Essential words
The 1,000 words learners look up most, by CEFR level. Start at your level and work up.
A1 · 375
- about
- above
- across
- action
- activity
- actor
- add
- address
- advice
- afraid
- again
- age
- ago
- agree
- air
- always
- and
- animal
- answer
- anything
- apple
- area
- ARM
- around
- art
- article
- as
- asia
- ask
- at
- baby
- bad
- bag
- band
- bank
- be
- because
- become
- bed
- been
- believe
- better
- big
- blue
- boat
- book
- box
- boy
- break
- build
- business
- busy
- by
- call
- capital
- carry
- center
- chair
- change
- cheap
- chicken
- china
- chinese
- choose
- christmas
- class
- clean
- club
- college
- color
- come
- common
- complete
- conversation
- cool
- correct
- could
- country
- course
- create
- culture
- cup
- dance
- dark
- date
- daughter
- design
- die
- difficult
- do
- dog
- door
- draw
- dress
- drink
- easy
- eat
- end
- enough
- event
- ever
- example
- explain
- extra
- eye
- face
- fact
- family
- farm
- fast
- few
- fifth
- fill
- film
- find
- fire
- first
- five
- flight
- floor
- follow
- football
- for
- forget
- form
- fourth
- free
- french
- full
- game
- get
- girl
- give
- glass
- green
- group
- guess
- hair
- hand
- happen
- hard
- have
- head
- health
- hear
- hello
- help
- history
- holiday
- horse
- hospital
- hot
- hotel
- hour
- however
- ice
- if
- imagine
- in
- include
- interest
- internet
- interview
- it
- japan
- job
- journey
- keep
- key
- know
- korea
- language
- large
- late
- laugh
- learn
- learned
- left
- leg
- letter
- library
- light
- line
- listen
- local
- long
- looking
- lose
- lot
- love
- lunch
- machine
- made
- magazine
- many
- match
- may
- meaning
- meat
- meet
- meeting
- member
- message
- milk
- miss
- model
- monday
- money
- more
- most
- mother
- mouth
- much
- music
- must
- name
- natural
- negative
- night
- not
- note
- nothing
- now
- number
- office
- often
- on
- once
- one
- online
- only
- open
- order
- out
- over
- own
- pair
- paper
- park
- part
- partner
- party
- people
- perfect
- period
- person
- personal
- picture
- piece
- place
- plane
- plant
- play
- please
- point
- poor
- positive
- post
- practice
- present
- pretty
- problem
- project
- quarter
- question
- quite
- rain
- read
- real
- reason
- red
- remember
- result
- return
- rich
- right
- road
- room
- rule
- russian
- say
- science
- sea
- section
- sell
- send
- she
- shop
- short
- should
- show
- sick
- sit
- situation
- slow
- so
- some
- soon
- sorry
- space
- speak
- special
- spend
- sport
- spring
- star
- statement
- station
- stop
- story
- strong
- study
- style
- sugar
- sunday
- sure
- table
- take
- taken
- tea
- team
- terrible
- test
- text
- thank
- the
- then
- there
- they
- thing
- title
- tom
- traffic
- train
- travel
- trip
- true
- turn
- twenty
- two
- type
- under
- understand
- us
- visit
- walk
- want
- warm
- was
- watch
- water
- we
- wear
- weather
- week
- well
- were
- what
- where
- white
- who
- why
- wife
- window
- wine
- with
- woman
- word
- world
- would
- write
- wrong
- year
- yellow
- yesterday
A2 · 301
- ability
- able
- accident
- active
- adult
- advantage
- after
- against
- alive
- all
- allow
- almost
- alone
- along
- already
- although
- among
- amount
- anywhere
- appear
- apply
- argument
- army
- asian
- assistant
- attack
- attention
- author
- average
- award
- back
- background
- bar
- bear
- before
- behavior
- benefit
- between
- birth
- bit
- board
- bottom
- bowl
- brain
- broken
- camp
- can
- case
- cause
- certain
- character
- check
- check out
- choice
- church
- clear
- close
- coach
- code
- comment
- community
- condition
- conference
- context
- continue
- control
- cook
- copy
- couple
- crazy
- credit
- crime
- cross
- crowd
- daily
- dead
- decision
- deep
- degree
- develop
- device
- direct
- discussion
- distance
- done
- double
- drive
- dry
- effect
- either
- electric
- energy
- engine
- enter
- evidence
- experience
- express
- factor
- fair
- fall
- fear
- feature
- female
- fight
- figure
- finish
- fit
- flat
- fly
- flying
- focus
- foreign
- fresh
- fun
- further
- future
- gas
- general
- gift
- give up
- go down
- goal
- god
- gold
- gone
- got
- government
- ground
- half
- hall
- heart
- heat
- heavy
- herself
- higher
- hit
- hole
- hope
- huge
- human
- hurt
- ill
- image
- increase
- industry
- joke
- kill
- knowledge
- last
- law
- leader
- least
- less
- link
- look
- mark
- matter
- medicine
- metal
- method
- middle
- might
- mind
- movement
- necessary
- neck
- need
- network
- none
- normal
- ocean
- offer
- oil
- particular
- pay
- perform
- perhaps
- planet
- platform
- pop
- population
- position
- power
- president
- prison
- process
- professor
- profile
- program
- progress
- promise
- provide
- public
- quality
- queen
- race
- raise
- rate
- realize
- receive
- record
- reduce
- regular
- relationship
- request
- rest
- review
- ride
- ring
- role
- round
- route
- run
- safe
- save
- schedule
- score
- screen
- season
- seat
- second
- seem
- sense
- separate
- series
- serious
- serve
- service
- shall
- ship
- shut
- side
- sign
- silver
