Learn your first 1000 English words

The 1000 most common English words cover about 85% of everyday spoken English. With them you can order food, ask directions, introduce yourself, and hold simple conversations. Around 3000 words covers roughly 95% of conversation.

Yes, completely. No sign-up, no account, no paywall. Your progress is saved in your own browser, and every flashcard, quiz, and word list is open.

The list is based on word frequency in everyday English speech and writing, the same principle behind corpus-based lists like the General Service List. Words are grouped into ten bands of 100, ordered so the most useful words come first.

At 10-15 new words a day with daily review, most learners finish in two to three months. That is about 20 minutes a day.

Not necessarily. Use the placement check on this page: tap the words you already know and it suggests a starting band. Many restarters begin around band 3 to 5.

The most frequent English words are function words like 'the', 'of', and 'would'. They carry grammar rather than pictures. Learn them through the example sentences rather than as isolated definitions.

Yes. Every flashcard has a listen button that speaks the word using your device's built-in voice, so you learn the real sound from day one.

For most learners: in order, 1-100 first, because coverage is highest at the top. Exception: if you have a trip coming, do the travel band (601-700) first; if learning with a young child, start with picturable words in bands 3 and 6.

In your browser's local storage. Nothing is sent to a server and there is no account. Clearing your browser data clears your progress, and progress does not sync between devices.

No, and no honest resource will tell you otherwise. 1000 words makes everyday transactions and simple conversation possible, and gives you the base to learn the next 2000 from context. Fluency for work and friendship usually needs around 3000 words plus lots of listening and reading.

A band is one group of 100 words at a similar frequency level, for example words 101-200. Bands break the 1000 into ten climbable steps, each with its own flashcards and quiz.

Yes. For young children, skip the function-word band and start with concrete words they can point at, bands 3 (places and things) and 6 (body, food, health). Ten minutes a day as a game works best.

Quizzes save your best score per band, separately from your known-words list. The flashcards' 'I know it' button is what marks a word as known.

The word list works for both, since the top 1000 words are almost identical in every major variety. Spellings and example sentences use American English, and the audio follows your device's English voice.

Move to input: graded readers, slow podcasts, and subtitled shows, plus the next 2000 words with a spaced-repetition app. At 1000 words, easy content becomes understandable, which is exactly what makes further learning fast.

Because frequency equals usefulness. The 50th most common word appears in almost every paragraph; a themed word like 'giraffe' may not appear for months. Learning by frequency puts your effort where the payoff is.