100 most common German 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.
Study it in Fluent by Accident
Add the list as a flashcard deck in one click: spaced repetition on the web and on your phone, every card with its example sentence. Then meet the same words in your shows, with two subtitle lines on Netflix, YouTube, Prime Video, Disney+ and Max.
Add to my decksFree account. The free plan holds up to 20 cards in total, filled from the top of the list; Pro adds all 100.
The list
100 nouns
| # | German | English and example |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | der Mannnoun | man, husbandDer Mann ist sehr groß. The man is very tall. |
| 2 | die Fraunoun | woman, Mrs.Die Frau ist sehr nett. The woman is very nice. |
| 3 | die Zeitnoun | timeWir haben keine Zeit. We have no time. |
| 4 | das Hausnoun | house, homeDas ist mein Haus. This is my house. |
| 5 | das Leidnoun | sorrow, sufferingSein Leid ist sehr groß. His sorrow is very great. |
| 6 | der Gottnoun | GodGott hilft uns immer. God always helps us. |
| 7 | das Kindnoun | childDas Kind spielt im Park. The child plays in the park. |
| 8 | die Leutenoun | people, folksDie Leute sind sehr nett. The people are very nice. |
| 9 | der Vaternoun | father, dadMein Vater arbeitet viel. My father works a lot. |
| 10 | das Jahrnoun | yearNächstes Jahr gehe ich weg. Next year I'm going away. |
| 11 | der Tagnoun | dayGuten Tag, wie geht es dir? Good day, how are you? |
| 12 | die Liebenoun | loveIhre Liebe ist sehr stark. Their love is very strong. |
| 13 | das Geldnoun | moneyIch habe kein Geld mehr. I have no money left. |
| 14 | die Mutternoun | motherMeine Mutter ist sehr nett. My mother is very nice. |
| 15 | der Menschnoun | person, human, manJeder Mensch ist wichtig. Every person is important. |
| 16 | das Paarnoun | couple, pairDas Paar sitzt zusammen. The couple sits together. |
| 17 | die Nachtnoun | nightGute Nacht, schlaf gut! Good night, sleep well! |
| 18 | der Herrnoun | mister, sir, gentlemanGuten Tag, Herr Schmidt! Good day, Mr. Schmidt! |
| 19 | der Namenoun | nameMein Name ist Anna. My name is Anna. |
| 20 | die Sachenoun | thing, matter, affairDas ist eine wichtige Sache. That's an important matter. |
| 21 | das Rechtnoun | right, lawDu hast das Recht zu sprechen. You have the right to speak. |
| 22 | der Freundnoun | friendMein Freund kommt heute Abend. My friend comes tonight. |
| 23 | die Ordnungnoun | order, tidinessAlles ist in Ordnung hier. Everything is in order here. |
| 24 | das Problemnoun | problemWir haben ein großes Problem. We have a big problem. |
| 25 | das Mädchennoun | girlDas Mädchen heißt Anna. The girl is called Anna. |
| 26 | der Abendnoun | eveningGuten Abend, wie geht es dir? Good evening, how are you? |
| 27 | die Angstnoun | fearIch habe Angst vor Spinnen. I'm afraid of spiders. |
| 28 | die Weltnoun | worldDie Welt ist sehr groß. The world is very big. |
| 29 | der Tagnoun | dayGuten Tag, wie geht es Ihnen? Good day, how are you? |
| 30 | der Momentnoun | moment, secondWarte einen Moment, bitte! Wait a moment, please! |
| 31 | der Jungenoun | boy, young manDer Junge spielt im Park. The boy plays in the park. |
| 32 | der Sohnnoun | sonDas ist der Sohn von meinem Bruder. That's my brother's son. |
| 33 | die Musiknoun | musicDie Musik ist sehr schön. The music is very beautiful. |
| 34 | die Arbeitnoun | work, jobMeine Arbeit ist sehr interessant. My work is very interesting. |
| 35 | die Familienoun | familyMeine Familie ist sehr groß. My family is very big. |
| 36 | der Brudernoun | brotherMein Bruder wohnt in Berlin. My brother lives in Berlin. |
| 37 | die Wochenoun | weekNächste Woche fahre ich in Urlaub. Next week I go on vacation. |
| 38 | das Augenoun | eyeSie hat blaue Augen. She has blue eyes. |
| 39 | die Minutenoun | minuteWarte noch eine Minute! Wait one more minute! |
| 40 | die Hilfenoun | help, aidIch brauche deine Hilfe! I need your help! |
| 41 | das Dingnoun | thing, object, matterDas ist ein wichtiges Ding für mich. That is an important thing for me. |
| 42 | der Fallnoun | case, fall, situationIn diesem Fall bin ich nicht sicher. In this case I am not sure. |
| 43 | die Fragenoun | question, queryIch habe eine Frage für dich. I have a question for you. |
| 44 | der Typnoun | guy, type, characterDieser Typ ist sehr nett. This guy is very nice. |
| 45 | die Uhrnoun | clock, watch, o'clockEs ist drei Uhr. It is three o'clock. |
| 46 | die Stadtnoun | city, townIch lebe in einer großen Stadt. I live in a big city. |
| 47 | das Babynoun | baby, infantDas Baby schläft jetzt. The baby is sleeping now. |
| 48 | der Kopfnoun | head, mindMein Kopf tut weh. My head hurts. |
| 49 | das Glücknoun | luck, fortune, happinessIch habe großes Glück gehabt. I have been very lucky. |
| 50 | der Freundnoun | friend, boyfriendMein Freund kommt heute. My friend is coming today. |
