100 most common French nouns
Ranked by how often each noun is actually spoken in films and TV series, with the English meaning and a short example. Free to download for Anki, Quizlet, Excel or print.
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The list
100 nouns
| # | French | English and example |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | le faitnoun | fact, deedC'est un fait important. It's an important fact. |
| 2 | le monsieurnoun | mister, sir, manBonjour, monsieur! Hello, sir! |
| 3 | l'été (m)noun | summerL'été, il fait très chaud. In summer, it's very hot. |
| 4 | le tempsnoun | time, weatherQuel temps fait-il dehors? What's the weather like outside? |
| 5 | l'homme (m)noun | man, guyCet homme est très gentil. This man is very kind. |
| 6 | le besoinnoun | needJ'ai besoin de ton aide maintenant. I need your help now. |
| 7 | la vienoun | lifeLa vie est belle, non? Life is beautiful, isn't it? |
| 8 | l'accord (m)noun | agreement, okay, dealD'accord, je viens avec toi. Okay, I'll come with you. |
| 9 | la personnenoun | person, nobody, anyonePersonne ne sait où il est allé. Nobody knows where he went. |
| 10 | la femmenoun | woman, wifeCette femme est très intelligente. This woman is very intelligent. |
| 11 | la foisnoun | time, occasion, instanceLa première fois, j'avais peur. The first time, I was afraid. |
| 12 | la mortnoun | death, deadLa mort est une partie de la vie. Death is a part of life. |
| 13 | le journoun | dayQuel jour sommes-nous aujourd'hui? What day is it today? |
| 14 | le mondenoun | world, peopleIl y a beaucoup de gens dans le monde. There are many people in the world. |
| 15 | l'ami (m)noun | friendMon ami s'appelle Pierre. My friend's name is Pierre. |
| 16 | la fillenoun | girl, daughterSa fille a dix ans. His daughter is ten years old. |
| 17 | l'an (m)noun | yearJ'ai vingt ans. I'm twenty years old. |
| 18 | le pèrenoun | fatherMon père travaille à l'hôpital. My father works at the hospital. |
| 19 | le dieunoun | godIl croit en Dieu. He believes in God. |
| 20 | la mèrenoun | motherMa mère est professeur. My mother is a teacher. |
| 21 | l'enfant (m/f)noun | childL'enfant joue dans le parc. The child is playing in the park. |
| 22 | les gensnoun | peopleLes gens sont gentils ici. People are nice here. |
| 23 | l'heure (f)noun | hour, timeQuelle heure est-il? What time is it? |
| 24 | la maisonnoun | house, homeJ'habite dans une grande maison. I live in a big house. |
| 25 | le passénoun | pastOublie le passé. Forget the past. |
| 26 | le problèmenoun | problemQuel est le problème? What's the problem? |
| 27 | le nomnoun | nameQuel est ton nom? What is your name? |
| 28 | le soirnoun | eveningOn se voit ce soir? See you this evening? |
| 29 | la raisonnoun | reason, rightQuelle est la raison? What is the reason? |
| 30 | la nuitnoun | nightBonne nuit, à demain! Good night, see you tomorrow! |
| 31 | le momentnoun | moment, timeUn moment, s'il te plaît. One moment, please. |
| 32 | l'argent (m)noun | moneyJ'ai besoin d'argent. I need money. |
| 33 | le trucnoun | thing, stuffC'est un truc bizarre. It's a weird thing. |
| 34 | la mamannoun | mom, motherMa maman arrive demain. My mom arrives tomorrow. |
| 35 | l'air (m)noun | air, look, appearanceTu as l'air fatigué. You look tired. |
| 36 | le papanoun | dad, fatherMon papa est médecin. My dad is a doctor. |
| 37 | l'affaire (f)noun | matter, business, thingC'est une affaire importante. It's an important matter. |
| 38 | la famillenoun | familyMa famille est grande. My family is big. |
| 39 | la mainnoun | handDonne-moi ta main. Give me your hand. |
| 40 | la questionnoun | questionJ'ai une question pour toi. I have a question for you. |
| 41 | la peurnoun | fear, afraidJ'ai peur du noir. I'm afraid of the dark. |
| 42 | l'idée (f)noun | ideaJ'ai une bonne idée. I have a good idea. |
