There are 290 words which make up 75 percent of most writing. These are the "essential words" for spelling and writing. Here are some of the Essential Word Lists*. The words in these lists make up about 60 percent of most writing.
- Word List 1 - 10 words
- Word List 2 - 20 words
- Word List 3 - 30 words
- Word List 4 - 50 words
- Word List 5 - 50 words
- Word List 6 - 70 words
*Based on evidence from research associated with Spell-Write, a book published by the New Zealand Council for Educational Research.
Words contains the following topics
