Top 90+ List of High-Frequency Words For Writers

Here is our top list of high-frequency words you can add to your writing.

Learning to pronounce, read, spell, and understand high-frequency words aids children and novice writers in reading and writing more efficiently. People who can easily recognize these words have more confidence in communicating with others.

What Are High-Frequency Words?

High-frequency words refer to the most commonly used terms in the English language. They are the recurring words in a text that help learners to form sentences better. These words may or may not have meaning, but they help complete a sentence’s context. Some high-frequency words are decodable or non-decodable. It’s the reason these words are sometimes called “sight words” or “tricky words.”

A	Her	Only
About	Here	Out
All	Him	People
An	His	Put
And	House	Said
Any	I	See
Are	If	She
As	I’m	So
At	In	Some
Back	Into	That
Be	Is	The
Because	It	They
Big	Its	Them
But	Just	Then
By	Like	There
Can	Little	Their
Children	Live	This
Come	Look	Time
Dad	Make	To
Day	Me	Too
Do	Mr	Up
Don’t	Mrs	Very
Down	Mum	What
For	My	We
From	No	When
Get	Not	Where
Give	Now	Which
Go	Of	Why
Got	Off	Will
Have	Oh	With
He	Old	You
Help	One	Your

Check out our list of action words to incorporate into your writing.

The Most Used Words in the English Language

These words are the most repeated not only in writing but also in verbal communication. There are many cases where it’s impossible to imagine these words, as they have a meaning that can only be understood or memorized.

1. A

My mother wants to ask if you want a new blanket while you’re here.

2. And

The Shawshank Redemption and The Godfather top the IMDb top 250 movies with a 9.2 rating.

3. Be

Regardless of their shortcomings, always be respectful to your parents.

4. Do

Do you know why he’s transferring schools?

5. Get

You need to get out of here immediately!

6. Have

I have to tell you something, but I don’t know how and where to start.

7. I

I am here to reclaim everything that is mine.

8. In

My grandmother likes to read her journal in the mornings.

9. It

It is true that Jason’s father is cheating on his mother.

10. Me

Stop asking me for advice when you don’t intend to use it.

11. My

Greg, this is my little sister, Nicole.

12. Not

That is not the right way to bake a cake.

13. Of

Ricky is a friend and a coworker of mine, that’s all.

14. That

Britches, now known as trousers, is an English word that people no longer use.

15. The

Charles III is now the king of the United Kingdom.

16. This

I don’t know why she’s so nervous; this is not her first performance.

17. To

I want you to know that I can forgive but will never forget.

18. What

Care to explain what this mess is all about?

19. We

Father said we need to move again because of his work.

20. You

Are you the one who always sends me cookies? You might also be interested in our list of dictionary sounds.

High-Frequency Words in Phase 2 Phonics

Phase 2 phonics is where kids learn the sounds a letter makes. It’s also known as phonemes. While there are 44 unique sounds, in phase 2, children only focus on 19 single letter sounds that are most persistent in the English language. See the examples below to use in your writing or teaching phonic lessons:

21. An

My brother is training to be an architect.

22. As

As much as I would like to stay for a sleepover, I need to go home.

23. At

Can we meet later at the library to talk about the project?

24. Back

I’ll be back soon, don’t worry.

25. Big

That tall guy is Eric’s big brother.

26. But

I don’t like its color, but this dress is way better than the other one, right?

27. Can

Can you help me with my film project?

28. Dad

Dad and I are in charge of today’s dinner.

29. Go

I usually go to the local gym once a month with my friends.

30. Got

I got pushed by people rushing to get on and off the train.

31. Him

If you love him, why don’t you fight for him?

32. His

Gio is trying to finish his homework as soon as possible.

33. If

If we study hard, we’ll surely pass our exams.

34. Into

Please put the dirty dishes into the sink.

35. Is

Glenda is now a famous writer!

36. Mum

My mum likes doing community service to help other people.

37. No

There are no trains running today because of the typhoon.

38. Off

Get into the habit of turning off lights you don’t use.

39. Up

My eldest brother will pick me up at the airport.

