German vocabulary · part 5 of 10
Common German words 401–500
German words 401 to 500, ordered by how useful they are. Each comes with its English meaning. Tap the speaker to hear it, then say it back.
| # | English | German |
|---|---|---|
| 401 | sour | sauer |
| 402 | to know (a fact) | wissen |
| 403 | guest | der Gast |
| 404 | silver | das Silber |
| 405 | bank | die Bank |
| 406 | to know (a person) | kennen |
| 407 | bitter | bitter |
| 408 | to create | erschaffen |
| 409 | stranger | der Fremde |
| 410 | airport | der Flughafen |
| 411 | to want | wollen |
| 412 | plastic | das Plastik |
| 413 | to kiss | küssen |
| 414 | station | der Bahnhof |
| 415 | soft | weich |
| 416 | to be able to | können |
| 417 | enemy | der Feind |
| 418 | to destroy | zerstören |
| 419 | oil | das Öl |
| 420 | library | die Bibliothek |
| 421 | to have to | müssen |
| 422 | hard | hart |
| 423 | class | die Klasse |
| 424 | museum | das Museum |
| 425 | to protect | schützen |
| 426 | smoke | der Rauch |
| 427 | to come | kommen |
| 428 | water | das Wasser |
| 429 | wet | nass |
| 430 | lesson | die Lektion |
| 431 | to give | geben |
| 432 | food | das Essen |
| 433 | ice | das Eis |
| 434 | to fight | kämpfen |
| 435 | dry | trocken |
| 436 | to dive | tauchen |
| 437 | to take | nehmen |
| 438 | test | die Prüfung |
| 439 | bread | das Brot |
| 440 | sand | der Sand |
| 441 | to put | legen |
| 442 | milk | die Milch |
| 443 | to kill | töten |
| 444 | cool | kühl |
| 445 | homework | die Hausaufgabe |
| 446 | to find | finden |
| 447 | coffee | der Kaffee |
| 448 | field | das Feld |
| 449 | nice | nett |
| 450 | to hurt | wehtun |
| 451 | language | die Sprache |
| 452 | tea | der Tee |
| 453 | to think | denken |
| 454 | hill | der Hügel |
| 455 | meat | das Fleisch |
| 456 | to speak | sprechen |
| 457 | kind | freundlich |
| 458 | sentence | der Satz |
| 459 | to heal | heilen |
| 460 | to fish | angeln |
| 461 | fish | der Fisch |
| 462 | desert | die Wüste |
| 463 | to eat | essen |
| 464 | funny | lustig |
| 465 | page | die Seite |
| 466 | fruit | das Obst |
| 467 | to drink | trinken |
| 468 | to breathe | atmen |
| 469 | wave | die Welle |
| 470 | apple | der Apfel |
| 471 | to live | leben |
| 472 | smart | klug |
| 473 | line | die Linie |
| 474 | egg | das Ei |
| 475 | rainbow | der Regenbogen |
| 476 | to shout | schreien |
| 477 | to work | arbeiten |
| 478 | cheese | der Käse |
| 479 | meeting | das Treffen |
| 480 | stupid | dumm |
| 481 | to love | lieben |
| 482 | storm | der Sturm |
| 483 | rice | der Reis |
| 484 | to go shopping | einkaufen |
| 485 | to whisper | flüstern |
| 486 | company | die Firma |
| 487 | brave | mutig |
| 488 | to like | mögen |
| 489 | salt | das Salz |
| 490 | earthquake | das Erdbeben |
| 491 | to need | brauchen |
| 492 | sugar | der Zucker |
| 493 | to promise | versprechen |
| 494 | shy | schüchtern |
| 495 | leaf | das Blatt |
| 496 | wine | der Wein |
| 497 | to look at | anschauen |
| 498 | project | das Projekt |
| 499 | lazy | faul |
| 500 | to lie (untruth) | lügen |
Questions, answered
What are the most common words in German?
The list on this page runs in order of usefulness. Words 401 to 500 include sauer (sour), wissen (to know (a fact)), der Gast (guest), das Silber (silver), die Bank (bank).
How many German words do I need to start speaking?
A few hundred well-chosen words cover a large share of everyday conversation. This list has 966 of them in order of usefulness, so working from the top gives you the most for your time.
What is the best way to remember these German words?
Say them in sentences, not alone. Hear a word, say it aloud, then use it in a full sentence. 4ToSpeak's Word Quest and four-step lessons are built around that.
Now say it out loud
Reading a list does not teach you to talk. Practise these in full German sentences, free, no card.