1,000 Most Common German Words
Focusing on the most commonly used words can help accelerate your learning and make your journey more enjoyable.
This list of the most common German words is based on a large collection of movie subtitles from opus.nlpl.eu. Since it was compiled from spoken text, it accurately reflects the most common words in spoken language. This list below is perfectly suited for language learners that want to be able to chat with friends or watch movies in German!
Download All 1,000 Words
CSV file: 1,000 Most Common German Words
1,000 most common words in dictionary form. Includes frequency rank, article (nouns only), part of speech, and English translation. Structured to easily import into Anki or other flashcard software.
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Top 100 Core German Words
Quick view of the top 100 most common German words by frequency. For the full list, download the CSV file above.
| Rank | Article | Word | Meaning | Part of Speech |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ich | I | pronoun | |
| 2 | sie | she/they | pronoun | |
| 3 | sein | to be | verb | |
| 4 | du | you (informal) | pronoun | |
| 5 | nicht | not | adverb | |
| 6 | es | it | pronoun | |
| 7 | und | and | conjunction | |
| 8 | wir | we | pronoun | |
| 9 | was | what | pronoun | |
| 10 | zu | to/too | preposition/adverb | |
| 11 | er | he | pronoun | |
| 12 | in | in | preposition | |
| 13 | ja | yes | particle | |
| 14 | mit | with | preposition | |
| 15 | wie | how/like | adverb/conjunction | |
| 16 | auf | on/up | preposition | |
| 17 | dass | that | conjunction | |
| 18 | aber | but | conjunction | |
| 19 | so | so/thus | adverb | |
| 20 | haben | to have | verb | |
| 21 | hier | here | adverb | |
| 22 | für | for | preposition | |
| 23 | von | from/of | preposition | |
| 24 | wenn | when/if | conjunction | |
| 25 | ihr | you (plural)/her | pronoun | |
| 26 | nein | no | particle | |
| 27 | an | at/on | preposition | |
| 28 | noch | still/yet | adverb | |
| 29 | nur | only | adverb | |
| 30 | da | there | adverb | |
| 31 | können | can/to be able | verb | |
| 32 | gut | good | adjective | |
| 33 | auch | also | adverb | |
| 34 | schon | already | adverb | |
| 35 | als | as/when | conjunction | |
| 36 | mal | time/once | adverb | |
| 37 | jetzt | now | adverb | |
| 38 | dann | then | adverb | |
| 39 | aus | out/from | preposition | |
| 40 | mein | my | pronoun | |
| 41 | um | around/at | preposition | |
| 42 | werden | to become | verb | |
| 43 | doch | but/indeed | conjunction/particle | |
| 44 | alles | everything | pronoun | |
| 45 | wissen | to know | verb | |
| 46 | kein | no/none | pronoun | |
| 47 | oder | or | conjunction | |
| 48 | nach | after/to | preposition | |
| 49 | nichts | nothing | pronoun | |
| 50 | man | one/you | pronoun | |
| 51 | müssen | must/to have to | verb | |
| 52 | wollen | to want | verb | |
| 53 | gehen | to go | verb | |
| 54 | wo | where | adverb | |
| 55 | etwas | something | pronoun | |
| 56 | mehr | more | adjective/adverb | |
| 57 | bei | at/by | preposition | |
| 58 | also | therefore/so | adverb | |
| 59 | bitte | please | particle | |
| 60 | immer | always | adverb | |
| 61 | warum | why | adverb | |
| 62 | vor | before/in front of | preposition | |
| 63 | los | loose/off | adjective | |
| 64 | wieder | again | adverb | |
| 65 | sagen | to say | verb | |
| 66 | machen | to make/do | verb | |
| 67 | danke | thank you | interjection | |
| 68 | sehr | very | adverb | |
| 69 | all | all | pronoun | |
| 70 | denn | because/then | conjunction | |
| 71 | der | Mann | man | noun |
| 72 | tun | to do | verb | |
| 73 | sehen | to see | verb | |
| 74 | vielleicht | perhaps | adverb | |
| 75 | wer | who | pronoun | |
| 76 | diese | this/these | pronoun | |
| 77 | kommen | to come | verb | |
| 78 | über | over/about | preposition | |
| 79 | geben | to give | verb | |
| 80 | okay | okay | particle | |
| 81 | dein | your | pronoun | |
| 82 | sollen | should/ought to | verb | |
| 83 | nie | never | adverb | |
| 84 | wirklich | really | adverb | |
| 85 | viel | much/many | pronoun/adjective | |
| 86 | der | Weg | way/path | noun |
| 87 | einfach | simple | adjective | |
| 88 | das | Leben | life | noun |
| 89 | die | Zeit | time | noun |
| 90 | weil | because | conjunction | |
| 91 | heute | today | adverb | |
| 92 | damit | with it/so that | conjunction | |
| 93 | ganz | whole/completely | adjective | |
| 94 | sicher | sure | adjective | |
| 95 | die | Frau | woman/Mrs. | noun |
| 96 | nun | now | adverb | |
| 97 | bis | until | preposition | |
| 98 | das | Leid | suffering | noun |
| 99 | die | Macht | power | noun |
| 100 | dieser | this | pronoun |
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