Example of a stop word

Stop words are considered non-significant words used in a query. They are not relevant to the search, which is why the search engine removes them before processing a search query from their library. There are often terms used when working with text mining applications, “stop list,” “stop words,” or “stop word list.” The stop words are considered as insignificant on searches like the Google search, as it eats up a lot of space in the query. These stop words are commonly used in several languages besides English. Considered as stop words, examples are “is” and “and.” It eliminates the unimportant words in NLP (Natural Language Processing) and text mining applications to allow focusing on the important words instead. Stop words are words that are filtered out before processing a natural language for the purpose of using only significant words from the search. Stop words are known to be the most used words in any language. The word “the” is a regularly used word in a search engine query, the search engine is programmed to ignore it when indexing entries and retrieving search query results. There are many discussions and arguments on the internet about stop words being insignificant to implement when creating article content. Writers find it informative to read content without words that are considered stop words. Content without stop words benefits the search results, but it lacks a great user experience. The way to provide both worlds is to balance the stop words integration, as excessive integration of stop words hurts the possibility of the content being recommended in the search engine results page.

Listed below are the top most common stop words in English.

• The: “The” is defined as a definite article to describe the meaning of a noun in a sentence. It defines the noun that the audience already knows.
• Is: “Is” is used as a linking verb. It defines a singular noun in a sentence.
• At: “At” is used to indicate a point, a space, or time. It used as an indicator or a presence or location as well.
• Which: “Which” is used as a function word to indicate a nonrestrictive or restrictive clauses to represent a specified antecedent. Used to indicate a source of support or attachment.
• On: “On” is used as a preposition in a sentence and sometimes an adjective. It is used to describe something that is above or something else.
• If: “If” is used as a conjunction in a sentence. It is used to describe an exclamation expressing a wish.
• Or: “Or” is used to connect words, clauses, or phrases showing alternatives. It indicates a choice that has only one answer.
• And: “And” is used as a conjunction. It is used to connect two words, phrase, or clauses.
• What: “What” is used mainly as part of an interrogative phrase or sentence. It is used to ask a question.
• Who: “Who” is used to as an interrogative, mainly to ask a question regarding a person or entity.

a

The word “a” is a single-letter word used to describe a noun or object. It indicates that the word it describes is single but not singular article-adjective. The word “a” is one of the two single-letter words in the standard English language, the other one-letter word is “I.” The word “a” is used as a preposition and as well as a noun. It is described as a variable noun because of its versatility in sentence construction. “A noun is a place and a person too.” is an example of using the word “a” in the sentence. “The place where I grow up is a peaceful environment.” is an example sentence using the word “a.”

about

The “about” word is a preposition or an adverb. The most common definition as a preposition is “on the subject” or “connected with.” These are the words used together with the word “about”, concern, complain, happy, complain and worry. The word “about” is used as a preposition, an adverb, and an adjective. “About 2 months ago.” is an example of using the word “about” as an adverb in the sentence. “I have a few reminders about them.” is an example of using the word “about” as a preposition in the sentence.

above

The word “above” in English describes a higher place, heaven, superior, or higher authority. The use of “above” in sentences is usually an adjective, however, it is sometimes used as a noun. “You have above average intelligence.” another one, “The cat is above the roof.” are an example of using the word “above” in the sentence.

after

“After” is a preposition that describes a time or a space. The word “after” describes a time, “Please be here after lunch.” “After” is used as well to identify or describe a space. “The storage room is located after the Dean’s office.” The word “after” is used as an adjective, adverb, noun, preposition, conjunction, auxiliary verb, and prefix.

again

The word “again” describes a situation that is repeated or “one more time.” The word is often an adverb used to describe a scenario repeated one more time. Some examples of the term “again” are ” Can you state your name again, please?” or “If you do it again, I will tell Mrs. Minchin about that.” The word “again” is used as well to state a condition or original place, “Our company is back again in business.” or ” Take your medicine, so you’ll be well again.” 

