If you think that 3000 words is too much, I recommend starting with - this is a short summary from the 3000 Dictionary for Beginners, the main ones have been selected from the main ones.

Why are there exactly 3000 words in the dictionary?

Linguists believe that the basis of vocabulary in the English language is approximately 2000 - 3000 words.

The 1000 most common words cover 78-81% of written text.
3000 words – about 85% of the text.
6000-7000 words – 90% text.

It turns out that the first 3000 words in terms of frequency of use provide an understanding of 85% of the text, while the second 3000 words add only 5%. Each next thousand words adds much less than the previous one. This is because less common words (those not in the most common 3000) are rare. Therefore, it is believed that in order to quickly learn a language, it is most effective to learn the most common 2000-3000 words, and then expand your vocabulary by reading and listening to original materials: news, fiction, films, radio, etc.

What counts as one word in English?

When talking about vocabulary, scientists understand by one word not a single word, but a word family - the central word (headword) plus its derivatives, which are formed using endings, prefixes and suffixes.

It is enough to know the basics of grammar and patterns of word formation in order to make burner (burner) or burnable (combustible) from the word burn (burn). Dictionary 3000 contains 3000 central words. Knowing the peculiarities of word formation, you will understand not only these 3000 words, but also all their derivatives.

Will I be fluent in English after learning these 3000 words?

Vocabulary is a very important, but not the only component of language proficiency. Knowing words by itself will only give you knowledge of words. To speak a language you need knowledge of the basics of grammar and practice in speech activity (this includes reading, listening, speaking and writing).

In my book I call this combination the language formula:

Language proficiency = (vocabulary + grammar) × practice in 4 types of speech activity.

Vocabulary 3000 is a concise way to lay the foundations of your vocabulary. He doesn't pretend to be more.

How I learned 3000 English words

I recently started a YouTube channel, and in the first video I talked about how I myself learned 3,000 English words when I first started learning English. I hope you find it interesting!

Frequency lists and frequency dictionaries reflect the fact that in living languages a small proportion of words (7-8%) - the most common words - occur frequently (82-87% of the total number of words in the test text), and the overwhelming number of other words (92 -95% of the total vocabulary of the language) are rare (12-15%), and a huge part of them are generally unfamiliar even to educated native speakers. In everyday and ordinary socio-political texts, this difference is much more significant and can be characterized more strongly: “extremely often” and “extremely rarely.”

It is clear that the assessments are quite arbitrary, test texts for oral and written speech are different, their formation is not free from the author’s subjectivity, etc. However, it is clear that, given the same effort, prioritizing the acquisition of more “frequent” words is, generally speaking, more effective for expanding vocabulary and understanding the English language than rare or random ones that may simply not be encountered again.
Many discussions, alphabetical and frequency lists, and dictionaries can be found on the Internet. To save your time, links to some of them are given below. They can be downloaded.

Frequency lists and dictionaries of the English language

"Frequency" is the number of occurrences of a word in a test text of a specified length, sometimes expressed as a percentage. Below is one of the many more or less similar versions of the table of words, covering approximately 50% of the vocabulary of ordinary texts. There are 135 of them. In the right column, their total “frequency” is indicated cumulatively in 5% increments.

Words	%
the	6,8
of	10
and, to	15
a, in	20
is, that, was, it, for	25
on, with, he, be, I, by, as, at	30
you, are, his, had, not, this, have, from, but, which	35
she, they, or, an, her, were, there, we, their, been, has, will, one, all, would	40
can, if, who, more, when, said, do, what, about, its, so, up, into, no, him, some, could, them, only, time, out, my, two, other, then, may, over	45
also, new, like, these, me, after, first, your, did, now, any, people, than, should, very, most, see, where, just, make, between, back, way, many, year, being, our, how, work, us, get, come, think, go, take, tell, use, sir, thing, shall, same, such, much, find, here, each, again, still, old, little, state, present, against, know, under, before, above, place, part, through, across, although, upon, though	50

Here are a few lists of the most common words different volumes from different sources that can be downloaded:

As you can see, words in them can be grouped according to different criteria: by frequency, by alphabet or by functional groups, etc.

Different dictionaries of the most common words compiled on the basis of these lists. Sometimes the alphabetical dictionary entry is followed by the number 1, 2, ... It indicates that the word belongs to the first, second, etc. thousand most frequent.

