Here is our top list of fry words to add your writing projects. Read our guide below.
Each language has its own most and least-used words. Most-used words are those the majority of the population understands and recognizes — especially when writing dialogue or informal content, using high-frequency or Fry words is the staple.
Contents
What Are Fry Words?
Dr. Edward Fry compiled the Fry Sight Words in 1957. It’s a list of 1,000 words often used in high frequencies. These words can be any part of speech, whether nouns, adjectives, or interjections. Everyone should know and comprehend these words, especially young readers. As a writer, you should grasp the importance of Fry Words to incorporate them into your written pieces correctly.
| About | Earth | Natural |
| Adjective | Electric | Night |
| Age | Equation | Number |
| Ago | Especially | Oil |
| Always | Factors | Opposite |
| Army | Fear | People |
| Beat | Find | Phrase |
| Being | First | Position |
| Blood | Fit | Printed |
| Book | Food | Rolled |
| Bought | Force | Round |
| Box | Get | Science |
| But | Go | Seem |
| Car | Gold | Sir |
| Circle | Group | Solve |
| City | Hat | Song |
| Compound | Heavy | Stars |
| Could | How | Thousands |
| Couldn’t | Industry | Tube |
| Country | Jumped | Type |
| Create | Let’s | Understand |
| Dark | Long | Value |
| Day | Made | Warm |
| Determine | Material | Water |
| Died | Melody | Weight |
| Dollars | Might | Yet |
| Down | Molecules | Young |
First 100 Fry Words
Fry divided his list of 1,000 words into ten groups of 100, going from the first to the tenth. Students in kindergarten and the first grade should be familiar with the first 100 Fry words, the most frequent words in English.
1. About
Danny’s favorite thing about having a dog is playing with it.
2. But
I can’t show you where I’ve hidden the treasure, but I can give you some clues.
3. Could
We didn’t know that we could wear slippers in the building.
4. Day
The kids would visit the duck pond during the day to give them snacks.
5. Down
We saw a group of teenagers swimming down the river as we passed.
6. Find
I need to find where my brother hid my shoes.
7. First
The first thing I always look at in the morning is the sky to see the sunrise.
8. Get
Did your mother get a coupon for Mother’s Day, too?
9. Go
Penguins can go as fast as four to seven miles per hour when swimming.
10. How
Not many people can ask their fathers to teach them how to do repairs.
11. Long
I had a long night; I couldn’t sleep even after a tiring day at work.
12. Made
Gwen tells me she’s glad you made it to the party, but she’s sorry she can’t welcome you personally.
13. Number
Dotty hasn’t changed the number on her phone since she left home two years ago.
14. Oil
Why does your military academy have an oil lamp in its logo?
15. People
It’s interesting to watch people interact and react to their environment.
16. Water
I remember the day I learned that tap water isn’t as clean as we think.
Third Group of 100 Fry Words
The third batch of Fry words should be familiar to English speakers in the second to third grade and older. Below are some from the group of the third most commonly used batch of words based on Fry’s observations.
17. Always
Ricky must accept that she won’t always take first place on the podium or win the gold medal.
18. Being
Being a writer is fun because writers can create worlds and timelines with only a pen and paper.
19. Book
Gina never forgets to return any book she borrows because she knows what it’s like to lose one.
20. Car
Hera doesn’t own a car, but she knows how to drive one.
21. City
I love this mountain city because the people here are still connected to nature despite the technological advances around them.
22. Country
Didn’t Debbie tell you that her country of origin is Kenya?
23. Earth
The Earth can fit over 700 times inside Saturn, making the ringed planet the second largest in our solar system.
24. Food
My mom’s homecooked food will always be the best tasting for me.
25. Group
The well-mannered group of tourists left no litter in the park.
26. Might
The crow in the series might allude to death, bad luck, or the plague.
27. Night
They learned how to play darts in just one night.
28. Seem
The broken windshield makes this place seem dangerous.
29. Song
Troy delivered a compelling song about corruption, deception, and death.
30. Young
The young woman saw no reason to remain in that dark place any longer, a wise decision.
Fifth Group of 100 Fry Words
The fifth batch of 100 Fry words is for kids in the fourth and fifth grades and higher. Use these words when writing a book in the Young Adult genre or for youth at that learning level.
31. Ago
One of the girls in their class had opened up about her family issues some time ago.
