1,000 Most Frequently Used American English Words
Here is an alphabetical list of the 1,000 most frequently used American English words color-coded with the American Vowel Sounds Chart located in the tab above.
As in the American Vowel Sounds Chart, the title for each sound group has a background color that represents the stressed syllable's vowel sound for that word, and a link to an online dictionary that provides an audio of the spoken word and its definition(s). For example, the first word in the long ē vowel sound words grouping is "agree", which has a long ē vowel sound in the stressed second syllable. Clicking on the word produces a dictionary webpage containing an audio file with its pronunciation, definitions, function(s), and use examples.
"green key" Long ē Vowel Sound /i:/ Words
- agree
- agreement
- be
- beat
- believe
- between
- deal
- deep
- degree
- detail
- disease
- dream
- during
- each
- east
- easy
- eat
- either
- even
- evening
- feel
- feeling
- field
- free
- green
- he
- heat
- idea
- increase
- indeed
- keep
- key
- lead
- leader
- least
- leave
- legal
- machine
- magazine
- me
- mean
- media
- meet
- meeting
- need
- peace
- people
- piece
- PM
- police
- reach
- read
- real
- realize
- really
- reason
- receive
- recent
- recently
- region
- research
- resource
- reveal
- scene
- sea
- season
- seat
- security
- see
- seek
- seem
- senior
- series
- serious
- she
- speak
- speech
- street
- teach
- teacher
- team
- these
- three
- treat
- treatment
- tree
- TV
- we
- week
"cinereous pier" Vowel Sound /ir/ or /iɝ/ Words
"silver pin" Short ĭ Vowel Sound /I/ Words
- ability
- activity
- admit
- begin
- big
- bill
- billion
- bit
- bring
- build
- building
- business
- citizen
- city
- civil
- condition
- consider
- continue
- decision
- difference
- different
- difficult
- dinner
- exist
- figure
- fill
- film
- finger
- finish
- fish
- give
- him
- his
- history
- hit
- if
- image
- impact
- in
- increase
- indicate
- individual
- industry
- interest
- interesting
- interview
- into
- issue
- it
- its
- kid
- kill
- kitchen
- list
- listen
- little
- live
- middle
- military
- million
- minute
- miss
- mission
- Mr
- Mrs
- official
- participant
- particular
- particularly
- physical
- pick
- picture
- political
- position
- pretty
- quickly
- religious
- responsibility
- rich
- risk
- significant
- similar
- simple
- simply
- since
- sing
- single
- sister
- sit
- situation
- six
- skill
- skin
- specific
- spring
- still
- system
- ten
- tend
- them
- thing
- think
- this
- traditional
- trip
- until
- victim
- visit
- which
- will
- win
- wind
- window
- wish
- with
- within
"gray cakes" Long ā Vowel Sound /eɪ/ Words
- able
- administration
- age
- agency
- agent
- available
- away
- baby
- base
- behavior
- break
- campaign
- case
- change
- claim
- contain
- create
- data
- day
- debate
- detail
- education
- eight
- explain
- face
- fail
- game
- generation
- great
- information
- late
- later
- lay
- main
- maintain
- major
- make
- may
- maybe
- name
- nation
- nature
- operation
- organization
- page
- pain
- painting
- paper
- patient
- pay
- place
- play
- player
- population
- race
- radio
- raise
- range
- rate
- relate
- relationship
- remain
- safe
- same
- save
- say
- shake
- space
- stage
- state
- statement
- station
- stay
- table
- take
- they
- today
- trade
- training
- wait
- way
- weight
"raspbery heirs" Vowel Sound /er/ or /eɚ/ Words
"red dress" Short ĕ Vowel Sound /ɛ/ Words
"white tie" Long ī Vowel Sound /aɪ:/ Words
- apply
- arrive
- behind
- buy
- by
- child
- crime
- decide
- describe
- design
- despite
- die
- drive
- entire
- environment
- eye
- fight
- final
- finally
- financial
- find
- fine
- five
- fly
- guy
- high
- I
- inside
- item
- kind
- lie
- life
- light
- like
- likely
- line
- might
- mind
- my
- myself
- nice
- night
- outside
- price
- private
- provide
- quite
- require
- right
- rise
- science
- scientist
- side
- sign
- site
- size
- smile
- society
- style
- time
- tonight
- trial
- try
- type
- violence
- while
- white
- why
- wide
- wife
- write
- writer
"black cats" Short ă Vowel Sound /æ/ Words
"olive socks" Short ŏ Vowel Sound /ɑ/ Words
"parchment cars" Vowel Sound /aɚ/ or /ar/ Words
"honey mustard glove" Short ŭ Vowel Sound /ʌ/ and /ə/ Words
"purple shirt" Vowel Sound /ər/ or /ɚ/ or /ɜr/ or /ɝ/ Words
"wooden hoods" Short OO Vowel Sound /ʊ/ Words
"rose tote" Long ō Vowel Sound /əʊ:/ Words
"orange stork" Vowel Sound /ɔr:/ Words
"turquoise toys" Vowel Sound /ɔy/ Words
"brown cows" Vowel Sound /aʊ/ Words