against

The word “against” is a preposition to mainly describe an opposition. It has many usages in a sentence to describe competition, opposition, disapproval, comparison, defense, and background. An example sentence to use “against” as for competition is ” The blue team played against the green team yesterday.” As a defense, “They shelter against the storm.” As background, “The only tree that stood against the wall.” 

all

The word “all” is used to refer to the entire quantity in a particular category or group. The adverb word “all” refers to completing a degree or an entire extent; using “all” as an adverb in a sentence, “the answers were all wrong.” The adjective “all” is used to quantify or identify a mass, or as a count noun to refer to the whole volume or amount of each in a group. The words “part,” “partial,” or “partially” refers to some degree or not being whole and are antonym words of “all.” “The students all gathered in the courtyard.” is an example of using the word “all” in the sentence.

am

The word “am” refers to the first person of the present tense word “be.” It is always together with the word “I” and often shortened to “m” in spoken English. For example, “I am the one making decisions,” when shortened, it becomes “I’m the one making decisions.” The word “am” is always paired with the word “I” it is either before the word “am” or after but sometimes far apart from other words but still belongs in the same sentence or phrase.

an

The word “an” is used before a word that starts with a vowel; if the word begins in a consonant, then the right word to use is “a.” The word “an” was first known used in the 12th century. For example, if the word to describe is “apple,” the right word combination has to be “an apple,” but if the word begins with a consonant like “banana,” then it has to be “a banana.” The kid is now an adult.” is an example of using the word “an” in the sentence.

and

The word “and” is used as a function word to describe a similar object, function, or action. As a noun, the word “and” is used as a logical operator that demands both objects, unlike the word “or” which is a boolean term that either needs one or the other. An example sentence of using the term “and” is “The Prince and the Princess live happily ever after.” 

any

The word “any” describes randomly or whatever kind of stuff it refers to. An example is “Ask any person in school” and “Any person in school knows what happened.” The word “any” refers to one or some or a number of things, no matter how much or how many it is. Using “any” as an adverb, “was never any good” or “No, it does not help me any.”

are

The word “are” basically is the plural form of the word “is” and “am,” in the form of the most used word “be.” The word “are” was first known used in the year 1797. Other examples of the word “are”, “He is staying, but we are going” and “Are you going to watch a movie?” 

aren’t

The word “aren’t” is considered a contraction of the word “are” and “not.” The word “aren’t” is a plural form of “is” and “am” the same as the word “are” but with a meaning of disagreement. “Aren’t” is the version of “are not” that is used in spoken English questions and tags. Example sentences of the word “aren’t”, “There aren’t going to be a vacancy” and “The police aren’t arriving today.”

as

The word “as” is used as a preposition and conjunction. An example sentence to use the word “as” are, “Another driver has been injured as the race continued this morning” and used as well for comparing, “Being an employee is not as good as what you imagine.” Using the word “as” as for preposition indicates something or someone’s function, “He works as a Nurse in Italy for 6 years.”

at

The word “at” is used to indicate a place or an event where something occurs or happening. The word is used as well to indicate a goal, implied action, or motion. The “at” word is used as well to indicate which one is occupied or employed. The example sentence for the word “at” is, “The event is held at the Hard Rock Hotel.” An example sentence is, “Target at the center with the red dot.” Examples are, “I am currently at work” and “He is good at chess.”

be

The word “be” is the past first and third-person singular of was and the past tense second-person singular of were. It is used as an auxiliary verb as well with the sentence. The word “be” has some common synonyms, such as, “occur,” or “take place”. The word is termed an auxiliary verb and is used as the main very as well. It has eight different forms such as, “be”, “been”, “being”, “were”, “was”, “are”, and “is”, which present and past simple tense make more changes than other verbs. An example of using the word “be” is, “It won’t be long, she will be here.”

