How many words do you need to know to speak English?

14 August 2025

Readers-friendly

Oleksandra Kulish

Book expert

Students who are beginning to learn English often wonder how many words they need to know in order to speak English. It is possible to answer this question, but only in a very general way. The fact is that it is difficult to say exactly how many words there are in English, and there is a good reason for this: it is extremely difficult to determine what counts as a separate word.

For example, the word run in the Merriam-Webster dictionary has hundreds of meanings — as a noun, as a verb, in fixed expressions. Should this be considered one word, or should each meaning be considered a separate word? What about phrasal verbs such as run into, run over, and run out? What about compound words such as full-time, credit card, and coffee table — are they separate or whole lexical units?

Add to this plurals, verb tenses, conjugations, prefixes, and suffixes, and it becomes clear why it is impossible to count the exact number of words in a language. That is why this question needs to be examined in much more detail.

Basic vocabulary in English: is there such a thing?

If we are talking about a specific list or book that contains all “basic” words without exception, then, of course, there is no such thing.

On the one hand, an adult native speaker of English has an active vocabulary of about 20,000 words, which is quite a lot. On the other hand, The Reading Teacher's Book of Lists states that the first 25 words are used in 33% of daily written texts, the first 100 words in 50%, and the first thousand words in 89% of such texts. Therefore, we can confidently say that about 3,000 words cover approximately 95% of general texts (news, blogs, etc.), so it is these 3,000 words that you need to know in order to read more complex texts and understand most of the meanings from the context.

If the Oxford English Dictionary contains 171,476 commonly used words, and a vocabulary of 3,000 words is sufficient to understand 95% of everyday texts, then that is only 1.75% of the entire dictionary! So, by knowing only 1.75% of all English words, you can understand 95% of what you read. And that's only about 7.5% of the average passive vocabulary of a native speaker, which is approximately 20,000 words.

Of course, knowing words does not mean that you understand everything you hear or read perfectly. Language also includes grammar, idioms, and various linguistic expressions that can create obstacles. Sometimes a sentence consists of familiar words, but still remains unclear due to the peculiarities of speech.

However, in most cases, knowing 90–95% of the words in a sentence, along with the context, allows you to understand the language and communicate without significant difficulty, especially if the language belongs to the same language family as your native language.

For example, English has a huge number of words, which is why many consider it a difficult language that will take decades to master. In fact, if you start by learning words in context and gradually expand your vocabulary to 2,500–3,000 words, it is quite possible to reach a level in a short time that will allow you to read general texts and understand 90–95% of the content.

This is the optimal number of words you need to know to successfully read foreign texts. That's enough words to understand the rest of the meanings from the context.

How many words does a native English speaker know?

In his works, William Shakespeare created about 500 new words and used a total of approximately 20,000 unique English words. As we mentioned above, this is the average vocabulary of an adult native speaker.

It is important to remember that both native speakers and those who learn English at school or in courses develop two types of vocabulary: active and passive. The total vocabulary of an adult is about 20,000 words.

Active vocabulary consists of words that we use regularly in various situations. For example, if you know 10 ways to say “hello” in English but only use three of them in conversation or writing, those three are part of your active vocabulary.

Passive vocabulary includes words and expressions that we understand but rarely or never use in everyday communication. These are often words whose meaning we guess from the context when reading or watching movies. When learning a language, your passive vocabulary grows first, and in order to transfer words into your active vocabulary, you need to practice speaking and writing.

In addition, there are various historical and archaic words, such as:

Hark — “listen!” (used in old texts).
Fief — land ownership in the Middle Ages.
Alms — charity.
Thither — “there.”
Methinks — “I think.”
Ere — “before.”

Most likely, native speakers will know them and keep them in their passive vocabulary, as they have heard them at school, in various books, etc. However, non-native speakers are unlikely to have encountered them, as these words are not used in modern textbooks, literature, or speech.

How many words do you need to learn to speak English fluently at different levels?

Linguists have calculated that for each level of the CEFR (Common European Framework of Reference for Languages), there is a standard vocabulary size. This indicator is not fixed and depends on the country of origin of the respondent.

For example, for level B1, the number of English words known by residents of Slovakia and France may differ by several hundred. The average number of words for each CEFR level is shown in the table:

Level	Number of words
A1 (Elementary)	about 500
A2 (Pre-intermediate)	1000–1500
B1 (Intermediate)	2000–2500
B2 (Upper-Intermediate)	3000–3700
C1 (Advanced)	4000–4700
C2 (Proficient)	from 6000

What you need to know at the beginning (A1–A2):

Talk about yourself, your family, hobbies, travel, and work.
Write short letters or postcards to friends.
Understand slow, spoken language without complex grammatical structures.
Be able to use the Simple and Present Continuous tenses.
Distinguish between definite and indefinite articles, different pronouns, and types of questions.
Retell short texts.
Read adapted books and news articles.

Skills for intermediate levels (B1–B2):

Write formal letters and essays.
Communicate freely on various topics, even abstract ones.
Watch movies and TV series in the original language.
Read literature in the original (except for technical and academic texts).
Understand native speakers' spoken language at first hearing.
Use the past and future tenses confidently.
Understand direct and indirect speech.
Use modal verbs.
Use three types of conditional sentences.

Requirements for advanced levels (C1–C2):

Read technical and academic texts without a dictionary.
Fill out resumes and pass interviews in English.
Speak freely on any topic using complex structures.
Write academic essays and work reports.
Understand any unadapted spoken language.
Use inversion.
Use linking words.
Make no punctuation mistakes.
Navigate complex gerund and infinitive forms.

The table and description show that knowing more than 4,000 words gives you a good command of the language.

Learn words so that you don't forget them in an hour

Here are some effective tips to help you build your English vocabulary!

Learn words in context.
Learn vocabulary in sentences or specific situations. This allows you to better understand the meaning of a word and how it is used. Words associated with real-life examples are much easier to remember.
Use associations.
Link new words to familiar words, images, or even emotions. Associative thinking creates strong connections in your memory, allowing you to learn new vocabulary faster.
Flashcards, vocabulary books, and stickers.
Flashcards are a proven method for learning words. On one side is the word, and on the other is its meaning or an example in a sentence. By regularly reviewing these cards, you can test and reinforce your knowledge.
Make your own sentences.
Create your own examples with new words. This will not only help you better understand the rules of usage, but also make the process more personalized — you will remember better when you connect words to your own life.
Regular repetition.
Repetition is the key to long-term memory. Without it, even well-learned words are forgotten over time. Use the spaced repetition method — increase the intervals between repetitions to better consolidate vocabulary in your long-term memory.
Active use of vocabulary.
The more often you use new words — in speech, letters, exercises, or dialogues — the deeper they become rooted in your active vocabulary.

Don't be afraid of mistakes — the main thing is to practice!