| 43 | le mecnoun | guy, man, dudeCe mec est sympa. That guy is nice. |
| 44 | la voiturenoun | carMa voiture est rouge. My car is red. |
| 45 | le garsnoun | guy, boy, ladC'est un bon gars. He's a good guy. |
| 46 | le travailnoun | work, jobJ'aime mon travail. I like my job. |
| 47 | la têtenoun | headJ'ai mal à la tête. I have a headache. |
| 48 | le filsnoun | sonC'est le fils de Marie. He is Marie's son. |
| 49 | la chancenoun | luck, chance, opportunityJ'ai eu de la chance aujourd'hui. I was lucky today. |
| 50 | le coupnoun | blow, hit, timeC'est un bon coup pour toi. That's a good move for you. |
| 51 | la portenoun | door, gateFerme la porte, s'il te plaît. Close the door, please. |
| 52 | la minutenoun | minuteAttends une minute, je reviens. Wait a minute, I'll be back. |
| 53 | l'œil (m)noun | eyeRegarde-moi dans les yeux. Look me in the eyes. |
| 54 | la partnoun | part, share, portionTu veux une part de gâteau? Do you want a piece of cake? |
| 55 | l'histoire (f)noun | story, history, matterRaconte-moi une histoire avant de dormir. Tell me a story before sleeping. |
| 56 | l'année (f)noun | yearL'année prochaine, je vais voyager. Next year, I'm going to travel. |
| 57 | le sensnoun | sense, meaning, directionÇa n'a pas de sens pour moi. That doesn't make sense to me. |
| 58 | le frèrenoun | brotherMon frère est plus grand que moi. My brother is taller than me. |
| 59 | le chérinoun | dear, darling, sweetheartViens ici, mon chéri. Come here, my darling. |
| 60 | la demandenoun | request, question, demandJ'ai une demande importante pour toi. I have an important request for you. |
| 61 | la semainenoun | weekLa semaine prochaine, on se voit. Next week, we'll see each other. |
| 62 | la partienoun | part, game, matchOn joue une partie d'échecs ce soir. We're playing a game of chess tonight. |
| 63 | l'amour (m)noun | loveL'amour est plus important que l'argent. Love is more important than money. |
| 64 | le sangnoun | bloodIl y a du sang partout sur le sol. There's blood all over the floor. |
| 65 | l'aide (f)noun | help, aid, assistanceJ'ai besoin de ton aide maintenant. I need your help now. |
| 66 | le casnoun | case, situation, instanceDans ce cas, tu dois partir immédiatement. In that case, you must leave immediately. |
| 67 | le côténoun | side, next toAssieds-toi à côté de moi s'il te plaît. Sit next to me please. |
| 68 | le typenoun | guy, type, kindCe type est vraiment bizarre et étrange. That guy is really weird and strange. |
| 69 | le genrenoun | kind, type, genreQuel genre de musique tu aimes vraiment? What kind of music do you really like? |
| 70 | le bébénoun | baby, infantLe bébé pleure beaucoup cette nuit. The baby is crying a lot tonight. |
| 71 | la policenoun | police, copsLa police arrive dans cinq minutes. The police are arriving in five minutes. |
| 72 | le pointnoun | point, dot, periodC'est un point très important à retenir. That's a very important point to remember. |
| 73 | le moisnoun | monthLe mois de janvier est très froid ici. The month of January is very cold here. |
| 74 | la placenoun | place, seat, spotIl y a une place libre à côté de moi. There's a free seat next to me. |
| 75 | l'endroit (m)noun | place, spot, locationC'est un endroit magnifique pour vivre. It's a beautiful place to live. |
| 76 | la villenoun | city, townLa ville est très grande et bruyante. The city is very big and noisy. |
| 77 | le partinoun | party, side, matchLe parti politique gagne les élections demain. The political party wins the election tomorrow. |
| 78 | le cœurnoun | heart, core, centerMon cœur bat très vite maintenant. My heart is beating very fast now. |
| 79 | le comptenoun | account, count, billJe vérife mon compte bancaire. I check my bank account. |
| 80 | l'arme (f)noun | weapon, gunIl a une arme dans sa main. He has a weapon in his hand. |