- simple
- single
- size
- skin
- sleep
- smile
- smoke
- social
- society
- soft
- solution
- source
- speaking
- speech
- speed
- square
- stage
- start
- stay
- step
- stone
- straight
- strange
- stress
- structure
- stupid
- such
- suit
- support
- surprise
- survey
- system
- talk
- target
- taste
- taxes
- technology
- temperature
- term
- thought
- throw
- top
- toward
- track
- traditional
- transport
- trouble
- truck
- understanding
- unit
- use
- variety
- view
- voice
- war
- weak
- weight
- whole
- wide
- wild
- wind
- wish
- working
- worst
- yet
B1 · 163
- access
- account
- addition
- agent
- agreement
- alternative
- analysis
- application
- appreciate
- authority
- balance
- base
- battle
- beauty
- block
- brand
- candidate
- captain
- catch up
- chain
- challenge
- channel
- charge
- claim
- click
- collection
- communication
- complex
- connection
- contact
- count
- court
- cover
- cut
- cut off
- damage
- deal
- defense
- despite
- determine
- development
- doubt
- drop
- dude
- due
- effective
- effort
- emergency
- entry
- escape
- exchange
- felt
- file
- flow
- force
- function
- generation
- grade
- growth
- guard
- hate
- hell
- highly
- host
- identity
- illegal
- impact
- indeed
- influence
- intelligence
- iron
- issue
- jack
- jersey
- journal
- kick
- lack
- lay
- lead
- leading
- legal
- length
- level
- like
- limit
- live
- living
- magic
- management
- marriage
- measure
- mental
- mike
- mine
- mix
- move
- murder
- native
- neither
- nuclear
- official
- operation
- pack
- pass
- path
- performance
- policy
- politics
- press
- primary
- private
- production
- profit
- proper
- property
- prove
- pull
- push
- range
- reality
- reference
- release
- remain
- respect
- responsibility
- responsible
- rise
- risk
- roll
- safety
- security
- seriously
- set
- sexual
- share
- solid
- spirit
- spot
- stadium
- staff
- standard
- stick
- strength
- stuff
- supply
- talent
- tax
- technical
- theory
- though
- total
- touch
- trade
- treat
- truth
- union
- value
- version
- vote
- waste
- wonder
- worry
- worth
B2 · 139
- actual
- administration
- advance
- agency
- aid
- appeal
- approach
- appropriate
- association
- attempt
- beat
- bet
- bitch
- blame
- cancer
- capacity
- cast
- catch
- cell
- chief
- civil
- classic
- command
- commission
- concern
- confidence
- conflict
- congress
- construction
- contract
- core
- corporate
- county
- coverage
- critical
- cute
- damn
- debate
- debt
- demand
- democratic
- distribution
- district
- division
- domestic
- estate
- evil
- executive
- faith
- fake
- fault
- feed
- feel
- fellow
- finance
- firm
- fix
- former
- forward
- found
- foundation
- freedom
- fuck
- gain
- golden
- governor
- grant
- handle
- hold
- honor
- housing
- income
- industrial
- institute
- internal
- joint
- justice
- launch
- league
- leave
- LED
- loan
- lord
- lower
- maintain
- majority
- master
- material
- mid
- minister
- mission
- mode
- opening
- otherwise
- overall
- pick
- potential
- presence
- prime
- prior
- proof
- protection
- pure
- reach
- revenue
- rose
- scale
- secure
- self
- senior
- session
- shot
- showing
- sitting
- species
- split
- spread
- stand
- status
- stock
- strike
- sub
- subject
- surgery
- thus
- tough
- transfer
- trial
- trust
- try
- unique
- upper
- violence
- vision
- volume
- way
- weird
- whom
- zone
C1 · 19
C2 · 3
Idioms · 250
- a balm in Gilead
- a bottomless pit
- a coat of many colors
- a cross to bear
- a crown of thorns
- a drop in the bucket
- a fly in the ointment
- a good and faithful servant
- a Herculean task
- a house built on sand
- a house divided
- a Judas kiss
- a labor of love
- a land flowing with milk and honey
- a leopard cannot change its spots
- a little bird told me
- a millstone around your neck
- a pillar of salt
- a Pyrrhic victory
- a Roman holiday
- a Sisyphean task
- a still small voice
- a thorn in the side
- a two-edged sword
- a voice crying in the wilderness
- a wolf in sheep's clothing
- ace in the hole
- Achilles' heel
- acknowledge the corn
- ad hoc
- ad nauseam
- all roads lead to Rome
- Alpha and Omega
- alter ego
- annus horribilis
- annus mirabilis
- Ariadne's thread
- as if
- bad thing
- balls to the wall
- bark up the wrong tree
- between Scylla and Charybdis
- beware the Ides of March
- birds of a feather flock together
- blind leading the blind
- bona fide
- bread and circuses
- break the Internet
- bring one's own hide to market
- bucket list
- Buckley's chance
- bury your talents
- buy the farm
- by now
- by the skin of your teeth
- by the sweat of your brow
- Caesar's wife must be above suspicion
- carpe diem
- cast into outer darkness
- cast the first stone
- casus belli
- caught in a labyrinth
- caveat emptor
- chips on shoulders put chips in pockets
- chopped liver
- cloak and dagger
- cooking with gas
- corporate welfare bum
- cross the Rubicon
- crossing the Styx
- cui bono
- cup of joe
- David and Goliath
- de facto
- de jure
- divide and conquer
- don't give up your day job
- drinking from Lethe
- ducks and drakes
- dupe culture
- each other
- elephant in the room
- Et tu, Brute?
