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50 most common Ukrainian words

The words no Ukrainian conversation can do without: to be, to have, to do, yes, no, thank you. Each comes with IPA, a translation and an example you can listen to — and three exercises at the end to make them stick.

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

Why start with these words

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

Ukrainian is written in Cyrillic with a few letters of its own: і, ї, є, ґ. The letter г is a soft [ɦ], and the spelling is very close to the pronunciation — listen and repeat each word aloud.

Word list

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

Speed
  1. and
  2. in
  3. not
  4. on
  5. I
  6. to be
  7. this, it
  8. what; that
  9. you (informal)
  10. he, she
  11. to have
  12. with; from
  13. yes; so
  14. no
  15. how
  16. to
  17. but
  18. this
  19. can, to be able to
  20. to want
  21. to know
  22. to do, to make
  23. to go (on foot)
  24. to speak
  25. thank you
  26. please; you’re welcome
  27. excuse me, sorry
  28. hi
  29. good afternoon, hello
  30. very
  31. well, fine
  32. where
  33. when
  34. why
  35. here
  36. now
  37. today
  38. tomorrow
  39. everything
  40. too, also
  41. already
  42. more; still
  43. house, home
  44. time
  45. day
  46. person
  47. to love, to like
  48. a lot, many
  49. need to, have to
  50. OK, all right

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 the examples as a whole: “Я не знаю”, “Як справи?” — ready-made phrases stick better than single words.
  • Come back to the exercises after a day and after a week — spaced repetition makes words stick.
  • Learn the polite forms early: вибачте (excuse me), будь ласка (please), дякую (thank you).

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 too early for a beginner to learn on their own are replaced by the most useful ones in conversation: thank you, hello, excuse me.

Are 50 words enough to speak?

No, but they’re a solid base: these words make up a noticeable part of any text. Next come 300–500 words by topic (food, the city, work) and basic grammar.

Do I need to learn the Cyrillic alphabet first?

It helps a lot, but you can start with these words: the IPA and the audio show how each one sounds, and reading them is great alphabet practice.

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 coming 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
Start for freeAll mini-courses

All you need to start is an email or a Google account.