The 100 Most Common German Words, With Meaning and Examples
The most common German words are short function words. According to Duden’s analysis of its text corpus, the top five are the article der/die/das, in, sein (to be), und and ein. The 100 most common German words below are grouped by type, each with its meaning and one example sentence.
Where this list comes from
- Words with a rank (1–50): Duden’s list of the most frequent words in German-language texts (Dudenkorpus). Duden counts base forms, so ist, war and bin all count as sein, and the article der, die, das counts as one word.
- Words without a rank (the other 50): Duden publishes only 50 ranks. We added the words from Duden’s top-10 lists of nouns, verbs and adjectives (for all texts and for novels) and high-frequency words from the University of Leipzig’s Wortschatz list. These are not ranked against each other.
Checked in October 2026 against Duden’s article on the most frequent words in the Dudenkorpus and the Wortschatz Leipzig frequency list.
One limit: these lists come from written texts. Words you hear all day in conversation (ja, nein, hier, bitte, danke) rank lower than they would in spoken German, so learn them too. And because the article is word number one, always learn nouns with it: see our der, die, das rules.
The 100 most common German words by type
Articles and determiners (5)
| Word | Duden rank | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| der, die, das | 1 | the | Der Zug kommt um acht. (The train comes at eight.) |
| ein, eine | 5 | a, an | Ich habe eine Frage. (I have a question.) |
| dieser, diese, dieses | 25 | this | Dieses Zimmer ist frei. (This room is free.) |
| alle | 48 | all | Alle sind da. (Everyone is here.) |
| kein, keine | 50 | no, not a | Ich habe keine Zeit. (I have no time.) |
Pronouns (10)
| Word | Duden rank | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| sich | 14 | himself, herself, themselves (reflexive) | Er freut sich. (He is happy.) |
| es | 15 | it | Es regnet. (It is raining.) |
| der, die, das (relative) | 17 | who, which, that | der Arzt, der mir hilft (the doctor who helps me) |
| er | 19 | he, it | Er arbeitet im Krankenhaus. (He works in the hospital.) |
| sie / Sie | 22 | she, they; Sie = formal you | Sie wohnt in Köln. (She lives in Cologne.) |
| ihr | 27 | you (plural); her, their | Kommt ihr mit? (Are you coming along?) |
| ich | 31 | I | Ich heiße Ana. (My name is Ana.) |
| wir | 34 | we | Wir fangen um sieben an. (We start at seven.) |
| man | 45 | one, you, people | Wie sagt man das auf Deutsch? (How do you say that in German?) |
| was | what | Was machst du heute? (What are you doing today?) |
Verbs (12)
| Word | Duden rank | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| sein | 3 | to be | Ich bin müde. (I am tired.) |
| haben | 8 | to have | Wir haben einen Termin. (We have an appointment.) |
| werden | 9 | to become; will; passive | Es wird kalt. (It is getting cold.) |
| können | 23 | can, to be able to | Kannst du mir helfen? (Can you help me?) |
| sagen | 40 | to say | Was hat er gesagt? (What did he say?) |
| müssen | 42 | must, to have to | Ich muss arbeiten. (I have to work.) |
| geben | 43 | to give; es gibt = there is | Es gibt keinen Parkplatz. (There is no parking space.) |
| sollen | 44 | should, to be supposed to | Was soll ich mitbringen? (What should I bring?) |
| wollen | to want | Ich will Ärztin werden. (I want to become a doctor.) | |
| kommen | to come | Woher kommst du? (Where are you from?) | |
| sehen | to see | Wir sehen uns morgen. (See you tomorrow.) | |
| gehen | to go | Wie geht es Ihnen? (How are you?) |
More on these: German modal verbs and the three jobs of werden in wurde vs würde.
