Word Frequency List of American English

1

Word Frequency List of American English

Mark Davies and Dee Gardner

? 2010

These are sample entries (every seventh word, from word #35 on) from the word frequency lists

that are based on the Corpus of Contemporary American English. The full list is available in PDF

eBook format -- $19.95 for the 5,000 word list, $29.95 for 10,000 words, and $39.95 for the full

20,000 word list (nearly 2,000 pages).

Standard introduction

This word frequency list is based on the 400+ million word Corpus of Contemporary American

English (COCA), which is the only large, recent, and genre-balanced corpus of American English. Due

to the characteristics of the corpus on which the data is based, you can be sure that the words that

you find here are ones that you would encounter in the "real world". Because the entries are

arranged in order of frequency, you can maximize your study of English vocabulary in a way that is

probably not available with any other resource.

Other frequency lists are available from . These include frequency and

collocates lists that contain 200-300 collocates for each word (compared to the 20-30 here), for a

total of about 5,000,000 collocates for the 20,000 word list. Unlike this PDF version, the expanded

collocates lists allow you to edit, copy from, and print from the files. On the other hand, those

versions are not formatted as nicely as what you have here, they are more expensive, and they are

designed mainly for use by (computational) linguists.

In addition to the frequency lists, you can also purchase complete 2-gram and 3-gram lists from the

entire 400 million word corpus, containing more than 100 million n-grams. You can also purchase a

printed (book) version of the entries 1-5,000, which was published by Routledge in 2010 as the

Frequency Dictionary of American English: word sketches, collocates, and thematic lists.

Finally, a note on accuracy. We believe that the frequency list itself (the words #1-5,000, 10,000 or

20,000) is very accurate -- probably more so than any other frequency list of English. In addition, the

more than 100,000 collocates for words 1-5,000 have been corrected manually, although there are

undoubtedly a few remaining problems. There are more than 250,000 collocates for the 10,000

word list and more than 500,000 collocates for the 20,000 word list. Because of the number of

collocates, these have not been checked individually for accuracy, although many efforts have been

made to correct the list as a whole.

If you would like to see detailed information on the composition of the corpus, and details on

exactly how the frequency list was created (tokenization, part of speech tagging, lemmatization,

frequency and dispersion calculations, extracting collocates, etc), please see the introductory

material in the book sample.

Thank you for purchasing this frequency list. We hope that it will be a useful tool for you in your

study, teaching, and research of English.

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ALPHABETICAL INDEX

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

PART OF SPEECH INDEX

verb noun adjective adverb function word

(Note: use ALT ¡û to return to indexes from frequency-based entries)

Format of frequency-based entries

Rank frequency (1, 2, 3, ¡­), lemma, part of speech

Collocates

(¡ñ Synonyms, when available)

Raw frequency, dispersion (0.00 ¨C 1.00), (register variation: Spoken, Fiction, Magazines, Newspapers, Academic)

Note that the collocates are grouped by part of speech and ordered by frequency (most frequent first). The * ? +

symbol indicates pre/post placement with regards to the headword.

35 go v

noun ?bed, ?bathroom, ?mile, ?nut, ?berserk, jail misc

?through, let?, ?home, ?away, ?happen, ?ahead, ?beyond,

?sleep, ?anywhere, ?crazy

on what?, ?inside, list?, ?forever, hell?, fighting?, ?length,

?usual, heck?, ?indefinitely off bomb?, alarm?, siren?,

beeper?, bulb?, pager?, ?tangent, firework?, flashbulb?,

firecracker? back let?, ?home, ?forth, ?sleep, ?inside,

?upstairs, ?downstairs, ?jail up ?flame, ?smoke, curtain?,

cheer?, eyebrow?, ?dramatically, roar?,

?chimney down sun?, ?tube, swelling?, ?breakfast,

Titanic out ?dinner, ?public, party, breakfast

¡ñ leave, go away || travel, move || work, run || reach,

extend || become, get || die, pass away

1151045 | 0.93 S

42 her a

she, ?she, hand, mother, ?eye, ?husband, ?own, ?head,

tell?, ?face, ?father, hair, arm, ?daughter

969591 | 0.91 F

49 as i

well, such?, much?, long?, such?, far?, same?, ?result,

?part, ?though, soon?, serve?, ?possible, describe?

