100 most common Spanish adjectives

Ranked by how often each adjective 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 adjectives

#	Spanish	English and example
1	buenoadjective	good, wellEs un buen día. It is a good day.
2	mismoadjective	same, very, selfVamos al mismo lugar. We're going to the same place.
3	nuevoadjective	new, fresh, anotherTengo un coche nuevo. I have a new car.
4	pocoadjective	little, few, small amountTengo poco dinero. I have little money.
5	grandeadjective	big, large, greatTenemos una casa grande. We have a big house.
6	primeroadjective	firstEl primer día fue difícil. The first day was difficult.
7	seguroadjective	sure, safeEstoy seguro de eso. I'm sure about that.
8	taladjective	such, like that¿Tal vez mañana? Maybe tomorrow?
9	claroadjective	clear, of course¡Claro que sí! Of course!
10	tantoadjective	so much, as much¡Tienes tanto trabajo! You have so much work!
11	últimoadjective	lastEste es el último día. This is the last day.
12	pequeñoadjective	small, littleTengo un perro pequeño. I have a small dog.
13	muertoadjective	deadEl pájaro está muerto. The bird is dead.
14	ciertoadjective	certain, trueEs cierto que es difícil. It's true that it's difficult.
15	serioadjective	serious, earnestEsto es muy serio, ¿entiendes? This is very serious, do you understand?
16	vistoadjective	seenNunca he visto esto antes. I have never seen this before.
17	únicoadjective	only, uniqueEres el único que me entiende. You are the only one who understands me.
18	maloadjective	bad, evil, sickEse hombre es muy malo. That man is very bad.
19	dichoadjective	said, aforementionedLo dicho, dicho está. What is said is said.
20	juntoadjective	together, next toEstamos juntos en esto. We are together in this.
21	locoadjective	crazy, mad, insane¡Estás completamente loco! You are completely crazy!
22	viejoadjective	oldMi abuelo es muy viejo. My grandfather is very old.
23	segundoadjective	secondEsta es la segunda vez aquí. This is the second time here.
24	felizadjective	happyEstoy muy feliz contigo hoy. I'm very happy with you today.
25	genialadjective	great, brilliant¡Qué idea tan genial tienes! What a brilliant idea you have!
26	supuestoadjective	supposed, assumedPor supuesto que sí, claro. Of course yes, sure.
27	importanteadjective	importantEs muy importante que vengas. It's very important that you come.
28	propioadjective	own, properQuiero mi propio dinero y libertad. I want my own money and freedom.
29	listoadjective	ready, clever¿Estás listo para la aventura? Are you ready for the adventure?
30	queridoadjective	dear, belovedMi querido amigo, te echo de menos. My dear friend, I miss you.
31	suficienteadjective	enough, sufficientTengo suficiente dinero para comprar. I have enough money to buy.
32	justoadjective	fair, just, rightEso no es justo para nadie. That's not fair to anyone.
33	difíciladjective	difficult, hardEste problema es muy difícil. This problem is very difficult.
34	igualadjective	equal, sameLos dos son iguales en tamaño. The two are equal in size.
35	jovenadjective	young, youthEs un hombre muy joven. He is a very young man.
36	altoadjective	tall, highEse edificio es muy alto. That building is very tall.
37	fuerteadjective	strong, loud, powerfulEres muy fuerte y valiente. You are very strong and brave.
38	mayoradjective	older, biggest, greatestMi hermano mayor tiene treinta años. My older brother is thirty years old.
39	medioadjective	middle, half, mediumVivo en el medio de la ciudad. I live in the middle of the city.
40	posibleadjective	possibleEs posible que llueva mañana. It's possible that it will rain tomorrow.
41	extrañoadjective	strange, odd, foreignEse comportamiento es muy extraño. That behavior is very strange.
42	correctoadjective	correct, rightTu respuesta es correcta. Your answer is correct.
43	fáciladjective	easyEste ejercicio es muy fácil. This exercise is very easy.
44	negroadjective	blackTengo un coche negro. I have a black car.
45	diferenteadjective	differentTu idea es diferente a la mía. Your idea is different from mine.
46	vivoadjective	alive, livelyMi abuelo está vivo y feliz. My grandfather is alive and happy.
47	duroadjective	hard, toughEste trabajo es muy duro. This work is very hard.
48	blancoadjective	whiteLa nieve es blanca. The snow is white.
49	perfectoadjective	perfectTu plan es perfecto. Your plan is perfect.
50	peoradjective	worse, worstEste día es peor que ayer. This day is worse than yesterday.
51	bonitoadjective	pretty, beautiful, nice¡Qué bonito es ese vestido! How pretty that dress is!
52	largoadjective	longTengo un día muy largo hoy. I have a very long day today.
53	próximoadjective	next, coming, nearEl próximo mes voy a viajar. Next month I'm going to travel.
54	humanoadjective	humanEl error humano es común aquí. Human error is common here.
