A List of 377 Common, Relatively Insignificant Words - First Cut

Any word can have significance.  I needed a list of words that would be least likely to have much significance in most situations.

I assembled this list as an aid in identifying words that would be relatively unlikely to provide insight into the contents of a file, when used in the name of that file.  I hoped that elimination of these words would make it easier to notice important emphases among the words that remained.  This blog should have a post on that project at about the same time as this post.

I assembled this list from several sources.  I started with the list of the 100 most common words in English -- a list that, according to Wikipedia, was computed from an analysis of the billion-word Oxford English Corpus.  I reduced that list to remove about 20 words that, although common, seemed especially capable of having significance even in a filename or other brief communication (e.g., "person," "time," "know").

Among the remaining words on that list, I expanded some to include other forms in normal usage.  For example, along with "be" as the second most common word in English, I added "is," "am," "are," "was," "were," and "been."  Some such alternate forms were already on the list (e.g., "we" and "us"); others may have been much less frequently used.  I added some common words that were substantially similar to, or that would arise from combinations of, words on the list (e.g., "whenever," "wouldn't").  I also expanded the several numerical words on the list to include all single-word cardinal and ordinal numbers up to "ninety" and "ninetieth," along with other counting adjectives (e.g., "many").

From that start with the list of 100 most common words, I turned to certain specific types of words.  I focused on commonly recognized parts of speech, particularly conjunctions (e.g., "but"), pronouns (e.g., "she"), conjunctive adverbs (e.g., "however"), and prepositions (e.g., "across").  There was a lot of overlap; lists of these kinds of words expanded but also tended to confirm what was already on the list.  I added some relatively generic adverbs (e.g., "actually") and adjectives (e.g., "actual").  I also drew from Wikipedia's lists of the first and second hundred English basic words, and threw in some other frequently used words of relatively minor significance (e.g., "evidently").

These steps produced the following list of words that I intended to apply to my project.

a

aboard

about

above

according

accordingly

across

actual

actually

additional

additionally

after

again

against

all

almost

along

alongside

also

although

always

am

amid

amidst

among

amongst

an

and

another

anti

any

anybody

anyone

anything

anyway

apparent

apparently

are

around

as

astride

at

atop

away

barring

be

because

been

before

behind

below

beneath

beside

besides

between

beyond

both

but

by

can

cannot

can't

certain

certainly

circa

clear

clearly

commonly

comparable

comparative

comparatively

concerning

consequent

consequently

considering

contrarily

conversely

could

couldn't

cum

despite

did

didn't

different

do

does

doesn't

done

down

during

each

eight

eighteen

eighteenth

eighth

eightieth

eighty

either

eleven

eleventh

elsewhere

equally

especially

even

every

everybody

everyone

everything

evident

evidently

except

excepting

excluding

few

fifteen

fifteenth

fifth

fiftieth

fifty

finally

first

five

following

for

fortieth

forty

four

fourteen

fourteenth

fourth

from

further

furthermore

generally

get

gets

getting

go

going

gone

got

had

has

have

he

hence

henceforth

her

here

hers

herself

him

himself

his

honestly

how

however

I

if

I'll

I'm

important

in

incidentally

including

inside

instead

into

is

isn't

it

its

it's

itself

I've

just

less

likely

likewise

little

many

may

me

meanwhile

might

mine

minus

more

moreover

most

much

must

my

myself

namely

near

nearly

neither

never

nevertheless

next

nine

nineteen

nineteenth

ninetieth

ninety

ninth

no

nobody

none

nonetheless

nor

not

nothing

notwithstanding

now

of

off

often

on

once

one

only

onto

or

other

others

otherwise

our

ours

ourselves

out

outside

over

particular

particularly

per

plus

prior

provided

rather

re

really

regard

regarding

regardless

relatively

same

seem

seemingly

seems

seven

seventeen

seventeenth

seventh

seventieth

seventy

several

she

should

similar

similarly

since

six

sixteen

sixteenth

sixth

sixtieth

sixty

small

so

some

somebody

someone

something

soon

specific

specific

specifically

still

subsequent

subsequently

such

ten

tenth

than

that

the

their

theirs

them

themselves

then

there

thereafter

therefore

these

they

third

thirteen

thirteenth

thirtieth

thirty

this

those

though

three

through

throughout

thru

thus

till

to

together

too

toward

towards

truly

twelfth

twelve

twentieth

twenty

twice

two

ultimately

under

underneath

undoubtedly

unless

unlike

until

up

upon

us

versus

very

via

vis-a-vis

vs

was

way

we

well

went

were

what

whatever

when

whenever

where

whereas

wherever

whether

which

whichever

while

who

whoever

whom

whomever

whose

why

will

with

within

without

worse

worst

would

wouldn't

yes

yet

you

your

yours

yourself

yourselves