English Top 2000 Words Flashcards

The English Top 2000 Words Flashcards use sentence-based cards and monolingual definitions as the main way for you to learn English. We do not include pictures in the Top 2000 Words Flashcards for 2 core reasons:

1. Think in English Using English-only Content

We focus on English sentences and English definitions with the 2000 Words Flashcards because you need to eventually ease yourself into English-only content. If you already studied the picture-based 500 Picture Words flashcards, then it is certainly time for you to move on to actual English sentences. Eventually, you will want to read native English books and articles, as well as listen to native English broadcasts, conversations and media. These are all only in English, and all of the communication in them is mainly through sentences — not random, individual words. So, we want to help you become familiar with English-only content, and that's why our flashcards use English sentences.

We also provide you with English monolingual definitions for each of the flashcards. This means that if you have trouble understanding the meaning of the word in the sentence, you can also read the basic English definition we provide. This helps you get familiar with synonyms and builds a network of words in your brain that help to describe and reinforce newer ones. If you still have trouble, we also provide a translation hint, but you're encouraged to first try and understand the English sentence on its own, along with the monolingual English definition.

Overall, we are trying to help you think in English. That's why we remove your reliance on pictures and your native language — because real-life English content will not give you those.

2. Learn "Chunks" Based on Research From Linguists Michael Lewis & Stephen Krashen

The Top 2000 Words Flashcards contain the exact words most frequently used in English — and this includes many abstract words that are difficult to visualize with a picture, such as "although," "except," "involve," and "consider." We believe the best way to learn these abstract words is through understanding the meaning they provide in real English sentence "chunks," as promoted by linguist Michael Lewis.

We have based these flashcards on research by linguists Michael Lewis and Stephen Krashen. Lewis emphasized that if you want to learn a language, you need to understand sentence "chunks" of the language — it's not enough to learn words on their own. Krashen's "input hypothesis" states that learners progress when they understand language input that is slightly more advanced than their current level. That is why you will focus on acquiring new English words in the context of real English sentences and basic English monolingual definitions.

Although it is up to you whether you would like to use both decks, there are a few things to consider before deciding whether you want to learn the 500 Picture Words first. Other than the obvious difference in the number of words, there are 2 main differences: how the words are learned, and the source of the frequency list used.

1. Learning Using Picture-based Words Vs Sentence-based Words

You may be wondering why we offer 2 flashcard decks for English vocabulary: 1) Picture-Based 500 Picture Words Flashcards, and 2) Sentence-Based 2000 Words Flashcards.

The 500 Picture Words Flashcards are intended to be the first step to learning English vocabulary — picture-based and therefore easier to learn for beginners. It includes only words (verbs, nouns and adjectives) that are easily visually represented with an image. After you learn the 500 words, you will be able to think in very basic English and identify and name several everyday objects and actions in the real world.

The Top 2000 Words Flashcards are sentence-based and the next logical step for learning English vocabulary in the context of example sentences and monolingual definitions. We include a simple yet useful sentence to learn each word. The sentence only contains words found in the 500 Picture Words and the top 2000 words, making it easier to learn and a great way to transition to reading real English. After learning the top 2000 words, you are estimated to reach the English A2 CEFR level, along with 90% comprehension of texts. You will be able to understand and produce English sentences to communicate confidently.

We recommend learning the English 500 Picture Words first if you are completely new to English, or if you would like an easy transition into English vocabulary and to get the most out of this deck.

2. Differences with Frequency Lists Used and Where Words are Sourced

The second main difference between the 500 Picture Words Flashcards and the Top 2000 Words Flashcards is the frequency list used for each. The 500 Picture Words are sourced from cross-language frequency research for the most common picturable words, although we have made tweaks and improvements where necessary. As the deck is picture-based, you'll only find commonly used words that can be clearly shown as an image.

The top 2000 words, on the other hand, are derived from a combination of the most popular corpora and comprehensive word frequency lists of the most common words in English. These include, but are not limited to: the Corpus of Contemporary American English, the British National Corpus, and the Routledge Frequency Dictionary series. We also use our own technology and proprietary process to analyse billions of words to determine the frequency of each word.

A few of the words found in the 500 Picture Words do overlap with the Top 2000 Words, but not all will be found in the larger deck. The top 2000 words include both abstract words and words that can be easily represented with a picture. The top 2000 words will be culturally and linguistically relevant for English because these are the words that actual English native speakers use most.

You can learn more than 2000 words, but you will get the highest yield on your effort with the first 2000 English words. The linguistic research of Paul Nation and James Milton both conclude that learning the top 2000 words gives you the best return on your effort. If you learn up to 7000 words, you only retain 8% more comprehension compared to learning 2000 words where you already understand 90%. You'll also take much longer to learn all 7000 words with diminishing gains. Once you start learning beyond the top 2000 words, it will take much more time and you'll be learning words that are less and less frequently used.

It's clear that you need to master the 2000 most common English words first before learning rare vocabulary. If you're a beginner, you're better off learning very common words like "go," "want," "have," "food," "house," "mother," and "father" — because you're more likely to use these words in a range of contexts. If you haven't mastered these words and other top 2000 words, don't waste time memorising rarer words. It's very unlikely that you'll need them at this stage.

Once you have completed learning the top 2000 words, we recommend learning new words that you come across in media, literature and everyday life, rather than working through another frequency list. For example, if you are learning English for your career, you may want to focus on vocabulary common in your field. But only do this once you've learned and mastered the top 2000 English words.