¡ñ in the role of, in the function of, having the status of,

being

829018 | 0.95

56 think v

noun people, thing, lot, reason, moment, mistake,

nonsense, coincidence, retrospect misc I?, you, do?, we,

?about, what, well, really, ?important, maybe, probably,

ever, everybody, anybody, frankly

through ?problem, carefully, ?consequence,

?implication, ?situation, opportunity? up ?idea, ?name,

?excuse, whoever?, clever, ?creative back when, ?over

¡ñ reason, contemplate, reflect, ponder || believe, feel,

consider, deem

772787 | 0.91 S

63 take v

noun ?place, ?care, ?look, ?step, ?advantage, action,

?break, picture, ?account, ?risk, position, month,

?responsibility, ?course, approach misc long, ?away,

?seriously, home, ?deep

off ?clothes, ?shoe, plane?, ?hat, ?shirt, ?coat, ?jacket,

?glass, career? out ?loan, ?ad, pocket, ?wallet, ?garbage,

?cigarette, ?trash, ?handkerchief, ?full-page on ?role,

?responsibility, ?meaning, ?task, ?challenge,

?significance, ready?, ?importance up ?space, ?residence,

?position, ?arm, ?cause, ?slack, ?challenge,

?golf over communist?, instinct?, ?CEO

¡ñ remove, appropriate || grasp, grab || carry, fetch ||

conquer, capture || choose, select || accompany, bring

|| undertake, adopt || bear, stand || support, hold up

|| contain, hold || study, learn || consider, look at ||

require, need || derive, draw || presume, assume ||

succeed, work || subtract, deduct

670745 | 0.97

3

70 come v

noun ?term, ?conclusion, minute, ?grip, ?stop, ?rescue,

?stair, me, ?realization, announcement?, verdict, reply,

?fruition, knock, ?prominence misc ?from, when?, ?here,

?home, next, ?together, ?along, ?close, ?forward, soon,

?surprise, ?closer, ?alive, ?clean, tomorrow

up ?next, sun?, ?short, graphics, ?empty-handed,

?renewal, ?parole out ?clean, ?support, toothpick?,

?favor, ?publicly, paperback down ?pike, ?aisle,

?breakfast, ?chimney on oh?, honey, aw?,

?sweetheart back when?, ?haunt, ?anytime

¡ñ arrive, appear, turn up || happen, occur, take place

|| approach, move toward, draw closer || originate,

hail from, derive || reach, extend, stretch

628254 | 0.95

77 then r

back, again, ?turn, since?, until, minute?, ?suddenly,

second?, pause, ?slowly, hesitate?, first?, ?sudden,

briefly

¡ñ at that time, at that moment, at that point || next,

afterward, subsequently || in that case, so, therefore

|| on the other hand, but then, then again || and, in

addition, too

543977 | 0.95

84 way n

adj only, best, long, different, better, easy, wrong,

effective noun people, life, thing, ?thinking, variety?,

harm? verb find?, change, act, pave?, behave, explore,

clear?, interpret, block, alter

¡ñ method, means || condition, circumstances ||

example, feature || custom, style || route, road ||

street, avenue

470401 | 0.98

91 more d

?than, ?year, much?, any, ?million, little?, ?information,

percent, ?money, spend?, ?half, nothing?, lot?, ?hour

420170 | 0.97

98 give v

noun money, ?opportunity, ?birth, name, information,

?look, ?credit, ?sense, advice, ?idea, speech, ?rise,

attention, ?example, ?choice misc ?away, willing?, ?quick,

?extra, ?damn, ?time, freely, charitable, generously

up never?, ?hope, ?run, finally?, willing?, refuse?,

?control, ready?, ?fight, ?hit out ?information, award,

knee?, ticket, ?condom in finally?, ?temptation, refuse?

