100 Most Common Spanish Words
Learning the most frequent Spanish words is a smart way to build a strong foundation. Linguists estimate that knowing the 1,000 most common words allows you to understand around 87.8 % of everyday conversations. Below is a selection of the most common words with English translations and audio pronunciations. Listen and repeat to practice your pronunciation.
| Spanish | English | Audio |
|---|---|---|
| el | the (masculine) | |
| la | the (feminine) | |
| de | of/from | |
| que | that/which | |
| y | and | |
| a | to | |
| en | in/on | |
| un | a/an (masculine) | |
| ser | to be | |
| se | oneself / pronoun | |
| no | no/not | |
| haber | to have (auxiliary) | |
| por | for/by | |
| con | with | |
| su | his/her/their | |
| para | for/to | |
| como | like/as | |
| estar | to be | |
| tener | to have | |
| le | to him/her |
These are just the beginning of the 100 most common words. Continue practicing by saying them out loud and using them in your sentences. Pairing words with audio helps you internalize pronunciation and rhythm.