The Origins and Impact of Dr. Fry's Top 1,000 Commonly Used English Words Words

Discover the fascinating origins and impact of Dr. Edward Fry's top 1,000 English words. Explore how this frequently used word list has influenced English language education and learning, and how it continues to assist learners in building a strong foundation in the language.

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Dr. Edward Fry's top 1,000 English words 1-100

  1. a
  2. about
  3. all
  4. an
  5. and
  6. are
  7. as
  8. at
  9. be
  10. been
  11. but
  12. by
  13. called
  14. can
  15. come
  16. could
  17. day
  18. did
  19. do
  20. down
  21. each
  22. find
  23. first
  24. for
  25. from
  26. get
  27. go
  28. had
  29. has
  30. have
  31. he
  32. her
  33. him
  34. his
  35. how
  36. I
  37. if
  38. in
  39. into
  40. is
  41. it
  42. like
  43. long
  44. look
  45. made
  46. make
  47. many
  48. may
  49. more
  50. my
  51. no
  52. not
  53. now
  54. number
  55. of
  56. oil
  57. on
  58. one
  59. or
  60. other
  61. out
  62. part
  63. people
  64. said
  65. see
  66. she
  67. sit
  68. so
  69. some
  70. than
  71. that
  72. the
  73. their
  74. them
  75. then
  76. there
  77. these
  78. they
  79. this
  80. time
  81. to
  82. two
  83. up
  84. use
  85. was
  86. water
  87. way
  88. we
  89. were
  90. what
  91. when
  92. which
  93. who
  94. will
  95. with
  96. words
  97. would
  98. write
  99. you
  100. your

Dr. Edward Fry's top 1,000 English words 101-200

  1. after
  2. again
  3. air
  4. also
  5. America
  6. animal
  7. another
  8. answer
  9. any
  10. around
  11. ask
  12. away
  13. back
  14. because
  15. before
  16. big
  17. boy
  18. came
  19. change
  20. different
  21. does
  22. end
  23. even
  24. follow
  25. form
  26. found
  27. give
  28. good
  29. great
  30. hand
  31. help
  32. here
  33. home
  34. house
  35. just
  36. kind
  37. know
  38. land
  39. large
  40. learn
  41. letter
  42. line
  43. little
  44. live
  45. man
  46. me
  47. means
  48. men
  49. most
  50. mother
  51. move
  52. much
  53. must
  54. name
  55. need
  56. new
  57. off
  58. old
  59. only
  60. our
  61. over
  62. page
  63. picture
  64. place
  65. play
  66. point
  67. put
  68. read
  69. right
  70. same
  71. say
  72. sentence
  73. set
  74. should
  75. show
  76. small
  77. sound
  78. spell
  79. still
  80. study
  81. such
  82. take
  83. tell
  84. things
  85. think
  86. three
  87. through
  88. too
  89. try
  90. turn
  91. us
  92. very
  93. want
  94. well
  95. went
  96. where
  97. why
  98. work
  99. world
  100. years

Dr. Edward Fry's top 1,000 English words 201-300

  1. above
  2. add
  3. almost
  4. along
  5. always
  6. began
  7. begin
  8. being
  9. below
  10. between
  11. book
  12. both
  13. car
  14. carry
  15. children
  16. city
  17. close
  18. country
  19. cut
  20. don’t
  21. earth
  22. eat
  23. enough
  24. every
  25. example
  26. eyes
  27. face
  28. family
  29. far
  30. father
  31. feet
  32. few
  33. food
  34. four
  35. girl
  36. got
  37. group
  38. grow
  39. hard
  40. head
  41. hear
  42. high
  43. idea
  44. important
  45. Indian
  46. it’s
  47. keep
  48. last
  49. late
  50. leave
  51. left
  52. let
  53. life
  54. light
  55. list
  56. might
  57. mile
  58. miss
  59. mountains
  60. near
  61. never
  62. next
  63. night
  64. often
  65. once
  66. open
  67. own
  68. paper
  69. plant
  70. real
  71. river
  72. run
  73. saw
  74. school
  75. sea
  76. second
  77. seem
  78. side
  79. something
  80. sometimes
  81. song
  82. soon
  83. start
  84. state
  85. stop
  86. story
  87. talk
  88. those
  89. thought
  90. together
  91. took
  92. tree
  93. under
  94. until
  95. walk
  96. watch
  97. while
  98. white
  99. without
  100. young

