Lists of 100 Most-Used Words

[Dave Monroe]

The Numbers Guy
Lists of 100 Most-Used Words

There are plenty of lists of the 100 most frequently used words in the
English language, but they don't all give the same results. Rankings
vary because surveys work from different samples -- including text and
spoken words -- and make different judgments about what constitutes an
actual and distinct word. Click on a heading in the table below to
sort the words in alphabetical order, or to get a numeric ranking
according to the various sources. ( See related article.)    —
Compiled by Carl Bialik

http://s.wsj.net/public/resources/documents/info-numbguy-sort.html

THE NUMBERS GUY
By CARL BIALIK

Making Every Word Count
Computers and the Web Complicate
Vital Research on Frequently Used Language
September 12, 2008; Page A12

If you're like me, you've wasted time taking online quizzes like the
one my friend challenged me to take: Name the 100 most frequently used
English words in five minutes. (I got 45.) ...

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122117665019625899.html