because

The word “because” is a type of conjunction that connects the other word or sentence. The word “because” has alternative synonyms that connect other words or group of words as well, such as, “as”, “since”, “for”, “as long as”, and “inasmuch as.” The word “because” is focused on reason side. The word is often placed at the start of a sentence to emphasize the reason. Example sentence for the word “because”, “The left me because I forgot my ticket.”

been

The word “been” is a past participle of “be.” The word is able to work with the words, “had”, “has”, and “have” to create tenses in the perfect aspect. The word “has been” is used when the subject of the sentence is a third-person singular like “he”, “she”, and “it.”  Examples of sentences are, “I have been to the painting gallery,” “She had never been to a train,” and “He has been fighting cancer for a long time.” The word “have been” is used if the sentence subject is “I”, “You”, “we”, or the plural third-person form like, “We have been praying all night just to see you rise from a coma.” 

Before

The word “before” is considered a preposition, an adverb, or a conjunction. The word means “earlier than the time or event” mentioned. The word “before” is commonly used as the simple past tense. It indicates that the second event occurs soon after the first one. Using the word “before” as an adverb or adjective, like stating in advance or ahead of time. Examples of sentences are, “We are traveling before Christmas day,” and “They play video games the night before his birthday.” Example sentences as a preposition, “He stood before the large cake”, and “The blue-ribbon committee is in-charge before the court.”

being

The word “being” refers to the quality or state of having existence as a noun. An Example sentence is “A social experiment came into being in 2020 during the pandemic.” The word “being” as an adjective is used in a phrase for the time being. For example, “The car stay with me for the time being, until the police cleared its registration.” 

below

The word “below” refers to a lower place as an adverb. As an example, “The sinkhole is 30 fathoms below deep sea level.” It describes as well for the lower position, rank, or value as a preposition. The examples are, “A sergeant is below a captain’s rank,” and “The hotel room we are staying in is just below the Spa level.” An example of a “below” word used in a sentence as a noun, is ”Below is the list of commonly used tools for car maintenance.” 

between

The word “between” is used to describe a common action or a jointly engaging or shared relation of two subjects or uniting relevant events and comparisons as a preposition or an adverb. An ex​​ample of the word “between” is used as a preposition, “I have delegated the task between the two of them.” as for an adverb, “The two mounts have a shrine between.”

both

The word “both” is used as a pronoun, adjective, and conjunction. It is spelled as “bothe” a compound of “bo” or “two of a pair” in Middle English, “both” and “the” is a definite article from Old English. An example of the word “both” used as a pronoun in a sentence is, “Both of us are going to school.” For conjunction example of the word “both”, “Criticized both for its arrogance and negligence,” for adjective, “Both of his hands have bruises.”

but

The word “but” presents a phrase or clause opposing what is already given. It is used for the possibility of anything other than what is being stated as a conjunction. “We had no other option but to leave the vicinity”, is an example of the word “but” as a conjunction. The word “but” is used as an alternative for the word “for.” It is typically or often used together with the words such as anything, anywhere, everyone, all, no, none, any, every, and nobody. An example of the word “but” as a preposition is, “The article is nothing but an insult.” The sentence “Try to be as efficient but fast” used as an adverb. 

by

The word “by” is used to describe something or someone. The word “by” is used as, a noun, adverb, interjection, adjective, and preposition. “They are standing by the door”, “It is frequently sounding by night”, and “The wind passes north by east”, as example sentences using the preposition word “by.” The word “by” example used as an adverb, “I saw the wild ducks fly by”, “Karen just lives close by”, and “Let’s stop by Karen’s house, she’ll be surprised.” 

can’t

The word “can’t” is used to describe a contraction of the word “cannot.” The words “cannot” and “can not” are acceptable in contemporary English. The word “can’t” directly means that something or someone is unable to perform the task. Examples of the word “can’t,” “I can’t be your friend,” “We can’t play with this kind of shoes,” and “The bank can’t offer us a loan.” 