Prepositions (20)
| Word | Duden rank | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| in | 2 | in, into | Ich wohne in Hamburg. (I live in Hamburg.) |
| zu | 6 | to; too | Ich gehe zum Arzt. (I am going to the doctor.) |
| von | 7 | from, of, by | ein Geschenk von meiner Mutter (a present from my mother) |
| mit | 10 | with; by (transport) | Ich fahre mit dem Bus. (I go by bus.) |
| an | 11 | at, on (a wall), to | an der Wand (on the wall) |
| für | 12 | for | Das ist für dich. (That is for you.) |
| auf | 13 | on (top of) | auf dem Tisch (on the table) |
| bei | 21 | at (a place, a company), with | Ich arbeite bei einem Pflegedienst. (I work for a home care service.) |
| aus | 24 | from (origin), out of | Ich komme aus Portugal. (I am from Portugal.) |
| nach | 29 | after; to (cities, countries) | nach der Arbeit (after work) |
| um | 32 | at (clock time), around | um neun Uhr (at nine o’clock) |
| über | 38 | over, about | über das Wetter sprechen (to talk about the weather) |
| vor | 41 | in front of; before; ago | Ich habe vor zwei Jahren angefangen. (I started two years ago.) |
| bis | 47 | until, by | Ich arbeite bis 17 Uhr. (I work until 5 p.m.) |
| durch | through | durch die Stadt (through the city) | |
| gegen | against; around (time) | Ich komme gegen acht. (I will come around eight.) | |
| unter | under, among | unter dem Bett (under the bed) | |
| ohne | without | Einen Kaffee ohne Zucker, bitte. (A coffee without sugar, please.) | |
| seit | since, for (still ongoing) | Ich lerne seit einem Jahr Deutsch. (I have been learning German for a year.) | |
| ab | from (a point in time on) | ab Montag (from Monday on) |
Connectors (10)
| Word | Duden rank | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| und | 4 | and | Kaffee und Kuchen (coffee and cake) |
| als | 20 | than; as; when (once, past) | Sie ist älter als ich. (She is older than me.) |
| dass | 26 | that | Ich glaube, dass er recht hat. (I think that he is right.) |
| wie | 30 | how; like, as | Wie spät ist es? (What time is it?) |
| aber | 35 | but | Das Zimmer ist klein, aber hell. (The room is small but bright.) |
| oder | 46 | or | Tee oder Kaffee? (Tea or coffee?) |
| wenn | if, when, whenever | Wenn du Zeit hast, ruf mich an. (If you have time, call me.) | |
| weil | because | …, weil ich krank bin. (… because I am ill.) | |
| sondern | but (rather), after a negation | Nicht heute, sondern morgen. (Not today, but tomorrow.) | |
| damit | so that | …, damit du mich verstehst. (… so that you understand me.) |
Adverbs and particles (15)
| Word | Duden rank | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| nicht | 16 | not | Ich verstehe das nicht. (I don’t understand that.) |
| auch | 18 | also, too | Ich komme auch. (I am coming too.) |
| viel | 28 | much, a lot | Ich arbeite viel. (I work a lot.) |
| so | 36 | so, like this | So geht das. (That is how it works.) |
| noch | 37 | still, yet, another | Noch einen Kaffee? (Another coffee?) |
| nur | 39 | only | nur ein bisschen (only a little) |
| mehr | more | Ich brauche mehr Zeit. (I need more time.) | |
| schon | already | Bist du schon fertig? (Are you finished already?) | |
| dann | then | Und dann? (And then?) | |
| wieder | again | Er ist wieder krank. (He is ill again.) | |
| immer | always | Der Bus ist immer voll. (The bus is always full.) | |
| doch | yes (contradicting a negative question); after all | Kommst du nicht? – Doch! (Aren’t you coming? – Yes, I am!) | |
| jetzt | now | Ich habe jetzt Feierabend. (I am off work now.) | |
| da | there, here (present) | Ist Frau Weber da? (Is Ms Weber in?) | |
| heute | today | Heute habe ich frei. (I am off today.) |
Numbers (2)
| Word | Duden rank | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| zwei | two | Ich habe zwei Kinder. (I have two children.) | |
| drei | three | Wir bleiben drei Tage. (We are staying three days.) |
Adjectives (12)
| Word | Duden rank | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| neu | 49 | new | Ich habe eine neue Stelle. (I have a new job.) |
| groß | big, tall | Die Wohnung ist groß. (The flat is big.) | |
| erst- | first | Das ist mein erster Tag. (This is my first day.) | |
| ander- | other, different | Haben Sie eine andere Größe? (Do you have another size?) | |
| weit | far | Ist es weit? (Is it far?) | |
| gut | good, well | Das schmeckt gut. (That tastes good.) | |
| klein | small | Wir haben ein kleines Problem. (We have a small problem.) | |
| eigen | own | Sie hat ein eigenes Zimmer. (She has her own room.) | |
| alt | old | Wie alt bist du? (How old are you?) | |
| ganz | whole; quite | den ganzen Tag (the whole day) | |
