Dónde vives?Where do you live?
74	un año	year	El próximo año viajaré a Japón.Next year I will travel to Japan.
75	dos	two	Las dos tortugas avanzaron lentamente por la arena.The two turtles slowly crawled across the sand.
76	solo	only · alone · single · solo	Solo quedan dos entradas.Only two tickets are left.
77	verdad	truth · right?	La verdad siempre sale a la luz.The truth always comes to light.
78	una casa	house · home	La casa tiene un jardín grande.The house has a big garden.
79	sentir	to feel · to be sorry	Siento frío en las manos.I feel cold in my hands.
80	volver	to return	Mañana volvemos a casa después del viaje.Tomorrow we return home after the trip.
81	una vez	time (occurrence)	La próxima vez llegaré temprano.Next time I'll arrive early.
82	ahí	there · that's when	Pon el libro ahí, por favor.Put the book there, please.
83	salir	to go out · to leave	Esta noche salimos a cenar.Tonight we are going out to dinner.
84	parecer	to seem · to look · opinion	Parece difícil, pero podemos hacerlo.It seems difficult, but we can do it.
85	entonces	then · so	¿No hay clases hoy? Entonces me quedo en casa.There's no class today? Then I'll stay home.
86	matar	to kill · to slaughter	Un tiburón puede matar a su presa con un solo mordisco.A shark can kill its prey with a single bite.
87	tomar	to take · to drink · to have (food/drink)	Voy a tomar el autobús a las ocho.I am going to take the bus at eight.
88	gustar	to like · to be pleasing to	A María le gustan los gatos.María likes cats.
89	quedar	to be left · to fit · to turn out	Quedan dos entradas para el concierto.There are two tickets left for the concert.
90	llevar	to carry · to take · to wear · to run	El camarero lleva tres platos en una mano.The waiter is carrying three plates in one hand.
91	una noche	night	La noche estaba muy oscura.The night was very dark.
92	encontrar	to find · to meet	No encuentro las llaves por ninguna parte.I can't find the keys anywhere.
93	oír	to hear	No te oigo bien.I can't hear you well.
94	ti	you	Esto es para ti.This is for you.
95	llegar	to arrive · to reach	El tren llega a las ocho.The train arrives at eight.
96	un amigo	friend (masculine)	Mi amigo me ayudó con la mudanza.My friend helped me with the move.
97	alguien	someone · anyone	Alguien llamó a la puerta.Someone knocked at the door.
98	hasta	until · up to · even	Esperaré hasta las cinco.I will wait until five.
99	grande	big · great	Vivo en una casa grande.I live in a big house.
100	sin	without	No puedo vivir sin ti.I can't live without you.

Frequently asked questions

How much Spanish do the top 100 words cover?

The 100 most frequent Spanish words account for roughly 50% of the words used in everyday spoken Spanish. They are function words and high-frequency verbs — ser, estar, tener, hacer, ir — that appear in almost every sentence, so learning them first gives the fastest jump in comprehension.

Should I learn the first 100 words before anything else?

Yes. Because these words repeat constantly, every one you learn pays off immediately. Learning them before topic vocabulary (food, travel, etc.) means you can follow the structure of real sentences much sooner.

Are these the same as the 100 words Duolingo teaches?

Not necessarily. Most course apps introduce words by theme and lesson order. This list is ranked purely by how often each word actually appears in spoken Spanish, so it prioritises the highest-impact words regardless of topic.

What comes after the first 100 words?

Keep following frequency order: the top 500 push coverage to about 67%, and the top 1,000 to about 74%. See the full 1,000-word list to continue.

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