cannot

The word “cannot” describes a situation or someone unable to perform an action. The words “can not” and “cannot” are accepted in contemporary English, but do have a different use.  The word “cannot” is a normal form in British English, but both forms are acceptable in American English, though “cannot” is commonly used in formal writing. “I cannot do it,” and “People cannot express how grateful they are for receiving free health benefits.” 

could

The word “could” is termed a modal verb, It is to indicate that someone or something has the ability to do something. The word “could” is used as an auxiliary verb to function as a past, past conditional, and present tense. “Next year I felt that I could pass the entrance exam for Harvard College,” and “I could sense something is wrong”, are examples of using the word “could” in a sentence. 

couldn’t

The word “couldn’t” is a contract of the word “could” and “not.” It directly means that someone or something is unable to perform such an action. The word “couldn’t” is used to describe a situation or scenario that it is not possible to do it. “I couldn’t believe what happened on our house.” is an example of using the word “couldn’t” in the sentence.

did

The word “did” is used to describe an action that is performed or executed in precise nature. The word “did” is a past tense of “do.” An example use of the word “did”, is “They did everything they could and eventually succeeded.” “You did a pretty good job with the floorboards”, is an example of the word “did” used in the sentence. 

didn’t

The word “didn’t” describes a situation, event, or action that was unable to perform. It is a contraction of the words “did” and “not.” The word “didn’t” is an auxiliary verb used in the past simple tense, and used with all subjects. “The police didn’t care about the goose trying to cross the street.” is an example of using the word “didn’t” in the sentence.

do

The word “do” is a transitive verb. It is a common action word to describe most action statements. It directly means performing an action by someone or something. For example the word “do” is used in a sentence, “Do your own hair”, “Go on and do the laundry.”

does

The word “does” is the present tense of the word “do.” It directly means to perform such action by something or someone in a precise manner. The word “does” is used for singular subjects as well, such as, “he”, “she”, “this”, “that”, and “it.”  “Everyone does the job well,” as an example sentence using the word “does.” 

doesn’t

The word “doesn’t” is a contraction word of “does” and “not.” The words “do” and “don’t” separate the word “doesn’t” and “does” because they are not used to give commands. The word “doesn’t” is properly spoken English, both in British and American standards. The word “doesn’t” direct meaning and is unable to perform such activities in precise nature or manner. “The security doesn’t allow anybody outside the company organization to get in the building.”

doing

The word “doing” describes an act of performing or executing. “I am currently doing the household chores,” is an example of the word “doing” used in a sentence. The word is used in things that are done and that occur as well. The word “doing” directly means the activities in which a particular person engages. Example of the word “doing” used in a sentence, “Hope that they would stop their daily doings.” 

don’t

The word “don’t” is known as the earliest documented contraction of the word “do” and “not.” Until the U.S. began using it as a standard spoken English word in 1900, it survived longer than British English. The word “don’t” is the standard contraction of “do not.” The word “don’t” is considered acceptable in formal writing, but does not occur in edited or formal speech. “Don’t forget to bring back the book you borrowed from the library,” is an example of “don’t” used in a sentence.

down

The word “down” describes from higher to lower or descending in direction or order, “He went down the basement.” The word “down” means a place, a feeling, or is sometimes used to describe a count like, “We are three bottles down to finishing the beer,” and “I feel so down.” For preposition sentence example of the word “down,” “The girl went down to the city to go shopping.”

during

The word “during” describes a moment throughout the entire time or a certain period when something occurs. The word is a preposition type used before the noun is stated in a sentence. Example sentences using the word “during” in a sentence are, “He loves swimming during the summer break,” and “The dead tree went on fire during the thunderstorm when the lightning struck.”

each

The word “each” is used as an adjective, pronoun, and adverb. It describes one of two or more distinct individuals having a similar relation and often constituting an aggregate. The word “each” refers to individual things in a group or category; it has similarities with the word “every,” but it is typically used to describe a group, list, or category. “Each of the members should participate in the rally”, and “Should I arrange each pin by size or by color?”, as examples of the word “each” used in sentences.