| letzt- | last | Letzte Woche war ich krank. (Last week I was ill.) | |
| lang | long | Der Tag war lang. (The day was long.) |
Nouns (14)
| Word | Duden rank | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| das Jahr, -e | 33 | year | letztes Jahr (last year) |
| die Uhr, -en | clock, watch; o’clock | Es ist acht Uhr. (It is eight o’clock.) | |
| der Mensch, -en | person, human being | Er ist ein netter Mensch. (He is a nice person.) | |
| der Tag, -e | day | Guten Tag! (Hello! / Good day!) | |
| die Zeit, -en | time | Hast du kurz Zeit? (Do you have a minute?) | |
| das Land, ¨-er | country; countryside | Aus welchem Land kommen Sie? (Which country are you from?) | |
| das Kind, -er | child | Das Kind schläft. (The child is sleeping.) | |
| der Mann, ¨-er | man; husband | Mein Mann arbeitet als Koch. (My husband works as a cook.) | |
| die Frau, -en | woman; wife; Ms/Mrs | Frau Müller ist heute nicht da. (Ms Müller is not in today.) | |
| die Hand, ¨-e | hand | Hände waschen (to wash your hands) | |
| das Auge, -n | eye | Mir tun die Augen weh. (My eyes hurt.) | |
| der Kopf, ¨-e | head | Mein Kopf tut weh. (My head hurts.) | |
| der Vater, ¨ | father | mein Vater (my father) | |
| die Mutter, ¨ | mother | Meine Mutter ruft an. (My mother is calling.) |
Practise your German out loud with SipLingo, free to try on iPhone and Android:
20 basic German words for beginners
Frequency is not usefulness: Prozent is frequent in newspapers, Termin is what you need at the doctor’s. Our selection for daily life (not a frequency ranking):
| 10 nouns | 10 verbs |
|---|---|
| der Termin, -e (appointment) | sein (to be) |
| die Arbeit, -en (work) | haben (to have) |
| die Wohnung, -en (flat) | können (can) |
| die Frage, -n (question) | müssen (must) |
| das Problem, -e (problem) | möchten (would like) |
| der Arzt, ¨-e / die Ärztin, -nen (doctor) | gehen (to go) |
| das Geld (money) | kommen (to come) |
| die Zeit, -en (time) | machen (to do, make) |
| der Tag, -e (day) | brauchen (to need) |
| die Uhr, -en (clock; o’clock) | verstehen (to understand) |
How to learn the most common German words
- Learn chunks, not single words. Zu alone means little; zum Arzt, zu Hause and zu spät are what you say. Keep the example sentence with every word.
- Say every example aloud. Function words are short and unstressed; reading each sentence aloud three times trains their rhythm.
- Use spaced repetition: 10 cards a day with article, plural and example, and the whole list takes ten days. See Anki for German vocabulary.
- Prioritise. Why a small core covers most situations is explained in our 80/20 rule for German.
- Use them in speech within a week. Recognising sondern on a card is not producing it. SipLingo gives you voice conversations with an AI partner in everyday situations (doctor, renting a flat, work), with corrections on grammar, word order and vocabulary explained in your own language, and tap-to-translate with pronunciation for new words. Practise the words in real conversations.
How many words do you need to speak German?
There is no official number for “speaking German”. The Goethe-Institut publishes word lists for its lower-level exams; our post on how many words you need for B1 German covers them. In practice, these 100 words plus a few hundred everyday nouns and verbs carry simple conversations.
Official sources
For the official details and the latest updates, see:
- DWDS (Berlin-Brandenburg Academy): DWDS – Digital Dictionary of the German Language – Free dictionary with meanings, word frequency and typical word combinations
- Goethe-Institut: Goethe A1 Start Deutsch 1 word list (PDF) – ~650 A1 words and everyday expressions by topic, with example sentences
Frequently asked questions
What are the most common German words?
In Duden’s corpus analysis: der/die/das, in, sein, und, ein, zu, von, haben, werden and mit, mostly short function words.
Can you give me 20 basic German words?
Termin, Arbeit, Wohnung, Frage, Problem, Arzt, Geld, Zeit, Tag, Uhr, plus the verbs sein, haben, können, müssen, möchten, gehen, kommen, machen, brauchen and verstehen.
What is the most used word in German?
The definite article der/die/das, ranked first by Duden.
How many words do I need to speak German?
There is no official number for speaking. A few hundred well-practised words already allow simple everyday conversations.
What are the most important German verbs?
Duden’s most frequent verbs are sein, haben, werden, können, sagen, müssen, sollen, geben, wollen and kommen.
Know the words, now say them out loud. SipLingo lets you practise real German conversations and corrects you in your own language, from A1 to B2.