| 81 | le droitnoun | right, lawJ'ai le droit de parler. I have the right to speak. |
| 82 | le motnoun | wordJe ne comprends pas ce mot. I don't understand this word. |
| 83 | le corpsnoun | bodyMon corps est fatigué aujourd'hui. My body is tired today. |
| 84 | la façonnoun | way, mannerC'est une bonne façon de faire. It's a good way to do it. |
| 85 | le trainnoun | trainLe train arrive à dix heures. The train arrives at ten o'clock. |
| 86 | le garçonnoun | boy, waiterLe garçon joue dans le parc. The boy plays in the park. |
| 87 | madamenoun | madam, Mrs.Madame, voici votre café. Madam, here is your coffee. |
| 88 | la chambrenoun | room, bedroomJe dors dans ma chambre. I sleep in my bedroom. |
| 89 | la terrenoun | earth, ground, landLes fleurs poussent dans la terre. Flowers grow in the ground. |
| 90 | le matinnoun | morningJe me lève tôt le matin. I wake up early in the morning. |
| 91 | la suitenoun | continuation, nextÀ bientôt, à la suite! See you soon, see you next time! |
| 92 | la causenoun | cause, reasonQuelle est la cause du problème? What is the cause of the problem? |
| 93 | la photonoun | photo, pictureRegarde cette belle photo! Look at this beautiful photo! |
| 94 | l'eau (f)noun | waterJe bois un verre d'eau. I drink a glass of water. |
| 95 | le marinoun | husbandSon mari travaille à l'hôpital. Her husband works at the hospital. |
| 96 | la finnoun | end, endingC'est la fin du film. It's the end of the film. |
| 97 | le boulotnoun | work, job, taskJ'ai beaucoup de boulot aujourd'hui. I have a lot of work today. |
| 98 | le bureaunoun | office, desk, studyMon bureau est près de la fenêtre. My desk is near the window. |
| 99 | le jeunoun | game, play, setOn joue à un jeu amusant. We're playing a fun game. |
| 100 | la gardenoun | guard, watch, careIl est en garde à vue. He's in police custody. |
How this list was made
Most frequency lists count newspapers and books. This one counts what people say on screen: word counts from the OpenSubtitles 2018 collection of film and TV subtitles (318 million French words), published by the FrequencyWords project.
Different forms of the same word are counted together under the dictionary form, so every form of a verb adds to the verb's rank. Names, English words, typos and swear words were removed. Nouns are shown with their article where the language has one, so you learn the gender with the word.
Ranking: OpenSubtitles 2018 via FrequencyWords by Hermit Dave (CC BY-SA 4.0). This list is shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Questions
How many French words do you need to understand films and TV?
In 318 million words of French subtitles, the 100 most common words make up 65.8% of everything said, the top 500 make up 79.2% and the top 1000 make up 83.4%. The rest are rarer words that are easiest to pick up from the shows themselves, in context.
How do I import this list into Anki?
Download the Anki deck (.apkg) and open it, or in Anki choose File, Import and pick the file. The cards arrive in the order of the list, most common first, with the meaning and an example on the back. AnkiDroid and AnkiMobile open the same file.
Can I use it in Quizlet?
Yes. Open the Quizlet file, copy everything, then in Quizlet create a set, choose Import and paste. Keep "Tab" between term and definition and "New line" between cards. Knowt and Brainscape accept the same text.
Is it free to use and share?
Yes. Download it, print it and share it. The list is published under CC BY-SA 4.0: if you publish it or a changed version, credit Fluent by Accident and the FrequencyWords project and share it under the same licence.
Where do the translations and examples come from?
The ranking comes only from real word counts. The English meanings and example sentences were drafted with AI and can contain small mistakes. If you spot one, write to rk@coldabry.com.