commonest word

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "commonest word" is correct and usable in written English. You can use it when discussing the most frequently occurring word in a specific context or text. For example, "The commonest word in the article was 'the'." Alternative expressions include "most common word" and "most frequently used word."

✓ Grammatically correct

Science

News & Media

Encyclopedias

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

1 human-written examples

As might be expected, these are all small prepositions and pronouns, except for the name "Alice" which has 386 occurrences and is the 10th commonest word, and the verb past tense "said" at 462 occurrences.

Bioinformatics and Biology Insights

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

59 human-written examples

We constructed a gamification lexicon using the commonest words from McGonigal's book [19] extended with words from some popular gamification web sites.

Security Informatics

(And yes, I'm aware that I've been putting some of the commonest words in Washington's vocabulary inside scare quotes. The reason: given the history of the post-9/11 era, they really should scare us).

Huffington Post

For illustrative purposes, the 10 commonest words are shown in Table 1.

Bioinformatics and Biology Insights

Wearing his statistician's hat, John Tozer tells me that the commonest competition word lengths are 8, 7, 9 and 12, in that order of frequency.

The Guardian

The commonest prognosis word recorded was 'poor', recorded on 16 occasions (15.2%).

British Journal of Cancer

Nor must we neglect the commonest everyday words, such as slang, cant, and taboo words.

Huffington Post

A total of 42 separate words or phrases were identified relating to diagnosis, the commonest were generic words such as 'operation', 'diagnosis' and 'histology'histology

British Journal of Cancer

The shortest is "f" and at present has no meaning, since science has not yet determined which word or expression is in commonest use.

The New Yorker

The regal look, often confused by the uninformed for an Islamic one, befits the faith's commonest name: Singh comes from the Sanskrit word simha, which means lion (think Disney's "Simba").

Huffington Post

Putting the two words together gives one of the commonest phrases heard at election time.

BBC

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When analyzing a text, identify the "commonest word" to understand the text's core themes and emphasis.

Common error

Avoid assuming that the "commonest word" in one context will be the "commonest word" in another. Always analyze the specific text or situation at hand.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "commonest word" functions as a noun phrase, where "commonest" acts as an adjective modifying the noun "word". It describes the noun by specifying its frequency or prevalence. Ludwig AI validates its correct and frequent usage.

Expression frequency: Very common

Frequent in

News & Media

36%

Science

34%

Encyclopedias

10%

Less common in

Formal & Business

5%

Wiki

0%

Reference

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

The phrase "commonest word" is a grammatically sound and frequently used expression to denote the most frequent word in a given context. Ludwig's analysis indicates that it is considered correct and widely used across diverse sources, including news, scientific articles, and encyclopedias. While alternatives such as "most frequent word" or "most common word" exist, "commonest word" remains a valid choice. Identifying the "commonest word" helps to understand the central themes of a text and analyze language patterns. Understanding its usage, and being mindful of the context, ensures clarity and precision in writing.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

Most frequent word

Replaces "commonest" with "most frequent", emphasizing the high occurrence rate.

Most prevalent word

Uses "most prevalent" to highlight widespread occurrence.

Most recurring word

Emphasizes the repetitive nature of the word's appearance.

Most often used word

Focuses on the act of using the word frequently.

Most typical word

Indicates that the word is representative of a larger set.

Most popular word

Highlights the word's widespread adoption and recognition.

Predominant word

Implies that the word is dominant in a particular context.

Main word

Signifies that the word is the most important or central.

Principal word

Highlights the word's primary status or importance.

Usual word

Suggests that the word is the one most expected or typically encountered.

FAQs

How can I identify the "commonest word" in a text?

To find the "commonest word", count the frequency of each word in the text. Tools like word counters or text analysis software can automate this process.

What does finding the "commonest word" tell you about a text?

Identifying the "commonest word" can reveal the main themes, focus, or emphasis of a text. It can also highlight the author's style and vocabulary choices.

Which is correct, "commonest word" or "most common word"?

Both "commonest word" and "most common word" are grammatically correct and widely used. The choice between them depends on style and preference, although "most common word" is generally more frequent in modern usage.

What are some alternatives to using the phrase "commonest word"?

Depending on the context, you can use alternatives like "most frequent word", "most prevalent word", or "most often used word".