- face the music
- faith can move mountains
- farm to table
- Faustian bargain
- feet of clay
- festina lente
- fiddle while Rome burns
- fight the good fight
- fly too close to the sun
- foot voting
- forbidden fruit
- fortune favours the bold
- forty days and forty nights
- foxtrot oscar
- French leave
- gnashing of teeth
- go pear-shaped
- good morning
- good Samaritan
- good thing
- halcyon days
- Hannibal at the gates
- hard pivot
- herd cats
- hide one's light under a bushel
- high school
- high street
- hit the fan
- Hobson's choice
- homo homini lupus
- how come
- how the mighty have fallen
- ignorance of the law is no excuse
- in fact
- in medias res
- in the twinkling of an eye
- in vino veritas
- instead of
- ipso facto
- Jacob's ladder
- jump ship
- keep it between the ditches
- let my people go
- let there be light
- life of Riley
- like Atlas carrying the world
- lipstick on a pig
- magnum opus
- man shall not live by bread alone
- manna from heaven
- measure the drapes
- memento mori
- modus operandi
- money changers in the temple
- much ado about nothing
- my brother's keeper
- my cup runneth over
- non sequitur
- nose to the grindstone
- nota bene
- nothing burger
- nothing new under the sun
- O ye of little faith
- off the hook
- old as Methuselah
- old chestnut
- on the sauce
- Pandora's box
- pay through the nose
- peanut gallery
- per capita
- per se
- persona non grata
- pig in a poke
- politically correct
- pot calling the kettle black
- pride comes before a fall
- pro tip
- Promethean ambition
- Promethean fire
- pull oneself up by one's bootstraps
- pull someone's leg
- quid pro quo
- rage scrolling
- reap what you sow
- red pilled
- rest on one's laurels
- rise from the ashes
- road to Damascus
- Rome wasn't built in a day
- rule of thumb
- sackcloth and ashes
- screw the pooch
- sell one's birthright for a mess of pottage
- semper fidelis
- separate the sheep from the goats
- separate the wheat from the chaff
- set the Thames on fire
- show one's true colors
- si vis pacem, para bellum
- sic semper tyrannis
- siren song
- sleeping like Endymion
- so that
- Sodom and Gomorrah
- sometimes a cigar is just a cigar
- spare the rod
- sweat blood
- tabula rasa
- tempus fugit
- thank you
- the apple of discord
- the blind leading the blind
- the devil is in the details
- the die is cast
- the eleventh hour
- the eye of a needle
- the face that launched a thousand ships
- the Fates have spoken
- the Gordian knot
- the judgment of Paris
- the labors of Hercules
- the letter and the spirit of the law
- the loudest boos come from the cheapest seats
- the mark of Cain
- the meek shall inherit the earth
- the Midas touch
- the patience of Job
- the patience of Penelope
- the powers that be
- the prodigal son
- the promised land
- the quick and the dead
- the root of all evil
- the salt of the earth
- the status quo
- the straight and narrow
- the sword of Damocles
- the valley of the shadow of death
- the wages of sin
- the widow's mite
- the wings of Icarus
- the writing on the wall
- thirty pieces of silver
- three sheets to the wind
- throw away
- to descend into Hades
- to err is human
- to outwit the Cyclops
- to the victor belong the spoils
- Tower of Babel
- trial balloon
- Trojan horse
- turn a blind eye
- turn the other cheek
- two by two
- veni, vidi, vici
- vice versa
- vox populi
- wait for the other shoe to drop
- wardrobe malfunction
- wash your hands of it
- wear the purple
- when in Rome, do as the Romans do
- wild-goose chase
- you can't judge a book by its cover
- your mileage may vary