| 51 | das Endenoun | end, finish, conclusionDas ist das Ende der Geschichte. That is the end of the story. |
| 52 | die Waffenoun | weapon, arm, gunEr hat eine Waffe. He has a weapon. |
| 53 | die Ahnungnoun | idea, notion, clueIch habe keine Ahnung. I have no idea. |
| 54 | die Türnoun | door, gateDie Tür ist offen. The door is open. |
| 55 | das Autonoun | car, automobile, vehicleMein Auto ist neu. My car is new. |
| 56 | der Kerlnoun | guy, man, fellowDieser Kerl ist wirklich nett. This guy is really nice. |
| 57 | der Jungenoun | boy, sonDer Junge spielt im Park. The boy is playing in the park. |
| 58 | die Polizeinoun | policeDie Polizei kommt sofort. The police are coming right away. |
| 59 | der Kriegnoun | warDer Krieg ist vorbei. The war is over. |
| 60 | die Schuldnoun | guilt, fault, blameDas ist nicht meine Schuld. That's not my fault. |
| 61 | der Todnoun | deathDer Tod ist unvermeidlich. Death is inevitable. |
| 62 | die Geschichtenoun | story, historyErzähl mir eine Geschichte. Tell me a story. |
| 63 | die Sorgenoun | worry, concern, careMeine Sorge ist groß. My worry is great. |
| 64 | das Spielnoun | game, playLass uns ein Spiel spielen. Let's play a game. |
| 65 | das Herznoun | heartMein Herz schlägt schnell. My heart is beating fast. |
| 66 | die Tochternoun | daughterDas ist meine Tochter. This is my daughter. |
| 67 | die Ideenoun | idea, thoughtIch habe eine gute Idee. I have a good idea. |
| 68 | die Schwesternoun | sisterMeine Schwester ist nett. My sister is nice. |
| 69 | der Jobnoun | job, workIch habe einen neuen Job gefunden. I found a new job. |
| 70 | die Seitenoun | side, pageLies die nächste Seite im Buch. Read the next page in the book. |
| 71 | der Teufelnoun | devilDer Teufel ist böse. The devil is evil. |
| 72 | die Handnoun | handGib mir deine Hand. Give me your hand. |
| 73 | der Grundnoun | reason, groundWas ist der Grund dafür? What's the reason for that? |
| 74 | das Jahrnoun | yearNächstes Jahr fahre ich nach Berlin. Next year I'm going to Berlin. |
| 75 | die Ruhenoun | peace, restIch brauche Ruhe und Entspannung. I need peace and relaxation. |
| 76 | die Stundenoun | hourDie Stunde dauert 45 Minuten. The lesson lasts 45 minutes. |
| 77 | die Artnoun | type, kind, wayDas ist eine seltsame Art zu sprechen. That's a strange way to speak. |
| 78 | der Schatznoun | treasure, darlingDu bist mein Schatz. You're my darling. |
| 79 | die Chancenoun | chance, opportunityDas ist eine große Chance für dich. That's a big opportunity for you. |
| 80 | die Freundinnoun | girlfriend, female friendMeine Freundin heißt Sarah. My girlfriend is called Sarah. |
| 81 | das Wassernoun | waterIch trinke ein Glas Wasser. I'm drinking a glass of water. |
| 82 | die Wahrheitnoun | truthSag mir die Wahrheit! Tell me the truth! |
| 83 | das Alternoun | ageWie alt bist du? Mein Alter ist 25. How old are you? My age is 25. |
| 84 | das Landnoun | country, landDeutschland ist ein schönes Land. Germany is a beautiful country. |
| 85 | das Zimmernoun | roomMein Zimmer ist klein aber gemütlich. My room is small but cozy. |
| 86 | der Spaßnoun | fun, enjoyment, jokeDas macht mir viel Spaß! That's a lot of fun for me! |
| 87 | das Wortnoun | wordIch verstehe dieses Wort nicht. I don't understand this word. |
| 88 | die Handnoun | handGib mir deine Hand! Give me your hand! |
| 89 | der Ortnoun | place, location, spotDas ist ein schöner Ort. That's a beautiful place. |
| 90 | der Plannoun | plan, scheme, projectHast du einen Plan? Do you have a plan? |
| 91 | das Bettnoun | bedIch gehe ins Bett. I'm going to bed. |
| 92 | die Schulenoun | schoolIch gehe zur Schule. I go to school. |
| 93 | die Entschuldigungnoun | apology, excuse, pardonEntschuldigung, wo ist die Toilette? Excuse me, where is the toilet? |
| 94 | das Gefühlnoun | feeling, emotion, senseIch habe ein gutes Gefühl. I have a good feeling. |
| 95 | die Nachrichtnoun | message, news, informationIch habe eine Nachricht für dich. I have a message for you. |
| 96 | das Gesichtnoun | faceSie hat ein schönes Gesicht. She has a beautiful face. |
| 97 | die Tatnoun | deed, act, actionDas war eine mutige Tat. That was a brave deed. |
| 98 | der Teilnoun | part, piece, shareDas ist ein wichtiger Teil. That is an important part. |
| 99 | der Hundnoun | dogMein Hund heißt Max. My dog is called Max. |
| 100 | die Sorgenoun | worry, concern, careMeine Sorge ist groß. My worry is great. |
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 (156 million German 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 German words do you need to understand films and TV?
In 156 million words of German subtitles, the 100 most common words make up 60.7% of everything said, the top 500 make up 76.7% and the top 1000 make up 81%. 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.