¡ñ provide, contribute || grant, bestow || impart,

convey || perform, put on || devote, dedicate || yield,

collapse

384503 | 0.98

105 very r

?much, ?good, ?well, ?important, ?difficult, ?little,

?different, ?hard, ?few, ?close, ?strong, ?clear, ?nice,

?interesting

¡ñ extremely, incredibly, awfully, exceptionally,

exceedingly, especially

391821 | 0.92 S

112 through i

run?, pass?, ?door, walk?, ?window, process, air,

?interpreter, ?glass, hole, ?crowd, ?gate, ?forest, ?wood

¡ñ across, past, throughout || during, throughout,

during the course of || via, out of, by way of ||

because of, owing to, due to

340921 | 0.98

119 may v

noun factor, transcript?, finding?, difficulty, symptom,

adolescent, clue, indication, counselor? misc able, able,

although, although, suggest, suggest, cause, cause,

sound, sound, contain, contain, affect, soon, affect

¡ñ might, could, possibly will, may well, may perhaps,

may possibly

324569 | 0.95

126 still r

?alive, ?ahead, ?exist, large, ?struggle, ?plenty, ?asleep,

?intact, perfectly?, ?unknown, ?unclear, ?reel, ?pending,

?infancy

¡ñ even now, even so, in spite of everything, be that as

it may, nevertheless, nonetheless

296953 | 0.97

133 too r

?much, ?many, far, ?late, ?long, little, ?often, ?bad, ?soon,

?fast, ?busy

¡ñ also, as well, in addition, besides || excessively,

overly, extremely, exceedingly

280396 | 0.96

4

140 between i

difference?, ?two, relationship?, connection?,

distinction?, relation?, link?, gap?, correlation?,

significant?, line, conflict?, tension?, interaction?

¡ñ flanked by, sandwiched between, stuck between,

amid || connecting, linking, joining, involving

264158 | 0.94 A

147 family n

adj whole, extended, royal, entire, poor, nuclear,

immediate, wealthy, middle-class, low-income noun

member, friend, child, life, ?history, support, parent,

?planning verb live, raise, own, visit, gather, feed ?,

belong, extend, reunite, ?flee

¡ñ relations, relatives, folks || ancestors, descendants,

dynasty || species, genus, type

243267 | 0.97

154 mean v

noun ?disrespect, compliment misc really, ?anything,

?nothing, necessarily?, exactly, absolutely, obviously,

literally, deal, basically, ?harm, though?, interpret?,

phrase, insult

¡ñ denote, signify, indicate || intend, propose, aim ||

require, lead to, necessitate

242198 | 0.93 S

161 same d

?time, ?as, ?thing, ?way, much?, ?kind, ?period, exactly?,

share?, ?true, ?amount, apply, ?size, exact?

222836 | 0.98

168 talk v

noun ?phone, hour, ?politics, reporter, ?stranger,

neighbor, ?me, trash, counselor, ?nonsense, ?specific,

?whisper, ?smack, pollster, headset misc ?about, let?,

listen, someone, everybody, nobody?, somebody,

anybody, willing?, refuse?, welcome?, ?anymore,

?openly, ?loud, ?publicly

¡ñ communicate, speak, chat || converse, debate,

compare notes || confess, betray, rat

229429 | 0.92 S

175 might v

noun possibility?, clue, indication?, speculation?, Dr,

cynic?, telling?, criteria?, Iraqi?, skeptic? misc well, as,

able, expect, consider, suggest, otherwise, wonder,

whatever, imagine, fear, afraid, affect, worry, useful

¡ñ may, could, possibly will, may well, may perhaps, may

possibly

209059 | 0.98

182 over r

take?, ?year, ?there, turn?, ?again, walk?, hand?, all?,

?shoulder, million, roll?, pull?, lean?

208260 | 0.95

189 company n

adj big, small, major, pharmaceutical, financial, foreign,

holding, electric, independent, Canadian noun

insurance?, oil?, business, stock, drug?, phone?,

executive, employee, record, tobacco? verb sell, ?pay,

own, ?offer, ?operate, ?plan, found, ?announce, force,

form

¡ñ business, corporation, firm || companionship,

friendship, camaraderie || group, band, party ||

visitors, guests, friends || theater company, troupe,

theater group

203345 | 0.93

196 so c

?can, me, OK?, kind, touch, okay?, mm-hmm?

191893 | 0.95

203 small j

noun town, group, business, number, amount,

company, size, child, room, part, piece, house misc

large, relatively?, ?rural, ?wooden, ?round, chop,

?medium, fairly?, ?medium-sized

¡ñ little, minute, tiny, diminutive || minor, unimportant,

trivial, slight

185463 | 0.97

210 live v

noun people?, life, year, family, house, city, home,

?area, parent, ?street, ?poverty, town, month, writer?,

?mile misc who?, where?, ?here, ?there, long, ?up,

?together

out ?life, ?fantasy, ?dream, ?faith, ?rest, ?final, gospel,

?ideal, ?remainder on ?less, enough?, legacy?, memory,

spirit?, ?forever, legend?, tradition? in we?, ?house,

world, ?neighborhood, ?town, ?society, ?building, today

¡ñ exist, be alive, be in this world, survive || reside, stay,

have your home, dwell

176144 | 0.98

217 happen v

noun thing?, accident?, event?, stuff?, incident?, miracle?,

tragedy?, ?me, disaster?, ?anytime misc something?,

nothing?, never?, ?again, really?, ?next, anything?, ever?,

whatever?, bad?, exactly?, everything?, actually?