High-Frequency Words in Phase 3 Phonics

These high-frequency words enhance English vocabulary. By reviewing the terms in phase 3 phonics, children develop their reception of more complex words. This phase is the continuation of phase 2, which introduces the remaining and less common phonemes. Here are the sample sentences with high-frequency words whose sounds come from two letters to form a proper word:

40. All

All students will join the Christmas ball.

41. Are

Are you sure this is the right way back to the camp?

42. Down

I want to write down many things on my bucket list.

43. For

I think this package from London is for you.

44. Give

Please give me a reason why you think I should accept your apology.

45. He

He is a very adventurous guy who wants to try many things in life.

46. Her

I can’t believe our new professor is her mom.

47. Live

If you dream of being a great singer, learn to sing live.

48. Look

Please look at the board and tell me the answer to the third question.

49. Now

Now is the right time to tell them about the surprise party.

50. Only

Jay is the only child in their family.

51. See

The teacher wants to see the classroom president after class.

52. She

I hope she grows up kind, sweet, and beautiful.

53. They

The board of directors said they want to evaluate all the candidates before choosing who will get the promotion.

54. Them

Can you please tell them I cannot attend the meeting?

55. Then

No, honey, finish your homework first, and then you can play.

56. Too

The coffee is too hot to drink!

57. Will

My grandmother will be a hundred years old next week.

58. With

My cousin always jokes about marrying someone with a lot of money.

High-Frequency Words in Phase 4 Phonics

In the fourth phase, there are more tricky words and spelling patterns. The activities in phase 4 include reading and spelling CVCC (consonant-vowel-consonant-consonant) words, tricky words, frequency words, and writing sentences. Learning these words is essential to be more confident and expand your vocabulary.

59. Any

Will she bring any friends to her birthday party?

60. Because

I will not be able to go to school because I have a fever.

61. Children

Angelica is raising her children alone

62. Come

Do you think he will agree if I ask him to come with me?

63. Help

My father likes to help us with our homework.

64. From

I believe the transferee is from California.

65. Its

The cheese on your fridge is past its best-before date.

66. Just

You just have to believe in yourself to get through every challenge in life.

67. Like

Do you like your birthday party to be grand or intimate?

68. Little

My little brother always cries whenever I leave the house.

69. One

Surprisingly, only one student got the correct answer.

70. Out

Do you want to go out with me tonight?

71. Said

The weather forecaster said it’ll rain tonight.

72. So

I am so excited about this birthday surprise!

73. Some

He hides some of the artist’s beautiful artworks in this closet.

74. There

Will you still go there even if it’s raining hard?

75. When

When will you return to Los Angeles?

76. Where

Do you know where I put my eyeglasses? 

77. Which

This is the car which she wants to buy for her parents.

78. Why

I wonder why the groom keeps looking at the church door instead of his bride.

High-Frequency Words in Phase 5 Phonics

This phase aims to widen an individual’s knowledge about graphemes and phonemes. Since it’s more advanced than the other phases, there are many activities included in this phase, one of which is learning how to spell and read high-frequency words. Here’s the list of decodable and tricky words used in this phase:

79. About

Tell me about your life goals.

80. By

A small family is living by the lake.

81. Day

Chan’s mother works day and night at the convenience store.

82. Don’t

Don’t let fear lead you to despair.

83. Here

Professor, here is the list of students who want to join the dance competition.

84. House

No one knows that Kyla lives in a fancy house.

85. I’m

I’m afraid of failing my math class.

86. Make

My friend said she’ll make a cake for my birthday.

87. Mr

Mr. Smith is a good man.

88. Mrs

Mrs. Andrews is a strict English teacher.

89. Oh

Oh, what a pretty name for a pretty young lady!

90. Old

I want to buy an old traditional house and renovate it a bit.

91. People

People are free to say and do anything they want, but sometimes it’s too much.

92. Put

Please put the groceries on the tabletop. 

93. Their

It’s the parents’ responsibility to look after their children.

94. Time

What time will we meet tomorrow to do our project?

95. Very

I am very thankful that I have a friend like you.

96. Your

Please do not forget to tell your parents about the upcoming school events.
Are you looking for more ways to expand your vocabulary and improve your skills? Check out our list of compound words to make your writing more engaging.