Learn the Top 100 High-Frequency Spanish Words and How to Use Them

Do you want to learn Spanish and don’t know where to start? Learn the Top 100 High-Frequency Words first and you are off to the best start! Once you know these words, then other words will begin to fall into place, like pieces of a puzzle. And you will be on your way to greater fluency because you already know 100 of the most used words!

What Are High-Frequency Words?

High-Frequency Words are the most frequently used words in the Spanish language. By learning these words, your speaking and comprehension skills increase dramatically!

Where Do I Start?

You are now ready to begin the challenge, but what is the next step? You asked the right question!  Follow these tips on the best way to learn the 100 High-Frequency Words.  

Step 1

Identify the top 100 High-Frequency Words in Spanish (we have done that for you below!)

Step 2

Memorize the words, including their pronunciation, spelling, and definition

• Begin with learning 3-10 words per sitting (3 words for younger children, 10 words for adolescents and adults with longer attention spans).
• Create notecards for each word: write the Spanish word on one side and the English translation on the other.
• Say the word, spell out the letters, and read it again out loud. The goal is to identify the word quickly, but also to pronounce it correctly.  

Step 3

Review, review, review. 

Don’t forget to revisit the words you have already learned every time you study.  One suggestion is to go through the words in the same sequence every time you study; this further reinforces the word and develops pattern recognition.

Building a Strong Foundation Takes Time

Your goal is to memorize these words, but it is not a race. Don’t focus on having to know all 100 in one sitting! You are building a foundation made of rock, not sand, and this takes time.  Mastering 20 words is better than “sort of” knowing 50.

Top 100 High-Frequency Words

Here is a comprehensive list with its English translation and a pronunciation guide for real-world use.  Once you have mastered individual Spanish vocabulary, then you can begin to work on understanding sentences.

English words are gender-neutral, yet Spanish words are gendered. This means that each word has its own article. For example la (feminine) or el (masculine) are associated with each word and used to help define the word. Putting the correct gendered article on the word is extremely important, and denying this can get you in a semantic pickle.  As noted in our article on Gendered Nouns, using the wrong article could have you telling your friend that you have an infectious disease (el cólera) instead of explaining that you feel angry (la cólera). And, believe me, nobody wants that! 

Articles

Top 100 High-Frequency Words and How to Use Them in a Sentence

La (lah) – the

La casa es tan grande.

The house is so big.

El (ehl) – the

Ellos solían cantar para el coro.

They used to sing for the choir.

Al (ahl) – to the

Vamos al centro comercial para buscar ropa.

Let’s go to the mall to look for clothes.

De (day) – from

Soy de los Estado Unidos.

I’m from the United States.

Del (dehl) – of the, from the, by the

No existe Fernando del mar.

Fernando from the sea doesn’t exist.

Un/una (oon/oona) – a, an, one

Quiero un perro.

I want a dog.

Unos (oon-ohs) – some, a few

Hay unos cuantos.

There are a few

Prepositions and Adverbs

A (ah) – to, at

Vamos a ir al río.

We are going to the river.

Por (pohr) – through, along, by, for

No pases por le parque.

Don’t go though the park.

Para (pahr-ah) – in order to, for

Salimos mañana para Antigua Guatemala.

We leave tomorrow for Antigua Guatemala.

Desde (dehs-deh) – from, since

Desde que era niña he comido chocolate.

Since I was a kid I’ve been eating chocolate.

Durante (dpp-rahn-teh) – during

Aprendí mucho durante la clase de español.

I learned a lot during my Spanish class.

Hasta (ahs-tah) – until

Estaré afuera hasta las cinco en punto.

I’ll be outside until five o’clock

Entre (ehn-treh) – between, among

Me sentaré entre mis mejores amigas.

I will sit between my best friends.

Con (kohn) – with

¿Puedo sentarme con used?

Can I sit with you?

Sin (seen) – without

No salgas sin las llaves de la casa.

Don’t leave without the keys to the house.

Sobre (soh-breh) – about, on top of

Podrías leer las noticias sobre la guerra.

You could read the news about the war.

Contra (kohn-trah) – against

No hables en contra del rey de Tailandia.

Don’t speak against the king of Thailand.

Hacia (ah-syah) – toward

Camina hacia el agua y dobla a la derecha.

Walk towards the water and turn right.

Según (seh-goon) – according to, depending on

Según la maestra no hay clases mañana.

