100 most common Spanish 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 decks

Free account. The free plan holds up to 20 cards in total, filled from the top of the list; Pro adds all 100.

Download for free

The list

100 nouns

#	Spanish	English and example
1	la veznoun	time, occasionUna vez fui a Madrid. One time I went to Madrid.
2	el señornoun	mister, sir, manEl señor García es mi jefe. Mr. García is my boss.
3	la cosanoun	thingEsa cosa no me gusta nada. I don't like that thing at all.
4	el díanoun	day¿Qué tal tu día hoy? How was your day today?
5	la verdadnoun	truth¿Es verdad lo que dices? Is what you're saying true?
6	el hombrenoun	man, guy, husbandEse hombre es muy inteligente. That man is very intelligent.
7	la casanoun	house, homeMi casa es pequeña pero bonita. My house is small but beautiful.
8	el tiemponoun	time, weatherNo tengo tiempo ahora. I don't have time now.
9	el añonoun	yearEl próximo año voy a viajar. Next year I'm going to travel.
10	el favornoun	favor, please¿Me haces un favor? Will you do me a favor?
11	la nochenoun	night, eveningBuenas noches, ¿cómo estás? Good evening, how are you?
12	diosnoun	god¡Dios mío! ¿Qué pasó? My God! What happened?
13	la vidanoun	lifeLa vida es hermosa. Life is beautiful.
14	el padrenoun	father, dad, parentMi padre trabaja mucho. My father works a lot.
15	el hechonoun	fact, deed, event, madeEs un hecho importante. It's an important fact.
16	el amigonoun	friendMi amigo es muy inteligente. My friend is very intelligent.
17	el trabajonoun	work, jobMi trabajo es muy importante. My job is very important.
18	el acuerdonoun	agreement, accord¿Estamos de acuerdo? Do we agree?
19	la gentenoun	peopleLa gente aquí es muy amable. The people here are very kind.
20	el hijonoun	sonMi hijo tiene diez años. My son is ten years old.
21	la mujernoun	woman, wifeLa mujer es muy inteligente. The woman is very intelligent.
22	el estadonoun	state, status¿Cuál es tu estado? What is your status?
23	el momentonoun	momentUn momento, por favor. One moment, please.
24	el chiconoun	boy, guyEl chico es muy guapo. The boy is very handsome.
25	el problemanoun	problemTengo un problema grande. I have a big problem.
26	la horanoun	hour, time¿Qué hora es? What time is it?
27	el lugarnoun	place, locationEste es mi lugar favorito. This is my favorite place.
28	el dineronoun	moneyNecesito dinero para viajar. I need money to travel.
29	el tiponoun	type, guy, kind¿Qué tipo de música te gusta? What type of music do you like?
30	el mundonoun	worldViajo por todo el mundo. I travel around the world.
31	el papánoun	dad, fatherMi papá trabaja mucho. My dad works a lot.
32	la mañananoun	tomorrow¿Nos vemos mañana por la tarde? See you tomorrow afternoon?
33	la madrenoun	motherMi madre trabaja en un hospital. My mother works in a hospital.
34	la personanoun	personEsa persona es muy amable. That person is very kind.
35	la partenoun	part, placeLa mejor parte es el final. The best part is the ending.
36	la mamánoun	mom¡Mamá, tengo hambre! Mom, I'm hungry!
37	la chicanoun	girl, young womanLa chica es muy inteligente. The girl is very intelligent.
38	el nombrenoun	name¿Cuál es tu nombre? What is your name?
39	la señoranoun	woman, lady, Mrs.La señora es la directora. The lady is the director.
40	el niñonoun	boy, childEl niño juega en el parque. The boy plays in the park.
41	la manonoun	handLevanta la mano, por favor. Raise your hand, please.
42	la razónnoun	reason, rightTienes razón, lo siento. You're right, I'm sorry.
43	la ideanoun	ideaTengo una buena idea. I have a good idea.
44	la tardenoun	afternoon, evening, lateNos vemos por la tarde. See you in the afternoon.
45	la policíanoun	police, police officerLa policía llegó muy rápido. The police arrived very quickly.
46	la semananoun	weekNos vemos la próxima semana. See you next week.
47	la cuentanoun	account, bill, count¿Cuál es la cuenta total? What is the total bill?
48	el minutonoun	minuteEspera un minuto, por favor. Wait a minute, please.
49	la familianoun	familyMi familia es muy importante. My family is very important.
50	el hermanonoun	brotherMi hermano vive en Madrid. My brother lives in Madrid.