55	especialadjective	special, particularHoy es un día muy especial para mí. Today is a very special day for me.
56	realadjective	real, royal, actual¿Es real lo que me cuentas? Is what you're telling me real?
57	libreadjective	free, available¿Estás libre el próximo viernes? Are you free next Friday?
58	raroadjective	rare, strange, oddEso es muy raro, ¿verdad? That's very strange, right?
59	tontoadjective	silly, stupid, foolishNo seas tonto, eso no es verdad. Don't be silly, that's not true.
60	tranquiloadjective	calm, quiet, peacefulEstoy tranquilo, no te preocupes. I'm calm, don't worry.
61	lindoadjective	beautiful, pretty, nice¡Qué día lindo tenemos hoy! What a beautiful day we have today!
62	estúpidoadjective	stupid, foolish, dumbNo seas estúpido, eso es peligroso. Don't be stupid, that's dangerous.
63	perdidoadjective	lost, missingEstoy perdido en esta ciudad. I'm lost in this city.
64	llamadoadjective	called, named, so-calledEl llamado presidente no vino. The so-called president didn't come.
65	increíbleadjective	incredible, amazing, unbelievable¡Eso es increíble, no lo creo! That's incredible, I don't believe it!
66	pobreadjective	poor, unfortunateEse pobre hombre no tiene dinero. That poor man has no money.
67	generaladjective	generalEn general, me gusta mucho. In general, I like it a lot.
68	verdaderoadjective	true, real¿Es verdadero lo que dices? Is what you say true?
69	encontradoadjective	foundEncontré tu dinero encontrado aquí. I found your money found here.
70	personaladjective	personal, staffEs un asunto muy personal. It's a very personal matter.
71	divertidoadjective	fun, amusingFue muy divertido el viaje. The trip was very fun.
72	llenoadjective	fullEl vaso está lleno de agua. The glass is full of water.
73	siguienteadjective	next, followingLa siguiente semana es importante. Next week is important.
74	maravillosoadjective	wonderful, marvelous¡Qué día tan maravilloso! What a wonderful day!
75	dulceadjective	sweetEste chocolate es muy dulce. This chocolate is very sweet.
76	capazadjective	capable, ableEres capaz de hacer cualquier cosa. You are capable of doing anything.
77	enfermoadjective	sick, illMi hermano está enfermo en la cama. My brother is sick in bed.
78	preparadoadjective	ready, prepared¿Estás preparado para la prueba? Are you ready for the test?
79	terminadoadjective	finished, endedEl trabajo está terminado. The work is finished.
80	casadoadjective	marriedMi hermano está casado. My brother is married.
81	bienvenidoadjective	welcome¡Bienvenido a nuestra casa! Welcome to our house!
82	equivocadoadjective	wrong, mistakenCreo que estás equivocado. I think you're wrong.
83	ricoadjective	rich, deliciousEsta comida está muy rica. This food is very delicious.
84	entendidoadjective	understood, agreed¿Entendido? Nos vemos mañana. Understood? See you tomorrow.
85	imposibleadjective	impossibleEs imposible llegar a tiempo. It's impossible to arrive on time.
86	normaladjective	normal, usual, ordinaryEs normal estar nervioso hoy. It's normal to be nervous today.
87	rojoadjective	redElla lleva un vestido rojo. She's wearing a red dress.
88	ocupadoadjective	busy, occupied, takenEstoy muy ocupado ahora. I'm very busy right now.
89	completoadjective	complete, full, wholeEl hotel está completo. The hotel is full.
90	dejadoadjective	neglected, abandoned, lazyEse hombre parece muy dejado. That man seems very neglected.
91	públicoadjective	public, audienceEs un lugar público. It's a public place.
92	hermosaadjective	beautiful, lovelyQué hermosa es esa ciudad. How beautiful that city is.
93	necesarioadjective	necessary, needed, essentialEs necesario estudiar mucho. It's necessary to study a lot.
94	interesanteadjective	interesting, engagingEse libro es muy interesante. That book is very interesting.
95	horribleadjective	awful, terrible, dreadfulEsa película es horrible, ¿verdad? That movie is horrible, right?
96	antiguoadjective	old, ancientEste cuadro es muy antiguo y valioso. This painting is very old and valuable.
97	cansadoadjective	tired, wearyEstoy muy cansado después del trabajo. I'm very tired after work.
98	terribleadjective	terrible, awful, dreadfulTuvimos un día terrible en el trabajo. We had a terrible day at work.
99	amableadjective	kind, nice, friendlyLa gente aquí es muy amable conmigo. The people here are very kind to me.
100	preocupadoadjective	worried, concernedEstoy preocupado por tu salud, hermano. I'm worried about your health, brother.

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 (423 million Spanish 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 Spanish words do you need to understand films and TV?

In 423 million words of Spanish subtitles, the 100 most common words make up 61.3% of everything said, the top 500 make up 76.5% and the top 1000 make up 80.7%. 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.