32. Box
The diamond ring came in a red box.
33. Circle
Circle bags are ideal for women who don’t like carrying around too many things.
34. Dark
The dark clouds above are a sign of impending heavy rain.
35. Equation
Mr. Haviland taught us this equation so well in high school that it’s still in our minds today.
36. Force
The woman told me that this room had an unseen and vengeful force.
37. Heavy
My brother helped me take the heavy sofa up our apartment.
38. Material
Today, finding a pair of jogging pants made with this specific material is difficult.
39. Round
Her round belly is so huge that we thought she would burst open.
40. Stars
You can see the stars and their constellations from my condo unit.
41. Thousands
Thousands of fans in the stadium had to endure the rain during the concert.
42. Understand
It’s hard to understand and sympathize with marginalized people if you don’t interact with them.
43. Warm
The water in the cave was warm and had a salty smell.
44. Yet
The lads over in the pub haven’t received their payment yet.
Seventh Group of 100 Fry Words
Fry words numbers 601 to 700 should be familiar to everyone who has finished at least the fourth and fifth grades. They are less used than the first group of words, but they are still commonly heard in English.
45. Age
Brody became a miner at the young age of 14.
46. Beat
The crowd jumped at once when the beat finally dropped.
47. Couldn’t
The kids from the other village couldn’t play on the field anymore after the accident.
48. Died
Almost all my houseplants died when I last left for vacation, so I’m hiring a plant sitter next time.
49. Factors
Andrew told me that your attitude and the toxic environment were the main factors behind his quitting.
50. Gold
My clients loved the gold and pink combination so much that it became the top seller.
51. Jumped
Albert jumped at the chance of seeing his family again after four years of being at sea.
52. Let’s
It’s raining outside, so let’s use the longer path because it’s covered.
53. Melody
Alyssa can’t keep the melody out of her mind and her dreams.
54. Natural
In my opinion, the best way to get over the flu or minor illness is through natural healing.
55. Phrase
The phrase Agnes used in her application indicated that she wasn’t ready for the job.
56. Rolled
With a quickness that saved his life, Andrei rolled out of the way of the crashing vehicle.
57. Solve
Bobby wanted to solve the crossword puzzle before he did anything else tonight.
58. Type
What did Billie say his type of partner was, again?
Ninth Group of 100 Fry Words
The ninth batch of Fry Sight words is for more advanced English users. If you’re practicing your English writing, consider finding ways to integrate these words into your pieces.
59. Army
Jane could tell he was from the army by how he held himself.
60. Blood
The couple saw the blood on the floor and door handle before they found the body.
61. Compound
Writing compound sentences is tricky if you don’t know how to do it in moderation.
62. Dollars
Today, a couple of kids asked me for two dollars to buy their mom a rose for Mother’s Day.
63. Electric
Anthony wanted to buy an electric car against our advice.
64. Fit
Mei asked the tailor to adjust the jumpsuit to fit her shape better.
65. Hat
We never found Guillermo’s hat again after the wind blew it into the ocean.
66. Industry
Rizalito made it far in this company because of his background in the business industry.
67. Position
The masseuse put me in a seated position to best suit her massage techniques.
68. Science
I thought I loved science, but I think I love language more.
69. Tube
Bernard enjoyed the tube slide so much that he went on it three times more.
70. Value
He doesn’t value his health because he keeps drinking, smoking, and eating junk.
71. Weight
The athletes had to lose weight first to make it into the competition.
Tenth Group of 100 Fry Words
The last batch of Fry Sight words is more complex English words. They are still so commonly used that at least kids in the fourth and fifth grades know them.
72. Adjective
I’d say that the best adjective for this position is “awkward.”
73. Bought
I wouldn’t have bought these fruits if you had told me earlier that you’d be bringing some.
74. Create
The parents helped their kids create Christmas tree decorations during our project.
75. Determine
Jones wants to determine his BMI before starting a new diet plan.
76. Especially
All our competitors have had an injury at some point, especially Justine.
77. Fear
It will be your end if you mistake Elizabeth’s pensive silence for fear.
78. Molecules
Wesker said that the molecules didn’t bond before the explosion.
79. Opposite
Henry sat opposite Mary and smiled slyly at her.
80. Printed
The printed words on our shirts turned out to be vulgar.
81. SirSir, you can’t wear that jacket today.
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