Most interesting and informative frequency lists, ordered precisely by “word frequency” and including individual frequency. Here are a couple of lists of varying lengths from different sources that you can download:

Consider the following graph:

This percentage distribution (on a semi-log scale) of the most common words with cumulative frequency is obtained from the frequency list "7059". It predicts, for example, that the first 135 words cover about half (50%) and 2000 about three quarters (75%) of the arbitrary text.

First, as expected, it's clear that few words are heavily weighted (notice the 50% level, for example, and compare to the 135-word table) - these are the most frequent, important, useful words for your vocabulary.

Secondly, it follows from the graph that almost from the very beginning, in order to increase text recognition by another 5-10%, you need to approximately double the number of frequent, useful words studied. Get ready to work.

Thirdly, the table does not include words with a frequency of less than 10 per 1,000,000 (0.001%). The likelihood of encountering a specific omitted word in a random text is negligible. However, for some it may be the essence and most accurate reflection of the subject of the statement.

IN frequency dictionaries frequency can be indicated by a number behind the dictionary entry. Or after the usual alphabetical dictionary there is a frequency list on the basis of which the dictionary is compiled. However, now that computer versions of dictionaries are available in various forms and in any configuration and order, there is only one problem - the problem of the time required to choose the one most suitable for you.

You can find and download many dictionaries of different types for free, in particular.

Here is a simple frequency dictionary of 2500 words, divided for your convenience into steps of 300, 500, 1000 and the full 2500 words, which you can download for yourself right now:

Three sources, three components of your vocabulary

Training courses and frequency lists (dictionaries)
Fiction, socio-political and special literature
Live social and professional communication and mass media

The training courses are based on the most commonly used vocabulary. But they are limited in volume, and in addition, they contain inevitable “gaps”, omissions in successive lists of frequency words. Upon completion of the course, it is wise to fill in these gaps and expand your vocabulary, moving along the frequency list: sooner or later, what you have learned will definitely come in handy, and this will be effective due to its “frequency”. However, it is reasonable to apply this process until you achieve the practically necessary 3-5 (depending on your requirements) thousand more or less firmly, actively (i.e., with the possibility of not just understanding, but fairly free practical use) memorized words. And there may be much more poorly known, only passively recognized words. Further, the effectiveness decreases: the “weight” of the new word decreases and its “specialization” increases, which means that the likelihood that you really need it decreases.

Literature is an invaluable source of vocabulary. Since even for educational purposes you choose sources that interest you, there is a high probability that their vocabulary will be useful to you. But even within the framework of your interest, strive to study not all unfamiliar words, but only the most frequent, most common words (which appear in the text more than once or twice) in order to significantly speed up reading and increase its understanding. Literature allows you to consolidate the learned forms, expand them and improve their recognition in the text.

It is very difficult to force yourself to consciously control your reading speed. We must soberly realize that there are two approaches, two goals: “plot” reading for the sake of meaningful information and “analytical” reading. Analytical slow reading is aimed at full awareness of all the lexical, grammatical and stylistic features of the text. This is a form of direct learning, mastering and consolidating the composition and forms of speech. However, overuse of such reading is fraught with a certain loss of such valuable interest in the process, as when watching a film for a long time in slow motion. But something else is more dangerous: developing the habit of constantly reading at a low speed to the detriment of the desire to emotionally and figuratively perceive “entertaining” and exciting plot texts or quickly look through special texts in search of valuable material. An old example: a postman, freed from a heavy bag that he had been carrying for many years, can no longer change the established pace of movements. You know about the dangers and avert them; you combine both methods wisely, according to your taste and controlled sensations. He who is forewarned is forearmed!

Live communication is the hope of many. However, the ability to grasp and imprint new things on the fly is high in children - and for them this is effective and paramount, but for adults it is problematic. Of course, there are some frequency forms that immediately fall on the ear. Unfortunately, many are content with vulgarisms such as mentioning in vain “Ah, my God!” and sickening “Big deal!”, “Shit!”, “Wow!”. Your problem is what to know and perceive, and what to use in your speech. You go from the basic ability to explain yourself for survival to a level corresponding to your general education and social circle. In communication and professional activities, you master the most important social and special vocabulary for you. The same approach can be applied to mass media with effect. You start with popular television programs and films with English subtitles and move on, but be sure to select and consolidate the most important and interesting forms and vocabulary for you.