few

The word “few” describes things or individuals that are not many. It is used as a pronoun, adjective, and noun. “The word “few” is used as an adjective to define an amount or consisting of a small number, like, “We got a few oranges from the market” and “Shopping I just a few of our pleasures.” Using the word “few” as a noun, “Few of them went back to register for the event” and “The dumb few ones express their interest in the contest.”

for

The word “for” is used to define a function or to indicate a purpose, sometimes it describes a goal. The word “for” is usually used to talk about some purpose or reasoning for something like, “I’m going out for a run” and “I cut my hair for a change.” “The tool is for gardening” and “Eggs and bacon for breakfast” are examples of the word “for” used in a sentence.

from

The word “from” is used as a function word to indicate the beginning or origin as a preposition. It describes, as well, separating two bodies or groups from each other. “The sunblock protects the skin from the sun’s harmful rays” and “I started running from east to west” are examples of the word “from” used in the sentence. 

further

The word “further” is used to indicate ahead or moving forward for another step.  The word “further” and “farther” are commonly interchanged words, especially in the spatial, temporal, or metaphorical distance involved, but the easiest way to use the word “further” is when the sentence does not need to describe a distance. It describes or discusses more of a distance or a particular degree like, “We will discuss further or our agreement” and “The further development of the forest road endangers the sanctuary of wild animals.”

had

The word “had” is the past participle of “have.” The word is used along with the verb tenses to the form of the past perfect. While the word “had” is a past tense, the base form of “had” is “have”, and the present participle of the word “had” is “having.” “The police came to ask questions, but I had to leave for work” and “The best dinner I had was last night because Mom cooked my favorite food” are examples of using the word “had.”

hadn’t

The word “hadn’t” is a contraction of the words “had” and “not.” The first known use of the word “hadn’t” was in 1675. The word is used for sentences with the past tense word “had” like, “They hadn’t arrived yet, the party is starting in 5 minutes,” and “They hadn’t figured out how the machine operates.”

has

The word “has” is used for singular nouns, it is the present tense of the word “have.” The word indicates possession in the present tense describing singular nouns like, “he,” “she,” and “it.” “She has a great sense of humor” and “It has full of features compared to other brands” are examples of using the word “has” in a sentence.

hasn’t

The word  “hasn’t” is a contraction of the words “has” and “not.” It describes a no possession of something or unable to have such activity or action. The first known use was in 1746 for the word “hasn’t.” The word “hasn’t” is grammatically correct, only used in singular subjects, “She hasn’t arrived yet.”

have

The word “have” describes holding or maintaining as a possession, privileged, or associated with entitlement. The words “have” and “has” has the same meaning that holds a possession in the present tense. Though, they differ in the use of pronouns like, “I,” “you,” “we,” and “they” are used by the word “have,” while “he,” “she,” and “it” are used by the word “has.” “They have a new house” and “We don’t have tickets for the concert” are examples of using the word “have” in the sentence.

Haven’t

The word “haven’t” is a contraction of the words “have” and “not.” It is the opposite of the word “have,” which describes being unable to possess such things or fulfill the action. Using the word “haven’t” in a sentence refers to scenarios that haven’t been done for the time being or are unable to possess such objective or possession. The example sentence using the word “haven’t” is, “I haven’t got any messages from my colleagues since the beginning of the pandemic.”

having

The word “having” is the present particle of the word “have.” It means to hold or maintain as a possession, the same as the word “have” but in the present tense. “They are having a good time” and ”Having it said, it is better to leave it that way” are examples of the word “having” used in the sentence.

he

The word “he” refers to a male person used in a sentence as a noun. The word “he” is used if the pronoun is the subject of the sentence. It is used as a substitute subject for a proper name in the sentences so that the name of the person is not repeated in every sentence or paragraph over and over again. “Jack is the driver of the truck, he is the mechanic as well” is an example sentence to substitute the name of the person.

