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Most Common English Verbs

Name the 60 most common verbs (unconjugated!) in the English language, based on the Corpus of Contemporary American English.
Modal verbs such as would, could, or shall are not included
Conjugations such as swim, swam, and swum are grouped together
Quiz by kalbahamut
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Featured Quiz
Last updated: December 9, 2019
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First submittedMarch 10, 2013
Times taken46,159
Rating4.35
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#
Verb
1
be
2
have
3
do
4
say
5
go
6
get
7
know
8
make
9
think
10
take
11
see
12
come
#
Verb
13
want
14
look
15
use
16
find
17
tell
18
give
19
work
20
call
21
try
22
ask
23
need
24
feel
#
Verb
25
become
26
mean
27
leave
28
let
29
put
30
keep
31
talk
32
turn
33
seem
34
begin
35
help
36
start
#
Verb
37
show
38
hear
39
play
40
run
41
happen
42
like
43
move
44
believe
45
hold
46
live
47
bring
48
write
#
Verb
49
provide
50
sit
51
stand
52
lose
53
include
54
pay
55
meet
56
set
57
continue
58
watch
59
learn
60
change
kalbahamut
+4
Level 82
Mar 28, 2014
Some other word-related quizzes y'all may enjoy:

Most Common English Adjectives

More Google Suggestions Than You Can ______

Most Googled Words 2004-2013

Pord Wuzzle

have fun.

plattitude
+14
Level 90
Apr 3, 2014
I was really disappointed that sleep wasn't on this list.

Maybe it's because I'm doing this quiz to stay awake near the end of a 40-hour software rollout.

kalbahamut
+2
Level 82
Apr 4, 2014
:)
kalbahamut
+2
Level 82
Apr 6, 2014
btw QM, I like the thumbnail you picked out. Clever.
Baltimorean
+1
Level 71
Apr 7, 2014
The Basic Steel Agreement between the United Steelworkers and the major steelmakers had an Article 2(B), which made all sorts of past practices into contract terms. Which led to the obvious question . . . . Great quiz by the way.
kalbahamut
+1
Level 82
Jul 30, 2020
The thumbnail has since changed. I think before it was a reference to Hamlet. "to be or not to be..."
AlexThirkell
+1
Level 67
Sep 28, 2020
I missed the one the current thumbnail refers to :(

Enjoyed the quiz though, thanks!

ander217
+1
Level 78
Jul 6, 2014
Interesting quiz. Thanks.
MissTaylor133
+4
Level 33
Jul 16, 2014
I actually did a lot better thinking about it in French. I can't remember ever learning verbs in English (just what a verb was) so I was like okay there's etre, avoir, aller, faire, parler, and so on. :-)
zh11
+1
Level 34
Dec 18, 2019
i did the same thing! my brain stopped working when i took this quiz. when you learn a language you learn the most imporatn verbs first so it helps
daQuokka
+1
Level 55
Sep 28, 2020
Yes!
Xayumi
+1
Level 57
Feb 17, 2021
Same here, I was thinking about the words in Spanish and it really helped me.
beetboy12
+1
Level 44
Aug 2, 2014
Modal verbs are more like adverbs than verbs, in that they modify another verb. "I can go" means I have the ability to go. "I might go" indicates the probability of my going. "I must go" indicates the imperative nature of my going. They have no verb aspect on their own.
mcgrammar
+2
Level 21
Dec 18, 2014
I didn't even think "seem" was a verb until I took the quiz...
kalbahamut
+3
Level 82
Dec 18, 2014
Sure it is. That seems to be correct. What else would be the verb in that sentence?
ghanburighan
+1
Level 74
Nov 27, 2017
be is the verb
kalbahamut
+2
Level 82
Nov 28, 2017
Okay. "That seems odd." This is a correct sentence. Find the verb.
jellyperson
+1
Level 57
Jan 11, 2019
Hmm well in Latin "to be" would be an infinitive, but I've been told that analyzing infinitive constructions is kind of weird in English...
daQuokka
+1
Level 55
Sep 28, 2020
Hmmm in Latin 'esse' would be an infinitive...

'To be' isn't anything in Latin

But yes, 'to be' is an infinitive.

drLuigi
+4
Level 47
May 23, 2015
No 'love' :(
biggus56
+4
Level 83
Sep 13, 2020
No 'hate' :)
Elan
+1
Level 62
Jan 13, 2016
I got a lot of these by thinking of the first verbs I learned in Spanish.
jpquizmaker22
+1
Level 10
Apr 16, 2016
3 minute 8 seconds left yes
beccimoo
+1
Level 59
Jun 13, 2016
And is that your first time doing this quiz?
dragaan
+1
Level 50
Sep 12, 2016
Funny that "take" is much higher than "give."
kiwiquizzer
+5
Level 66
Jan 9, 2017
How long will that take? Take a walk? Take my hand?
someone2018
+3
Level 83
Sep 30, 2018
Give me a minute here.
Sifhraven
+2
Level 67
Jun 28, 2020
Give me a brake.. (give me a hand here guys..)
someone2018
+1
Level 83
Dec 31, 2020
A handbrake?
sillie
+3
Level 81
Nov 12, 2017
And "work" comes waaaay before "play".
kiwiquizzer
+1
Level 66
Jan 9, 2017
Enjoyable quiz. Got 14, but should have got more...
DonTheLamplighter
+3
Level 81
Nov 21, 2017
Surprised "lie", "cheat" and "steal" weren't listed. Then I realized this was for verbs that are spoken, not actually done.
WT2008
+1
Level 75
Nov 26, 2017
where are "google" and "tweet". The source is called "contemporary" english!
tranagceist
+4
Level 67
Nov 27, 2017
Why is "must" included? It's a modal verb
kalbahamut
+2
Level 82
Nov 27, 2017
Not sure. QM updated this using a different source I think. I haven't had time to look closely at it.
Quizmaster
+1
Level ∞
Nov 27, 2017
My mistake. Now fixed
Cwej
+1
Level 65
Nov 27, 2017
Pay. Used more than love, eat, sleep. Says it all, really... :(
Malbaby
+1
Level 70
Nov 27, 2017
No Pay..... No Eat....... No Eat, No love.......... No Love, no sleep.
Sifhraven
+1
Level 67
Jan 9, 2019
Yea some I really expected were missing.
idontkn1
+2
Level 85
Nov 27, 2017
"Must" must be removed.
Quizmaster
+1
Level ∞
Nov 27, 2017
Fixed
ghanburighan
+2
Level 74
Nov 27, 2017
Must and seem are not verbs
lolrobbielol
+2
Level 55
Nov 27, 2017
Seem is; must isn't