Dr. Edward Fry's top 1,000 English words 301-400

  1. across
  2. against
  3. area
  4. become
  5. best
  6. better
  7. birds
  8. black
  9. body
  10. certain
  11. cold
  12. color
  13. complete
  14. covered
  15. cried
  16. didn’t
  17. dog
  18. door
  19. draw
  20. during
  21. early
  22. easy
  23. ever
  24. fall
  25. farm
  26. fast
  27. field
  28. figure
  29. fire
  30. fish
  31. five
  32. friends
  33. ground
  34. happened
  35. heard
  36. himself
  37. hold
  38. horse
  39. hours
  40. however
  41. hundred
  42. I’ll
  43. king
  44. knew
  45. listen
  46. low
  47. map
  48. mark
  49. measure
  50. money
  51. morning
  52. music
  53. north
  54. notice
  55. numeral
  56. order
  57. passed
  58. pattern
  59. piece
  60. plan
  61. problem
  62. products
  63. pulled
  64. questions
  65. reached
  66. red
  67. remember
  68. rock
  69. room
  70. seen
  71. several
  72. ship
  73. short
  74. since
  75. sing
  76. slowly
  77. south
  78. space
  79. stand
  80. step
  81. sun
  82. sure
  83. table
  84. today
  85. told
  86. top
  87. toward
  88. town
  89. travel
  90. TRUE
  91. unit
  92. upon
  93. usually
  94. voice
  95. vowel
  96. war
  97. waves
  98. whole
  99. wind
  100. wood

Dr. Edward Fry's top 1,000 English words 401-500

  1. able
  2. ago
  3. am
  4. among
  5. ball
  6. base
  7. became
  8. behind
  9. boat
  10. box
  11. bring
  12. brought
  13. building
  14. built
  15. cannot
  16. carefully
  17. check
  18. circle
  19. class
  20. clear
  21. common
  22. contain
  23. correct
  24. course
  25. dark
  26. decided
  27. deep
  28. done
  29. dry
  30. English
  31. equation
  32. explain
  33. fact
  34. feel
  35. filled
  36. finally
  37. fine
  38. fly
  39. force
  40. front
  41. full
  42. game
  43. gave
  44. government
  45. green
  46. half
  47. heat
  48. heavy
  49. hot
  50. inches
  51. include
  52. inside
  53. island
  54. known
  55. language
  56. less
  57. machine
  58. material
  59. minutes
  60. note
  61. nothing
  62. noun
  63. object
  64. ocean
  65. oh
  66. pair
  67. person
  68. plane
  69. power
  70. produce
  71. quickly
  72. ran
  73. rest
  74. road
  75. round
  76. rule
  77. scientists
  78. shape
  79. shown
  80. six
  81. size
  82. special
  83. stars
  84. stay
  85. stood
  86. street
  87. strong
  88. surface
  89. system
  90. ten
  91. though
  92. thousands
  93. understand
  94. verb
  95. wait
  96. warm
  97. week
  98. wheels
  99. yes
  100. yet

Dr. Edward Fry's top 1,000 English words 501-600

  1. anything
  2. arms
  3. beautiful
  4. believe
  5. beside
  6. bill
  7. blue
  8. brother
  9. can’t
  10. cause
  11. cells
  12. center
  13. clothes
  14. dance
  15. describe
  16. developed
  17. difference
  18. direction
  19. discovered
  20. distance
  21. divided
  22. drive
  23. drop
  24. edge
  25. eggs
  26. energy
  27. Europe
  28. exercise
  29. farmers
  30. felt
  31. finished
  32. flowers
  33. forest
  34. general
  35. gone
  36. grass
  37. happy
  38. heart
  39. held
  40. instruments
  41. interest
  42. job
  43. kept
  44. lay
  45. legs
  46. length
  47. love
  48. main
  49. matter
  50. meet
  51. members
  52. million
  53. mind
  54. months
  55. moon
  56. paint
  57. paragraph
  58. past
  59. perhaps
  60. picked
  61. present
  62. probably
  63. race
  64. rain
  65. raised
  66. ready
  67. reason
  68. record
  69. region
  70. represent
  71. return
  72. root
  73. sat
  74. shall
  75. sign
  76. simple
  77. site
  78. sky
  79. soft
  80. square
  81. store
  82. subject
  83. suddenly
  84. sum
  85. summer
  86. syllables
  87. teacher
  88. test
  89. third
  90. train
  91. wall
  92. weather
  93. west
  94. whether
  95. wide
  96. wild
  97. window
  98. winter
  99. wish
  100. written

Dr. Edward Fry's top 1,000 English words 601-700

  1. act
  2. Africa
  3. age
  4. already
  5. although
  6. amount
  7. angle
  8. appear
  9. baby
  10. bear
  11. beat
  12. bed
  13. bottom
  14. bright
  15. broken
  16. build
  17. buy
  18. care
  19. case
  20. cat
  21. century
  22. consonant
  23. copy
  24. couldn’t
  25. count
  26. cross
  27. dictionary
  28. died
  29. dress
  30. either
  31. everyone
  32. everything
  33. exactly
  34. factors
  35. fight
  36. fingers
  37. floor
  38. fraction
  39. free
  40. French
  41. gold
  42. hair
  43. hill
  44. hole
  45. hope
  46. ice
  47. instead
  48. iron
  49. jumped
  50. killed
  51. lake
  52. laughed
  53. lead
  54. let’s
  55. lot
  56. melody
  57. metal
  58. method
  59. middle
  60. milk
  61. moment
  62. nation
  63. natural
  64. outside
  65. per
  66. phrase
  67. poor
  68. possible
  69. pounds
  70. pushed
  71. quiet
  72. quite
  73. remain
  74. result
  75. ride
  76. rolled
  77. sail
  78. scale
  79. section
  80. sleep
  81. smiled
  82. snow
  83. soil
  84. solve
  85. someone
  86. son
  87. speak
  88. speed
  89. spring
  90. stone
  91. surprise
  92. tall
  93. temperature
  94. themselves
  95. tiny
  96. trip
  97. type
  98. village
  99. within
  100. wonder