he’d

The word “he’d” is a contraction of the words “he” and “had”, or “he” and “would.” ”He’d listen to the radio” and “John explain he’d been to the conference to the CEO” are examples of using the word “he’d” in the sentence.

he’ll

The word “he’ll” is a contraction of the words “he” and “will” or “he” and “shall.” It is known, as first being used in the year 1579. “The time is running out, but he’ll be here” and “I overheard their conversation, he said he’ll pass the exam tomorrow for sure” are examples of using the word “he’ll” in the sentence.

he’s

The word “he’s” is a contraction of the words “he” and “is” or “he” and “has.” It is referring to a male person used as the noun combined with “is” or “has” describing possession of something or connected to the man, boy, or male animal being mentioned. Example of using the word “he’s” in the sentence, “You don’t need to worry, he’s just being friendly to you.” 

her

The word “her” refers to a female person singular pronoun. It is used as the object of a verb or a preposition. “She found her purse need the men’s locker room” and ”Her opinion was heard by the many” are examples of the word “her” used in the sentence. 

here

The word “here” is referring to a place just near or close. It is often used interjectionally in answering a roll call. “Get over here, I need to tell you something” and “Making noise here in the library is not allowed” are example sentences using the word “here.” The use of the word “here” directly is describing a place of space just near the one who is talking or making the statement.

here’s

The word “here’s” is a contraction of the words “here” and “is.” ”Here’s the latest news” is an example sentence using the contraction word “here’s.” It is just the same usage as the word “here” but it is limited to “here is” noun usage. Another example of the “here’s” in a sentence is ”Here’s the other way to the park.”

hers

The word “hers” refers to something that belongs to a female person as singular or plural in form. It is known as a third-person possessive pronoun to indicate something belonging to a woman, female, girl, or lady and even to a female animal. “Those bags are hers” and “The job was hers” are examples of using the word “hers” in the sentences.

herself

The word “herself” is used to describing the own self or refer to one’s self. It is used reflexively, for emphasis, in absolute constructions using the place of the word “her.” Just like the word “her” the word describes a woman, female, girl, or a female animal. “Working as an assistant herself is very challenging” and “She treats herself as incompetent for the position because she has low self-esteem” are examples of the word “herself” used in the sentences.

him

The word “him” is identified as a third-person singular pronoun. It refers to a male person used as an object or a verb or a preposition. The purpose of using the word “him” is to denote the male person, a boy, or a male animal. “The company acknowledges him for work he has done over the years” and “They could never defeat him in the battle” are examples of the word “him” used in the sentences. 

himself

The word “himself” refers to a male person used reflexively, for emphasis, in absolute constructions, and in placing of the word “him” when joined to another subject. “He considers himself as very grateful for all the accomplishments” and “He booked a trip for himself” are examples of using the word “himself” in the sentences.

his

The word “his” refers to a male person with an indication of possession, agent, object, or action. The word “his” is used as an adjective and a pronoun singular or in plural construction. The word “his” is a third-person singular known as male, boy, or male animal pronoun. “That is his property” and “His writings were a masterpiece” are examples of sentences with the word “his.” 

how

The word “how” is commonly used as an adverb describing “in what way” or “to what extent.” The word “how” is used to ask someone about their health condition, ask about the price, or about the condition and state of something. “How is your health?”, “How much is a pale of paint?”, and “How long was this truck stalled?” are examples of using the word “how” in the sentences.

how’s

The word “how’s” is a contraction of the words “how” and “is”, “was”, or “has.” “How’s your sleep?” is an example sentence using the word “how’s.” The word “how’s” is considered grammatically correct. The word “how’s” is just the same as the root word “how” that is asking “in what way” or “to what extent.” Using the word “how” to ask about someone’s condition, price, state, or age.