¡ñ occur, come about, take place, ensue || occur, come

about, take place, ensue

182714 | 0.93 S

5

224 must v

noun teacher?, educator?, caution, employer?,

applicant?, provider?, plaintiff?, military? misc

?understand, ?consider, therefore, ?recognize, ?address,

realize, ?admit, ?accept, surely, ?carefully, ?ensure,

?careful, ?aware

¡ñ have to, have got to, be obliged to, ought to, should,

be required to

171043 | 0.96

231 area n

adj rural, urban, metropolitan, major, certain, remote,

particular, surrounding, residential, key noun study, ski?,

metro?, resident, park, subject?, development,

wilderness?, surface?, population verb live?, cover,

identify, locate, surround, populate?, explore, expand,

search, concentrate?

¡ñ part, zone, extent || neighborhood, locale, vicinity ||

subject, topic, field

165812 | 0.95

238 different j

noun way, kind, people, thing, type, group, level, story,

place, view, part, culture misc from, very?, something?,

each, quite?, completely?, several?, entirely?

¡ñ dissimilar, diverse, unlike || distinct, separate,

discrete || unusual, special, singular

162411 | 0.96

245 word n

adj other, key, final, single, written, spoken, exact, very,

harsh, dirty noun ?mouth, meaning, use?, language,

?processor, sound, choice, kind, ?processing, war verb

hear?, speak, write, read, spread, ?describe, utter,

choose, repeat, search?

¡ñ term, expression || chat, conversation ||

information, news || rumor, buzz || promise,

assurance || command, order || password, code word

152891 | 0.97

252 head n

adj bald, shaved, severed, ugly, round, blond, balding,

femoral noun back, side, ?start, ?shoulder, top?, ?state,

hair, ?neck, arm, department verb shake?, turn, nod?,

tilt, lift?, hit?, raise?, stick?, bow, cock

¡ñ skull, cranium, pate || mind, intelligence, intellect ||

boss, chief, leader || introduction, beginning, start ||

top, peak, crown

160131 | 0.91 F

259 yes u

oh?, right, ?sir, no, answer?, ?course, ?ma'am, yeah, OK,

absolutely, ?indeed, hello

¡ñ all right, okay, sure, why not? || aye, yeah, indeed,

absolutely

157364 | 0.89 S

266 friend n

adj best, old, close, closest, longtime, dear, mutual,

male noun family, relative, school, member, house,

group, brother, childhood?, help, sister verb tell, meet,

visit, invite, gather, introduce, date, greet, betray,

entertain?

¡ñ pal, buddy, chum || acquaintance, contact, colleague

|| ally, supporter, well-wisher

142697 | 0.96

273 hour n

adj long, full, past, wee, extra, countless, endless,

flexible, odd, awake noun ?day, minute, mile?, ?week,

couple?, night, morning, ?half, rush?, number? verb

spend?, take, work, talk, wait, last?, drive, ?pass, arrive

¡ñ 60 minutes, time, period, o'clock || time, period, era,

age

138955 | 0.96

280 among i

?other, ?them, ?those, most, ?group, ?American,

?member, difference?, ?themselves, common?, rate?,

relationship?, especially?, leader

¡ñ in the middle of, in the midst of, amongst || with,

along with, amongst || as well as, including, in addition

to

138192 | 0.94

287 pay v

noun ?attention, tax, price, ?bill, money, fee, company?,

?debt, dollar, cost, ?rent, insurance, salary, cash, wage

misc ?for, much, ?million, willing?, enough, agree?,

?close, ?extra, afford?

off ?debt, loan, work?, ?mortgage, ?card, ?credit, effort?,

investment?, ?handsomely, gamble? down ?debt,

?national, budget?, credit, ?mortgage, surplus?

¡ñ disburse, reimburse, shell out, compensate, forfeit,

recompense

133133 | 0.96

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