Dr. Edward Fry's top 1,000 English words 701-800

  1. alone
  2. art
  3. bad
  4. bank
  5. bit
  6. break
  7. brown
  8. burning
  9. business
  10. captain
  11. catch
  12. caught
  13. cents
  14. child
  15. choose
  16. clean
  17. climbed
  18. cloud
  19. coast
  20. continued
  21. control
  22. cool
  23. cost
  24. decimal
  25. desert
  26. design
  27. direct
  28. drawing
  29. ears
  30. east
  31. else
  32. engine
  33. England
  34. equal
  35. experiment
  36. express
  37. feeling
  38. fell
  39. flow
  40. foot
  41. garden
  42. gas
  43. glass
  44. God
  45. grew
  46. history
  47. human
  48. hunting
  49. increase
  50. information
  51. itself
  52. joined
  53. key
  54. lady
  55. law
  56. least
  57. lost
  58. maybe
  59. mouth
  60. party
  61. pay
  62. period
  63. plains
  64. please
  65. practice
  66. president
  67. received
  68. report
  69. ring
  70. rise
  71. row
  72. save
  73. seeds
  74. sent
  75. separate
  76. serve
  77. shouted
  78. single
  79. skin
  80. statement
  81. stick
  82. straight
  83. strange
  84. students
  85. suppose
  86. symbols
  87. team
  88. touch
  89. trouble
  90. uncle
  91. valley
  92. visit
  93. wear
  94. whose
  95. wire
  96. woman
  97. wrote
  98. yard
  99. you’re
  100. yourself

Dr. Edward Fry's top 1,000 English words 801-900

  1. addition
  2. army
  3. bell
  4. belong
  5. block
  6. blood
  7. blow
  8. board
  9. bones
  10. branches
  11. cattle
  12. chief
  13. compare
  14. compound
  15. consider
  16. cook
  17. corner
  18. crops
  19. crowd
  20. current
  21. doctor
  22. dollars
  23. eight
  24. electric
  25. elements
  26. enjoy
  27. entered
  28. except
  29. exciting
  30. expect
  31. famous
  32. fit
  33. flat
  34. fruit
  35. fun
  36. guess
  37. hat
  38. hit
  39. indicate
  40. industry
  41. insects
  42. interesting
  43. Japanese
  44. lie
  45. lifted
  46. loud
  47. major
  48. mall
  49. meat
  50. mine
  51. modern
  52. movement
  53. necessary
  54. observe
  55. park
  56. particular
  57. planets
  58. poem
  59. pole
  60. position
  61. process
  62. property
  63. provide
  64. rather
  65. rhythm
  66. rich
  67. safe
  68. sand
  69. science
  70. sell
  71. send
  72. sense
  73. seven
  74. sharp
  75. shoulder
  76. sight
  77. silent
  78. soldiers
  79. spot
  80. spread
  81. stream
  82. string
  83. suggested
  84. supply
  85. swim
  86. terms
  87. thick
  88. thin
  89. thus
  90. tied
  91. tone
  92. trade
  93. tube
  94. value
  95. wash
  96. wasn’t
  97. weight
  98. wife
  99. wings
  100. won’t

Dr. Edward Fry's top 1,000 English words 901-1000

  1. action
  2. actually
  3. adjective
  4. afraid
  5. agreed
  6. ahead
  7. allow
  8. apple
  9. arrived
  10. born
  11. bought
  12. British
  13. capital
  14. chance
  15. chart
  16. church
  17. column
  18. company
  19. conditions
  20. corn | Research on Corn Varieties
  21. cotton
  22. cows
  23. create
  24. dead
  25. deal
  26. death
  27. details
  28. determine
  29. difficult
  30. division
  31. doesn’t
  32. effect
  33. entire
  34. especially
  35. evening
  36. experience
  37. factories
  38. fair
  39. fear
  40. fig
  41. forward
  42. France
  43. fresh
  44. Greek
  45. gun
  46. hoe
  47. huge
  48. isn’t
  49. led
  50. level
  51. located
  52. march
  53. match
  54. molecules
  55. northern
  56. nose
  57. office
  58. opposite
  59. oxygen
  60. plural
  61. prepared
  62. pretty
  63. printed
  64. radio
  65. repeated
  66. rope
  67. rose
  68. score
  69. seat
  70. settled
  71. shoes
  72. shop
  73. similar
  74. sir
  75. sister
  76. smell
  77. solution
  78. southern
  79. steel
  80. stretched
  81. substances
  82. suffix
  83. sugar
  84. tools
  85. total
  86. track
  87. triangle
  88. truck
  89. underline
  90. various
  91. view
  92. Washington
  93. we’ll
  94. western
  95. win
  96. women
  97. workers
  98. wouldn’t
  99. wrong
  100. yellow
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