Según la hora que sea.

Según la hora que sea.

Depending on the time.

En (ehn) – in, on

Ponga la comida en el refrigerador.

Put the food in the fridge.

No te sientes en la mesa.

Don’t sit on the table.

Bajo (bah-hoh) – short, low

Él es demasiado bajo para la montaña rusa de Disneylandia.

He’s too short to ride the rollercoaster at Disneyland.

Ahora (ah-oh-rah) – now

Ahora es el momento del cambio.

Now is the time for change.

Debajo (deh-bah-hoh) – underneath

No conocemos todo lo que hay debajo del mar.

We don’t know everything that’s under the sea.

Ya (yuh) – already

Ya comimos.

We already ate.

Cómo (koh-moh) – how

¿Cómo estás?

How are you?

Hoy (oy) – today

Me quedo en casa hoy para mirar la tele.

I’m staying home today to watch TV.

Me (meh) – I

Me gusta el arroz.

I like rice.

Nunca (noon-kah) – never

Nunca he visto el mar.

I have never seen the sea.

Muy (mwee) – very

La tarea es muy difícil.

The homework is very difficult.

También (tahm-byen) – too, also

Yo he estado en Costa Rica también.

I have been to Costa Rica too.

Siempre (syehm-preh) – always

Te amaré siempre.

I will love you always.

Adjectives

Poco (poh-koh) – a little bit

Solo quiero un poco del postre.

I only want a little dessert.

Alto (ahl-toh) – tall, high

Soy alta.

I am tall.

Aquí (ah-kee) – here

Aquí está el agua.

Here is the water.

Bien (byen) – good, well

Estoy bien.

I am well.

Bonita (boh-nee-tah) – pretty

Ella es tan bonita.

She is so pretty.

Buena (bwen-ah) – good

¿Tienes buena salud?

Are you in good health?

Grande (grahn-deh) – big, large

Me encantan los burritos mexicanos grandes.

I love big Mexican burritos.

Pequeña (peh-keh-nya) – small, little

La camiseta es demasiado pequeña.

The shirt is too small.

Mi (mee) – my

Me gusta mi jardín de flores.

I like my flower garden.

Mucho (moo-choh) – a lot, many

Hay muchos árboles en el bosque.

There are a lot of trees in the forest.

Mis (mees) – my

Mis amigas son amables.

My friends are kind.

Nouns

Casa (kah-sah) – house

La casa es amarilla.

The house is yellow.

Ropa (roh-pah) – clothes

Quiero ropa nueva.

I want new clothes.

Pronouns

Él (ehl) – he

Él es muy guapo.

He is very handsome.

Ella (eh-yah) – she

No me digas que ella lo hizo.

Don’t tell me that she did that.

Este (ehs-tay) – this

Este es el coche de mi mami.

This is my mom’s car.

Esta (ehs-tah) – this

Esta es la falda que compré ayer.

This is the skirt that I bought yesterday.

Nos (nohs) – us, ourselves, each other

Cuando nos vemos, nos saludamos.

When we see each other, we greet each other.

Yo (yoh) – I

Yo quiero pollo teriyaki para la cena.

I want teriyaki chicken for dinner.

Tú (too) – you

Tu pelo es lindisimo.

Your hair is so pretty.

Nosotros (noh-soh-tros) – we, us

El regalo es para nosotros.

The gift is for us.

Esa (eh-sah) – that

Esa es una abeja.

That is a bee.

Eso (eh-soh) – that

Eso es el Museo del Chocolate.

That is the Chocolate Museum.

Que (kay) – who, which, that

Chocolate es el tipo del pastel que me encanta.

Chocolate is the type of cake that I love.

Conjunctions

Que (kay) – that, who, which, than

Es más barato visitar la biblioteca que la tienda.

It’s cheaper to visit the library than the store.

Y (ee) – and

Me gusta la pizza y un refresco.

I like pizza and a beverage.

O (oh) – or

¿Te gusta más la lima o el limón?

Do you like lime or lemon better?

Porque (pohr-kay) – because

Mi amiga está triste porque no ganó el partido.

My friend is sad because she didn’t win the game.

Pero (peh-roh) – but

Me gustan los barcos, pero los yates me gustan más.

I like boats, but I like yachts better.

Donde (dohn-deh) – where

¿De dónde eres?

Where are you from?

