The first 25 words of this list makes up one-third of all printed material in English.
The first 100 words make up about one half of all written material in English!
To complete this list, I have listed some well-known English proverbs so that you can see these common words in use.
| Rank | Word | English proverb using this common word |
| 1 | the | The more the merrier |
| 2 | be | Beggars should not be choosers |
| 3 | to | Better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all |
| 4 | of | Beauty is in the eye of the beholder |
| 5 | and | Better to remain silent and be thought a fool that to speak and remove all doubt |
| 6 | a | Birds of a feather flock together |
| 7 | in | Don't put all your eggs in one basket |
| 8 | that | It's the early bird that catches the worm |
| 9 | have | It’s better to have loved and lost, than never to have loved at all |
| 10 | I | There’s no I in team. |
| Rank | Word | |
| 11 | it | If anything can go wrong, it will |
| 12 | for | In for a penny, in for a pound |
| 13 | not | Man does not live by bread alone |
| 14 | on | Money doesn't grow on trees |
| 15 | with | A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step |
| 16 | he | If God had meant us to fly he'd have given us wings |
| 17 | as | There are none so blind as those that will not see |
| 18 | you | You are never too old to learn |
| 19 | do | When in Rome, do as the Romans do |
| 20 | at | You can't tell a book by looking at its cover |
| Rank | Word | |
| 21 | this | Two things are constant in this life: death and taxes |
| 22 | but | Everyone wants to go to heaven but nobody wants to die |
| 23 | his | The devil looks after his own |
| 24 | by | A candle loses nothing by lighting another candle |
| 25 | from | From the sublime to the ridiculous is only one step |
| 26 | they | The bigger they are, the harder they fall |
| 27 | we | Eat, drink and be merry, for tomorrow we die |
| 28 | say | Do as I say, not as I do |
| 29 | her | A son is a son 'till he gets him a wife; a daughter's a daughter all her life |
| 30 | she | A woman is like a cup of tea; you'll never know how strong she is until she boils |
| Rank | Word | |
| 31 | or | Say something nice or say nothing at all |
| 32 | an | An apple a day keeps the doctor away |
| 33 | will | A drowning man will clutch at a straw |
| 34 | my | Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me |
| 35 | one | There's one born every minute |
| 36 | all | You can't win them all |
| 37 | would | Do unto others as you would have them do to you |
| 38 | there | There's always more fish in the sea |
| 39 | their | Cowards may die many times before their death |
| 40 | what | Life is what you make it |
| Rank | Word | |
| 41 | so | There's nowt so queer as folk |
| 42 | up | What goes up must come down |
| 43 | out | Truth will out |
| 44 | if | If at first you don't succeed try, try and try again |
| 45 | about | Always care about your flowers and your friends. Otherwise they'll fade, and soon your house will be empty |
| 46 | who | He who fights and runs away, may live to fight another day |
| 47 | get | If you pay peanuts, you get monkeys |
| 48 | which | That which does not kill us makes us stronger |
| 49 | go | There but for the grace of God, go I |
| 50 | me | Ask me no questions, I'll tell you no lies |
| Rank | Word | |
| 51 | when | When the going gets tough, the tough get going |
| 52 | make | You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it drink |
| 53 | can | Don't try to walk before you can crawl |
| 54 | like | Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned |
| 55 | time | Nature, time, and patience are three great physicians |
| 56 | no | See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil |
| 57 | just | The darkest hour is just before the dawn |
| 58 | him | If God had wanted man to fly, he would have given him wings |
| 59 | know | It takes one to know one |
| 60 | take | You pay your money and you take your choice |
| Rank | Word | |
| 61 | person | A person is known by the company he keeps |
| 62 | into | Into every life a little rain must fall |
| 63 | year | There is only eight years between success and failure in politics. |
| 64 | your | As you make your bed, so you must lie upon it |
| 65 | good | A change is as good as a rest |
| 66 | some | Keep some till more come |
| 67 | could | The greatest thing that could happen in my lifetime is for all my ideas to be stolen. |
| 68 | them | Don't cross your bridges before you come to them |
| 69 | see | What the eye doesn't see, the heart doesn't grieve over |
| 70 | other | The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence |
| Rank | Word | |
| 71 | than | Actions speak louder than words |
| 72 | then | If the mountain won't come to Mohammed, then Mohammed must go to the mountain |
| 73 | now | It is fun to do something foolish every now and then |
| 74 | look | Look before you leap |
| 75 | only | Beauty is only skin deep |
| 76 | come | All things come to those who wait |
| 77 | its | Never judge a book by its cover |
| 78 | over | It ain't over till the fat lady sings |
| 79 | think | Great minds think alike |
| 80 | also | Based on the Bible (Gal. 6:7): "for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap." |
| Rank | Word | |
| 81 | back | Failure is not falling down, you fail when you don't get back up |
| 82 | after | It is easy to be wise after the event |
| 83 | use | It's no use crying over spilt milk |
| 84 | two | There are two sides to every question |
| 85 | how | One half of the world does not know how the other half lives |
| 86 | our | We can't always build the future for our youth, but we can build our youth for the future |
| 87 | work | A woman's work is never done |
| 88 | first | First things first |
| 89 | well | All's well that ends well |
| 90 | way | The way to a man's heart is through his stomach |
| Rank | Word | |
| 91 | even | Never give a sucker an even break |
| 92 | new | A new broom sweeps clean |
| 93 | want | If you want a thing done well, do it yourself |
| 94 | because | A bird does not sing because it has an answer. It sings because it has a song. |
| 95 | any | If you don't know where you're going, any train will get you there |
| 96 | these | One of these days is none of these days. |
| 97 | give | Give a man rope enough and he will hang himself |
| 98 | day | Every dog has his day |
| 99 | most | An empty vessel makes the most noise |
| 100 | us | Let us go hand in hand,not one before another |
The following is a breakdown of the 100 most common words in English listed as nouns, verbs, adjectives and/or prepositions.
Nouns 1. time 2. person 3. year 4. way 5. day 6. thing 7. man 8. world 9. life 10. hand 11. part 12. child 13. eye 14. woman 15. place 16. work 17. week 18. case 19. point 20. government 21. company 22. number 23. group 24. problem 25. fact | Verbs 1. be 2. have 3. do 4. say 5. get 6. make 7. go 8. know 9. take 10. see 11. come 12. think 13. look 14. want 15. give 16. use 17. find 18. tell 19. ask 20. work 21. seem 22. feel 23. try 24. leave 25. call | Adjectives 1. good 2. new 3. first 4. last 5. long 6. great 7. little 8. own 9. other 10. old 11. right 12. big 13. high 14. different 15. small 16. large 17. next 18. early 19. young 20. important 21. few 22. public 23. bad 24. same 25. able 26. some | Prepositions 1. to 2. of 3. in 4. for 5. on 6. with 7. at 8. by 9. from 10. up 11. about 12. into 13. over 14. after |
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