Learn English · For Beginners
Learn English Vocabulary: The Most-Used Words That Build Real Fluency
Common English words ranked by frequency, expanded with examples and spaced-repetition flashcards - the most efficient way to expand your vocabulary.
English is the highest-leverage language to learn over a lifetime - and the most inefficiently studied. Most learners spend years on topical vocabulary in textbooks and still struggle to hold a basic conversation. The shortcut is simple: a small number of high-frequency English words cover most of what you will ever hear or read. The first 100 words make up roughly half of all everyday text; the first 1,000 cover about 80%; the first 2,000 reach roughly 90%. Learn those first, and every additional word you study actually moves the needle on fluency.
The first twenty English words worth knowing
The absolute core of English: auxiliary verbs, the most common nouns, and the articles (which most other languages do not have, and which must be learned by use rather than definition).
- the / a / anarticles (no Polish equivalent - learned by use)
- be / am / is / arebyć (osoba/liczba)
- have / hasmieć
- do / doesrobić / czasownik posiłkowy
- go / goesiść / jechać
- comeprzyjść / przyjechać
- say / saidmówić / powiedział
- see / sawwidzieć / zobaczyć
- know / knewwiedzieć / znać
- thinkmyśleć
- wantchcieć
- getdostać / otrzymać
- makerobić / tworzyć
- timeczas
- peopleludzie
- daydzień
- workpraca / pracować
- lifeżycie
- homedom (miejsce zamieszkania)
- familyrodzina
Ten English phrases for your first conversation
- Good morningPolite greeting before noon
- How are you?Standard friendly opener
- Nice to meet youUsed at introductions
- Thank youUniversal gratitude
- Excuse meGet attention / apologise lightly
- I don't understandHonest request to slow down
- Could you help me?Polite request for assistance
- How much is it?Shopping / restaurants
- Where is the bathroom?Travel essential
- Have a nice dayFriendly close to interaction
How Vocabingo teaches English
Vocabingo gives you the 2,000 most-common English words in strict frequency order, scheduled with the SM-2 spaced-repetition algorithm. Each word is reviewed at the moment your memory is about to fade - tomorrow, then a week, then two weeks, then a month - so retention compounds without you ever having to cram. Every word comes with an example sentence in real English, not a textbook fragment.
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Frequently asked questions
How many English words do I need to be functionally fluent?
Research by Paul Nation and others puts the threshold for comfortable everyday conversation at roughly 2,000-3,000 high-frequency words, with another 5,000 for reading newspapers and general non-fiction. The top 100 English words alone cover roughly 50% of all everyday text - frequency-first learning is dramatically more efficient than topic-based study.
What is the fastest way to expand my English vocabulary?
Spaced repetition. Studies (Cepeda et al., 2008) show optimally-spaced practice produces 50-100% better retention than cramming for the same total study time. Vocabingo schedules each English word for review just before you would forget it.
Is this useful for IELTS or TOEFL preparation?
For raw vocabulary expansion, yes - the top 3,000 most-frequent English words appear repeatedly in IELTS/TOEFL passages. Vocabingo is not exam-specific (no test-format practice), but it is the most efficient way to build the lexical base any English exam expects.