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The 50 most common Turkish words

The words no Turkish conversation can do without: yes, no, there is, there isn’t, thank you, please. Each comes with IPA, a translation and an example you can listen to. Then three exercises to make them stick.

  • 50 words
  • Audio and IPA
  • An example for each word
  • 3 exercises
  • No sign-up
To the wordsPractice

Why start with these words

A small set of words — pronouns, var and yok, a few verbs — turns up in almost every Turkish sentence. Learn them and you’ll recognise the skeleton of a sentence even in an unfamiliar text.

Turkish verbs end in -mak / -mek in the dictionary (gelmek, gitmek), and in a sentence suffixes are added to the stem: geliyorum — I’m coming, gelmedim — I didn’t come. That’s why the examples show real, living forms.

Word list

The words are in order of frequency: the first ones come up most often. Tap a word or an example to hear it.

Speed
  1. one; a
  2. and
  3. this
  4. I
  5. you (informal)
  6. he, she, it; that
  7. we
  8. what
  9. yes
  10. no
  11. not
  12. there is
  13. there isn’t
  14. question particle
  15. very; a lot
  16. but
  17. for
  18. like
  19. more; still
  20. every
  21. thing
  22. good, well
  23. beautiful, nice
  24. big
  25. small
  26. hello
  27. to be, to become
  28. to do, to make
  29. to do (in phrases)
  30. to come
  31. to go
  32. to want
  33. to know
  34. to say; to mean
  35. to take; to buy
  36. to give
  37. to see
  38. now
  39. later, after
  40. how
  41. why
  42. where
  43. here
  44. time
  45. day
  46. house, home
  47. water
  48. OK
  49. please
  50. thanks

Practice: test yourself

10 words from the list per round. After every answer you hear the word and the right option lights up.

Choose an exercise

How to remember the words

  • 10 words a day: listen, repeat aloud and do the “Translate” exercise.
  • Learn whole examples: «Bilmiyorum», «Sorun yok», «Hesap, lütfen» — set phrases stick better than single words.
  • Come back to the exercises a day and a week later — spaced repetition makes words stay.
  • Look for familiar words: Turkish borrowed a lot from French — otobüs, bilet, kuaför, asansör — so many are easy to guess.

FAQ

Didn’t find your answer? Send us a request — we’ll tell you everything.

Where does this list come from?

We used frequency dictionaries based on film and TV subtitles — the closest thing to real spoken language. Forms of one word are grouped together, and words a beginner doesn’t need on their own were swapped for the ones you need most in conversation: hello, thank you, please.

Are 50 words enough to speak?

No, but they’re a solid base: they make up a noticeable share of any text. The next step is 300–500 words by topic (food, the city, the hotel) and basic grammar.

How do I address people politely in Turkish?

Use siz with strangers and older people: Nasılsınız? Teşekkür ederim. Add Bey after a man’s first name (Ahmet Bey) and Hanım after a woman’s (Ayşe Hanım). Sen is for friends, family and children.

How fast can I learn these words?

In a week, if you learn 7–10 words a day and review them with the exercises. The key is to come back to them a few days later.

What’s next

Next step

Keep learning with a mini-course

Short online courses by Slay School teachers: a 15-minute lesson a day with audio, exercises and dialogues, and the words you forget come back on their own.

  • Day 1 is free
  • 15 minutes a day, at your own pace
  • Every word has audio
  • Lifetime access once paid
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All you need to start is an email or a Google account.