英語最常用單字列表中的內容是基於牛津字典線上版和牛津英語詞典對牛津英語語料庫中超過10億的單字所作的分析研究。[1]這一個資源匯集了各種類的文本,包括「從文學小說、專業期刊到每日的報紙雜誌,從英國國會議事錄到聊天室、電子郵件以及網絡博客」,[2]這與其他一些語料庫只收集確定來源的文本不同。[3]
需要注意的是下表所列出的項可能代表了不止一個單字,而是詞條。例如be就包括了is、was、be和are。[4]另外,下面列出的最常用的100個單字在牛津英語語料庫中占到了所有單字的50%。[1]
排名
|
單字
|
1 |
the
|
2 |
be
|
3 |
to
|
4 |
of
|
5 |
and
|
6 |
a
|
7 |
in
|
8 |
that
|
9 |
have
|
10 |
I
|
11 |
it
|
12 |
for
|
13 |
not
|
14 |
on
|
15 |
with
|
16 |
he
|
17 |
as
|
18 |
you
|
19 |
do
|
20 |
at
|
|
排名
|
單字
|
21 |
this
|
22 |
but
|
23 |
his
|
24 |
by
|
25 |
from
|
26 |
they
|
27 |
we
|
28 |
say
|
29 |
her
|
30 |
she
|
31 |
or
|
32 |
an
|
33 |
will
|
34 |
my
|
35 |
one
|
36 |
all
|
37 |
would
|
38 |
there
|
39 |
their
|
40 |
what
|
|
排名
|
單字
|
41 |
so
|
42 |
up
|
43 |
out
|
44 |
if
|
45 |
about
|
46 |
who
|
47 |
get
|
48 |
which
|
49 |
go
|
50 |
me
|
51 |
when
|
52 |
make
|
53 |
can
|
54 |
like
|
55 |
time
|
56 |
no
|
57 |
just
|
58 |
him
|
59 |
know
|
60 |
take
|
|
排名
|
單字
|
61 |
people
|
62 |
into
|
63 |
year
|
64 |
your
|
65 |
good
|
66 |
some
|
67 |
could
|
68 |
them
|
69 |
see
|
70 |
other
|
71 |
than
|
72 |
then
|
73 |
now
|
74 |
look
|
75 |
only
|
76 |
come
|
77 |
its
|
78 |
over
|
79 |
think
|
80 |
also
|
|
排名
|
單字
|
81 |
back
|
82 |
after
|
83 |
use
|
84 |
two
|
85 |
how
|
86 |
our
|
87 |
work
|
88 |
first
|
89 |
well
|
90 |
way
|
91 |
even
|
92 |
new
|
93 |
want
|
94 |
because
|
95 |
any
|
96 |
these
|
97 |
give
|
98 |
day
|
99 |
most
|
100 |
us
|
|