Thus, there is no single and sufficient source for effectively learning English vocabulary. Knowing the possibilities and approaches, you try and find the most suitable “cocktail” for you in order to get maximum pleasure and results.

Detailed information about the methods, programs and results of teaching English at Mr. Ball's School is presented on the School's website.
Addresses and telephone numbers for questions about teaching English at Mr. Ball's School and appointments for interviews can be found on the website mrBall.by in the section

Typically, a frequency dictionary is understood as a list of words obtained by analyzing a set of texts and sorted by frequency of occurrence.

Our English frequency dictionaries contain not only ranked lists of words, but also frequency lists of phrases, idioms, compound (phrasal) verbs and slang.

In addition, we have created frequency dictionaries of grammatical structures in the English language. This allows you to study both vocabulary and English grammar.

Our frequency dictionaries were obtained using the mathematical apparatus we developed and the software implemented on its basis. The basis for the analysis was the subtitles of Hollywood films as a source of colloquial vocabulary and grammar of the English language.

To use Hollywood Vocabulary frequency dictionaries, you need to install a free program for studying them - the Hollywood Vocabulary English tutorial.

All material from our library frequency dictionaries of the English language divided into topics, levels and stages.

Hollywood Vocabulary Frequency Dictionary Topics

Number of topics English dictionaries constantly replenished. Announcements of new dictionaries can be found in the site news.

Frequency Dictionary of English "Words"

Frequency dictionaries this topic are key. They contain lists of English words distributed according to frequency and examples of their use. Having studied (in total!) about 800 words from our frequency dictionary, you will be able to understand any English-speaking foreigner.

Frequency Dictionary of English "Phrases"

Frequency dictionaries This topic, as well as the dictionaries of the topic - Words, are extremely important in the perception of live English speech. Apart from the fact that they demonstrate the principles of combining English words, they also represent larger units of speech. Knowing them, it is easier for us to understand the interlocutor, even who speaks very quickly and pronounces words poorly. After all, in our native speech, we only need to make out a few words to understand what they want from us.

English Frequency Dictionary "Compound (phrasal) verbs"

ABOUT frequency dictionaries On this topic, we can only say that, knowing separately the translation of verbs and prepositions of the English language, as a rule, it is difficult to guess the meaning of a compound English verb consisting of their combinations. For example, fly at is translated as - to attack, scold, and separately, fly means to fly, the preposition at usually indicates a location.

Frequency Dictionary of English "Idioms"

Frequency dictionaries This topic contains idioms - established expressions of the English language, sayings, sayings. They are often used in English colloquial speech and without knowledge of them, it is sometimes difficult to understand jokes, irony and humor in general.

Frequency Dictionary of English "Slang"

IN frequency dictionary This theme is reflected in words and their combinations of subculture languages - street, criminal, musical and others, often used in films.

Frequency Dictionary of English "Suffixes and Prefixes"

Frequency dictionaries this topic is very significant. Their importance lies in the fact that they can expand our English vocabulary several times over. For example, knowing the English verb differ - to differ and several suffixes and prefixes, our vocabulary will be replenished with words such as different - different, difference - difference, differently - different, differing - different, in different - indifferent, in difference - indifference, in differently - it doesn’t matter and these are only the simplest options. In addition, without knowing an English word, but hearing its suffix, we get an idea of its part of speech, which also helps understanding.

Frequency Dictionary of English "Prepositions"

Frequency dictionaries of prepositions of the English language have special significance when you yourself want to say something. The fact is that English prepositions

Frequency dictionaries of English verb constructions

IN frequency dictionaries This topic examines typical grammatical constructions of the English language. Why are they important? The fact is that in English, unlike Russian, there are no cases, and the order of words in a sentence can play a decisive role for the correct translation of a phrase. In addition, each construction has its own set of verbs with which it can be used, and incorrect use of a verb results in an error. Frequency frequencies we have developed dictionaries verbal constructions of the English language help to develop an intuitive sense of the appropriateness of using certain verbs in various types of constructions. Part dictionaries of verb constructions describe the type-temporal model of the English language. Our research has shown that more than 90% of all phrases are in Simple tenses, a third of types of tense constructions are not used by native English speakers at all, and another third are reduced to a few set expressions.

