More (700) Sight Words
The next 700 words do not need to be learned as emphatically as the first set of three hundred, as there are diminishing returns on their percentage value of English and the time spent in acquiring them by sight can be devoted to other, less basic words as these words will be acquired implicitly along with other reading and writing activities. Students who master the first three hundred words quickly can push on to the next seven hundred of course, to give them a greater sense of accomplishment. The rule of thumb for instant recognition of these words is 2 to 3 seconds, without a second try, although kids may spontaneously correct themselves after an initial error.
The Fourth Hundred Words
| Words 301-325 | Words 326-350 | Words 351-375 | Words 376-400 |
| body
music color stand sun question fish area mark dog horse birds problem complete room knew since ever piece told usually didn't friends easy heard |
order
red door sure become top ship across today during short better best however low hours black products happened whole measure remember early waves reached |
listen
wind rock space covered fast several hold himself toward five step morning passed vowel true hundred against pattern numeral table north slowly money map |
farm
pulled draw voice seen cold cried plan notice south sing war ground fall king town I'll unit figure certain field travel wood fire upon |
The Fifth Hundred Words
| Words 401-425 | Words 426-450 | Words 451-475 | Words 476-500 |
| done
English road halt ten fly gave box finally wait correct oh quickly person became shown minutes strong verb stars front feel fact inches street |
decided
contain course surface produce building ocean class note nothing rest carefully scientists inside wheels stay green known island week less machine base ago stood |
plane
system behind ran round boat game force brought understand warm common bring explain dry though language shape deep thousands yes clear equation yet government |
filled
heat full hot check object am rule among noun power cannot able six size dark ball material special heavy fine pair circle include built |
The Sixth Hundred Words
| Words 501-525 | Words 526-550 | Words 551-575 | Words 576-600 |
| can't
matter square syllables perhaps bill felt suddenly test direction center farmers ready anything divided general energy subject Europe moon region return believe dance members |
picked
simple cells paint mind love cause rain exercise eggs train blue wish drop developed window difference distance heart sit sum summer wall forest probably |
legs
sat main winter wide written length reason kept interest arms brother race present beautiful store job edge past sign record finished discovered wild happy |
beside
gone sky glass million west lay weather root instruments meet third months paragraph raised represent soft whether clothes flowers shall teacher held describe drive |
The Seventh Hundred Words
| Words 601-625 | Words 626-650 | Words 651-675 | Words 676-700 |
| cross
speak solve appear metal son either ice sleep village factors result jumped snow ride care floor hill pushed baby buy century outside everything tall |
already
instead phrase soil bed copy free hope spring case laughed nation quite type themselves temperature bright lead everyone method section lake consonant within dictionary |
hair
age amount scale pounds although per broken moment tiny possible gold milk quiet natural lot stone act build middle speed count cat someone sail |
rolled
bear wonder smiled angle fraction Africa killed melody bottom trip hole poor let's fight surprise French died beat exactly remain dress iron couldn't fingers |
The Eighth Hundred Words
| Words 701-725 | Words 726-750 | Words 751-775 | Words 776-800 |
| row
least catch climbed wrote shouted continued itself else plains gas England burning design joined foot law ears grass you're grew skin valley cents key |
president
brown trouble cool cloud lost sent symbols wear bad save experiment engine alone drawing east pay single touch information express mouth yard equal decimal |
yourself
control practice report straight rise statement stick party seeds suppose woman coast bank period wire choose clean visit bit whose received garden please strange |
caught
fell team God captain direct ring serve child desert increase history cost maybe business separate break uncle hunting flow lady students human art feeling |
The Ninth Hundred Words
| Words 801-825 | Words 826-850 | Words 851-875 | Words 876-900 |
| supply
corner electric insects crops tone hit sand doctor provide thus won't cook bones tail board modern compound mine wasn't fit addition belong safe soldiers |
guess
silent trade rather compare crowd poem enjoy elements indicate except expect flat seven interesting sense string blow famous value wings movement pole exciting branches |
thick
blood lie spot bell fun loud consider suggested thin position entered fruit tied rich dollars send sight chief Japanese stream planets rhythm eight science |
major
observe tube necessary weight meat lifted process army hat property particular swim terms current park sell shoulder industry wash block spread cattle wife sharp |
The Thousandth Words
| Words 901-925 | Words 926-950 | Words 951-975 | Words 976-1000 |
| company
radio we'll action capital factories settled yellow isn't southern truck fair printed wouldn't ahead chance born level triangle molecules France repeated column western church |
sister
oxygen plural various agreed opposite wrong chart prepared pretty solution fresh shop suffix especially shoes actually nose afraid dead sugar adjective fig office huge |
gun
similar death score forward stretched experience rose allow fear workers Washington Greek women brought led march northern create British difficult match win doesn't steel |
total
deal determine evening nor rope cotton apple details entire corn substances smell tools conditions cows track arrived located sir seat division effect underline view |
It ought to be born in mind that these frequency lists are not set in stone and one should expect dialectical as well as historical variation in the frequency pattern of different words or groups of words that are tied to shifts of interest and significance in the semantic and semiotic landscape of English. One would expect variation of the actual frequencies of some words. Even so, the list of the first thousand most frequent words in English is a good place to start for teaching spelling orthography at an elementary level, and for teaching vocabulary to second language learners.
Blanket Copyright, Hugh M. Lewis, © 2005. Use of this text governed by fair use policy--permission to make copies of this text is granted for purposes of research and non-profit instruction only.
Last Updated: 03/14/05