'That seems fine to me'

'Not as good as they seem'

mightythor
+6
Level 66
Nov 27, 2017
What about Palestine?
Quizmaster
+6
Level ∞
Dec 14, 2017
The UN voted to kick Taiwan out of the dictionary and grant Palestine observer status ... However, these votes don't reflect the actual situation on the ground.
plattitude
+3
Level 90
Jun 25, 2018
We can only hope more people will be granted observer status in the dictionary.
peslac
+1
Level 31
Dec 6, 2017
Wow, I missed so many that were quite obvious!

At least I got 36 of them.

RambleOnRose
+1
Level 57
Jul 6, 2018
After writing about a dozen words down, I started to tune in to the dialogue in "Better Call Saul," which was playing in the other room, and got interested in listening for common verbs. I forgot to think of my own words and just wrote down common verbs that came up in the dialogue -- and ended up with 33, just from a few minutes of dialogue! I guess that was a pretty strong demonstration of how common these words really are :-)
Sifhraven
+1
Level 67
Jan 9, 2019
28/60, the average is 19 (so beat 82,3%), pleased enough with that, though personally I hoped I would ve gotten more (below 65% right feels kinda like failing), missed a few abvious ones like do and get. But also got many onf the lower ones like mean begin become believe. But some that I didnt get I would never have guessed. Like provide and include. Several I expected to be there but werent, some of their counterparts were there. LIke begin but not end, start but not stop, livebut not die. Etc, but fun to do :)
abalaji
+6
Level 40
Feb 20, 2019
Kal, I read your comments on other quizzes, why are you sometimes mean to people? And why do you comment on everything?
kalbahamut
+3
Level 82
Feb 20, 2019
I'm mean to people who I feel deserve it. If they leave a comment directed at me or someone else that is needlessly disrespectful or insulting, as online comments so often are, I will be disrespectful right back at this person. If they pop in to say something bigoted or ignorant, or to spread misinformation, I will correct their bias or ignorance and others might misconstrue this as being mean when I'm simply being truthful. At other times I'm simply sharing my point of view or making a factual statement and other people take this as mean because they feel under attack whenever their own beliefs are called into question; but this isn't meanness it's honesty. In the cases where I am really being mean it's because I have little patience with people who display some of those characteristics I listed above. I realize that my impatience means I don't always come across as nice, but I care very little how people here perceive me. I care about truth, respect, honesty; not being liked.
Fishbone
+3
Level 52
Jun 5, 2020
A five year old hits another five year old. When asked why he did it, the kid said "He hit me first". Glad most adults grow out of this by learning to ignore or forgive and don't "pull a Kal".
kalbahamut
+1
Level 82
Jun 5, 2020
And your comment here, making a personal attack in response to a 15 month old comment, along with 20 other rather snide comments you left today, is you demonstrating the adult skill of forgiveness? or ignorance?
kalbahamut
+2
Level 82
Feb 20, 2019
As to why I comment on "everything," I don't, but I have been visiting this site daily since the end of 2012 and I enjoy the back-and-forth in the comments section so over time the number of comments I've left have slowly accumulated.
hirsutebodkin
+2
Level 55
Apr 16, 2019
My favourite game at the moment is "discussing" truth with flat earthers in youtube video comment sections. I can lose literally days with those guys
abalaji
+1
Level 40
Feb 20, 2019
Yeah, I understand Kal. Even I see Some people spreading false information and what I hate even more is when people believe it. Well, at least you're there for those kinds of people.

See you then.

payel123
+1
Level 39
Sep 15, 2019
No walk NO BREATH THAT SHOULD BE NUMBER 1
EcceHomo
+1
Level 70
Jun 11, 2020
Very tough to think of the most common verbs in English. 4/5 points is very generous for getting about half of the 60.
matthewmangan
+2
Level 29
Jul 23, 2020
i scored 14, i was guessing verb after verb but none were right, the answers came up and they're so obvious!
someone2018
+1
Level 83
Jul 30, 2020
Apparently the folks at the Corpus of Contemporary American English don't eat as often as the rest of us.

They also seem to pay for a lot without ever buying anything.

biggus56
+1
Level 83
Sep 13, 2020
If the source includes colloquialisms, it's lacking a good few.
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