Dictionaries of English verb constructions are provided free of charge, subject to enrollment in Hollywood Vocabulary English language courses.

Levels and stages of Hollywood Vocabulary frequency dictionaries

Each topic can be divided into several levels of complexity, from the simplest - level zero, whose dictionaries cover about 55% of the content of films, to the most advanced - level five, dictionaries of this level cover about 95% of the content of films. In turn, each level is divided into stages. The zero level includes dictionaries of the zero stage, the first - dictionaries of the zero and first stages, the second - zero, first and second, etc.

Part frequency dictionaries the zero stage is free, and frequency dictionary of English phrases This stage comes with the Hollywood Vocabulary program. These dictionaries contain a small amount of very important material, sufficient for the first acquaintance with the English language, computer systems and educational technology.

We conducted experiments with subtitle texts, leaving a given percentage of words in them, and replacing the remaining words with masks.

The results of the experiment showed:

55% - Level 0 - meaning, almost incomprehensible;
65% - Level 1 - the meaning is vaguely clear and individual lines can already be understood;
75% - Level 2 - the plot and general outline of the film are already clear, but there are still many gaps;
85% - Level 3 - the plot and ongoing actions are completely clear, but some of the lines remain unclear;
90% - Level 4 - everything is clear, except for small details;
95% - Level 5 - complete understanding, and mainly proper names are covered with masks.

After I decided to improve my level of English (mainly in terms of vocabulary), it almost immediately became obvious that the most effective way to learn words is exclusively from frequency dictionaries. More precisely, the methods of studying and memorizing can be very different, but it is precisely the order and priority of certain words that should be determined based on frequency dictionaries.

Let's say you're reading a book in English, and every 10 words you come across one unknown thing. Imagine, at first I wrote down every unknown word and crammed them all every day. But very soon it became clear that the effectiveness of such study is close to zero - since most of these words appear only once or twice in the entire book, and in everyday vocabulary they can appear once a year.

This is where the frequency dictionary comes to the rescue. The idea is this: you come across a word whose translation you don’t know. First you remember: how often does it occur to you in general? If this word is in the category of “yes, I’ve heard it many times, but I don’t know how it’s translated,” confidently set it to study and repeat. If you rarely come across this word, or you can’t remember it at all, then it’s time to look into the frequency dictionary.

There is such a wonderful service Test Your Vocabulary, which allows you to roughly determine your vocabulary using a small sample (several dozen words), by comparing your results with available statistical analysis data. There are also various graphs of results, for example, this is the distribution of participants (non-English speaking) by vocabulary:

As you can see, the vocabulary level of most people is around 4500 words. The median of the distribution is around 7800 words (half of the people have a smaller vocabulary, half have a larger one).

According to other linguistic studies, a vocabulary of 6–7 thousand words guarantees the understanding of 85% of English speech. Thus, we can conclude that a 6,000-year-old dictionary may be a perfectly acceptable goal to begin with.

So, returning to our algorithm. After you have found a word completely unknown to you, immediately look for it in the frequency dictionary. If, for example, you set out to increase your vocabulary to at least 6,000 thousand words, and the word you are looking for is in the first 6 thousand, put it on repeat.

In fact, after studying the first 6000 in the emergency, your vocabulary will, of course, be larger, due to those words that you already know and which were not included in the studied interval of the emergency.

Well, now the question. Where can I get a frequency dictionary? On Google? No matter how it is.

As a rule, sites for learning English offer us only the first thousand words of emergency, and you will have to pay for a more extensive dictionary. Yes, the first search for a dictionary of at least 3000 words caused me a storm of indignation. But then I still managed to find a very extensive dictionary, which, however, could not be used to search for words: it was divided into many pages, and the text, by the way, was protected from copy-paste (helps, of course, only in the case of schoolchildren or housewives). Therefore, in order to work normally with the frequency dictionary, I (not without a certain amount of ingenuity) grabbed the code from the pages and combined the first 6000 words I needed into one table.

Enjoy it and long live free access to information.

Update: expanded the table to 16000 words. This dictionary should cover 98% of English phrases.

Note: some numbers are missing in the table - these are proper names, which simply do not make sense to translate.

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