51	el amornoun	loveEl amor es lo más importante. Love is the most important thing.
52	la formanoun	way, form, shape¿De qué forma lo hago? How do I do it?
53	el pasadonoun	past, lastEl pasado no se puede cambiar. The past cannot be changed.
54	el casonoun	case, situation, matterEn ese caso, me voy. In that case, I am leaving.
55	la cabezanoun	headMe duele la cabeza mucho. My head hurts a lot.
56	el ladonoun	sideSiéntate a mi lado. Sit next to me.
57	la historianoun	story, historyCuéntame una historia interesante. Tell me an interesting story.
58	la puertanoun	doorLa puerta está cerrada. The door is closed.
59	el cariñonoun	affection, dear, honeyTe quiero mucho, cariño. I love you so much, honey.
60	la preguntanoun	question¿Tienes una pregunta para mí? Do you have a question for me?
61	la maneranoun	way, mannerNo me gusta esa manera de hablar. I don't like that way of speaking.
62	el tíonoun	uncle, guyMi tío es muy divertido. My uncle is very funny.
63	el ojonoun	eyeTienes un ojo azul muy bonito. You have a very beautiful blue eye.
64	el caminonoun	road, way, pathEl camino a casa es largo. The road home is long.
65	el mesnoun	monthHace un mes que no te veo. It's been a month since I saw you.
66	la palabranoun	wordNo entiendo esa palabra en inglés. I don't understand that word in English.
67	la ayudanoun	help, aidNecesito tu ayuda con esto. I need your help with this.
68	el armanoun	weaponNo quiero un arma en mi casa. I don't want a weapon in my house.
69	la hijanoun	daughterMi hija es muy inteligente y bonita. My daughter is very intelligent and pretty.
70	el corazónnoun	heartMi corazón late muy rápido ahora. My heart is beating very fast now.
71	la suertenoun	luck, fortune¡Buena suerte en tu examen hoy! Good luck on your exam today!
72	la señoritanoun	young woman, missSeñorita, ¿cuál es su nombre? Miss, what is your name?
73	el puntonoun	point, dotEse es un punto importante. That is an important point.
74	la ciudadnoun	cityVivo en una ciudad grande. I live in a big city.
75	la esposanoun	wifeMi esposa es muy inteligente. My wife is very intelligent.
76	la clasenoun	class, lessonLa clase de español es interesante. The Spanish class is interesting.
77	la caranoun	faceTiene una cara bonita. She has a beautiful face.
78	la muertenoun	deathLa muerte es inevitable. Death is inevitable.
79	la realidadnoun	realityEn realidad, no sé qué hacer. In reality, I don't know what to do.
80	el equiponoun	team, equipmentMi equipo ganó el partido. My team won the game.
81	el miedonoun	fearTengo miedo de los perros. I'm afraid of dogs.
82	el jefenoun	boss, chiefMi jefe es muy exigente. My boss is very demanding.
83	el aguanoun	waterBebo mucha agua cada día. I drink a lot of water every day.
84	el juegonoun	game, play¿Quieres jugar un juego conmigo? Do you want to play a game with me?
85	el cochenoun	carMi coche es rojo y rápido. My car is red and fast.
86	el cuerponoun	bodyMe duele todo el cuerpo. My whole body hurts.
87	la tierranoun	earth, land, groundLa tierra es muy fértil aquí. The land is very fertile here.
88	la vueltanoun	turn, return, lapDamos una vuelta por el parque. We take a walk around the park.
89	el cuidadonoun	care, caution¡Cuidado con el coche! Watch out for the car!
90	la pruebanoun	test, proof, trialTengo una prueba de matemáticas mañana. I have a math test tomorrow.
91	el finnoun	end, purposeAl fin llegamos a casa. We finally arrived home.
92	el númeronoun	number¿Cuál es tu número de teléfono? What is your phone number?
93	la fiestanoun	party, celebrationLa fiesta fue muy divertida. The party was very fun.
94	el autonoun	car, automobileMi auto es nuevo y bonito. My car is new and beautiful.
95	el doctornoun	doctor, physicianEl doctor dice que estoy bien. The doctor says I'm fine.
96	la hermananoun	sisterMi hermana es muy inteligente. My sister is very intelligent.
97	la guerranoun	warLa guerra es terrible y destructiva. War is terrible and destructive.
98	el bebénoun	babyEl bebé está durmiendo ahora. The baby is sleeping now.
99	la sangrenoun	bloodHay sangre en el suelo. There is blood on the floor.
100	la luznoun	lightApaga la luz, por favor. Turn off the light, please.

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.