Cuando (kwahn-doh) – when

Cuando hace calor, no quiero ir afuera.

When it is hot, I don’t like to go outside.

Verbs

Hay (ay) – there is, there are

Hay muchas palabras en esta lista.

There are many words on this list.

Ir (eer) – to go

Voy a ir a la escuela.

I’m going to school.

Voy (boy) – I go

Voy a ir al mercado.

I’m going to the market.

Va (bah) – go, you go

¿Va al cine?

Are you going to the theatre?

Vamos (bah-mohs) – we go, let’s go

Vamos a ir al parque ahorita.

We are going to the park now.

¡Vamos amigos!

Let’s go guys!

Van (bahn) – they go

Ellos van a la tienda.

They go to the store.

Fui (fwee) – I went

Fui a un restaurante con mis abuelos.

I went to a restaurant with my grandparents.

Fuimos (fwee-mohs) – we went

Mariana y yo fuimos al cine.

Mariana and I went to the movies.

Fue (fweh) – he went, she went, he was, she was, it was

Ella fue al banco.

She went to the bank.

Fue al circo anoche.

He went to the circus last night.

Fueron (fweh-rohn) – they went

Fueron juntos al zoo.

They went to the zoo together.

Gusta (goos-tah) – like

No me gusta bailar.

I don’t like to dance.

Veo (bey-oh) – I see, I watch

Veo flores.

I see flowers.

Ven (behn) – they see, they watch

Ven el mar desde su ventana.

They see the sea from their window.

Tengo (tayn-goh) – I have

Tengo 21 años.

I am 21 years old.

Tiene (tyen-eh) – he has, she has

Ella tiene muñecas de África.

She has dolls from Africa.

Quiero (kyer-oh) – I want

Quiero correr después de la escuela.

I want to run after school.

Quiere (kee-yer-eh) – he wants, she wants

¿Quiere un cachorro?

Do you want a puppy?

Llamar (yah-mar) – call

¿Vas a llamar al doctor?

Are you going to call the doctor?

Leer (ley-ehr) – read

Deberías leer los posts de Homeschool Spanish Academy.

You should read the Homeschool Spanish Academy posts.

Mira (mee-rah) – look

Mira los árboles que se mueven en esta tormenta.

Look at the trees moving in this storm.

Son (sohn) – They are

Son norteamericanos.

They are North American.

Soy (soy) – I am

Soy la mamá de dos niños.

I am the mom of two kids.

Es (ehs) – it is, you are

La mariposa es lindísima.

The butterfly is beautiful.

Sé (seh) – I know

No sé la hora.

I don’t know the time.

Juego (hweh-goh) – I play

Juego baloncesto en mi escuela.

I play basketball at my school.

Puedo (pweh-doh) – I can

Puedo leer en inglés.

I can read in English.

Estoy (ehs-toy) – I am

Estoy muy feliz hoy.

I am very happy today.

Está (ehs-tah) – he is, she is, it is, is

La calle está cerca del mercado.

The street is by the market.

Estaba (ehs-tah-bah) – was

Estaba muy cansada ayer.

I was very tired yesterday.

Estan (ehs-tahn) – they are

Están juntos.

They are together.

Hace (ah-seh) – he does, she does, it has been, it is

Hace mucho tiempo que no te vemos.

It has been a long time since we’ve seen you.

Hacer (ah-sehr) – to do, to make

Voy a hacer almuerzo para mis padres.

I’m going to make lunch for my parents.

Dice (see-seh) – says

El menú dice que hay mariscos frescos aquí.

The menu says there is fresh seafood here.

Dijo (dee-hoh) – said

Me dijo que vamos a reunirnos esta noche.

He told me that we are going to get together tonight.

Viene (byehn-eh) – comes, arrives

El tren viene a las 5:00.

The train comes at 5:00.

Comer (koh-mehr) – eat

Vamos a comer tortillas en 5 minutos.

We’re going to eat tortillas in 5 minutes.

Correr (kohr-rrer) – run

Voy a correr entre los postes de la portería.

I’m going to run between the soccer goal posts.

You’re Ready! 

Now you’re ready to begin memorizing the top 100 High-Frequency words in Spanish!

Remember to begin by learning a few words at a time. Focus on learning the definition, spelling and pronunciation first. Then, when you’re ready, move on to using them in a sentence. This will advance your understanding of Spanish greatly and move you to that next level of fluency. 

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