I

The word “I” refers to the first person used in many constructions of sentences. Using “me” instead of “I” were commonly used before the 16th century, but later was replaced by “I” as the first person in spoken English. Speaking or writing something about themselves, they use the “I” word alternatively referring to themselves. ” I created those monsters from my head, and I am the only one capable of sending them away.”, and “I really appreciate the thing that they have given when I was really down.”, are example sentences using the word “I.”

I’d

The word “I’d” is a contract of words “I” and “had” or “I” and “would.” It is first used in the year 1592. Instead of using it like, “I would love to go to the mall.”, then it would be ”I’d love to go to the mall.” The word “I’d” is a first-person singular referring to a male, boy, or male animal used as a noun. The word “I’d” is considered grammatically correct. The word “I’d” is a past participle if the contracted word is “had” but often “I’d” means “I would” most of the time. ” I’d felt I lost something.”, using “I had” and ”I’d be generous to give that to you.”, is an example of using “I would” in a sentence.

I’ll

The word “I’ll” is a contraction of the words “I” and “will” or “I” and “shall.” It is known of being used first in the year 1566.” Most contraction words are not practiced in formal writing, it is best to provide whole words without joining two words in one. The sentences “I’ll be fine.” or “There is a place that I’ll never be bored.” are some example sentences using the word “I’ll.” “I’ll visit grandmother this coming weekend.”, the sentence used the words “I will” and then “I’ll return to my group.”, these are examples of indicating “I will” and “I shall” in the sentence using the contraction word “I’ll.” 

i’m

The word “I’m” is a contraction of the words “I” and “am.” It is first known used in the year 1584. There are many variations of using the word “I’m” in a sentence that provides lots of meaning like, “I’m in” meant to indicate that “I want to be part of it” or “include me.” “I’m into basketball.” means that “I love playing basketball.”

i’ve

The word “I’ve” is a contraction of the words “I” and “have.” It is a spoken form, especially when the word “have” is used as an auxiliary verb. The word “I’ve” is first known to be used in the year 1586. ” I’ve been working on a project since last month.”, is an example of using the word “I’ve” in a sentence. ” I’ve 2 hours before my shift ends.”, is an example sentence using “have” as a non-auxiliary verb.

if

The word “if” is typically used as a conjunction. It is used to describe something when a particular event is true. “Expectations are meant to be different if your expectations are too much like a fairy tale.” is an example of using the word “if” in a sentence. The word “if” is used as a noun sometimes when describing a scenario with too many possibilities, like, “Prioritizing to handle the ifs prevents unwanted circumstances.”

The word “in” refers to a situation or describing being inside. It symbolizes as well “in” as being included in other forms of sentences. “The players were already in the building.” and “She bought that both in the shop.”, are examples of sentences using the word “in.” Using the word “in” as a noun, “The in-office procedures are protocols to be followed.”

into

The word “into” is often used as a preposition. It defines the word as “to the inside of” or “in towards.” The word “into” was first known used in the 12th century. “Dive into the ocean.” and “We into the large closets.” are examples of using the word “into” in sentences. 

is

The word “is” is the present tense of the singular word “be.” It is a type of state of being a verb, It does not express any specific activity or action but describes existence. “The Game is held at the new gymnasium.” and “This is the day we go shopping.”, are example sentences using the word “is.” 

isn’t

The word “isn’t” is a contraction word of “is” and “not.” It is typically used in the singular form of sentences to express disagreement, unconfirmed, or not true statements. “He isn’t going to see the race tomorrow.” and “It isn’t funny hearing them laughing without us.” are example sentences using the word “isn’t.”

it

The word “it” is used to describe a subject that isn’t an identified object, animal, or a thing. It is used as a direct or indirect object of a verb or object of a preposition, typically referencing a lifeless thing. “The car we are buying has a white color, it looks more timeless than other color variants.” and “I want you to solve it immediately.” are sentence examples using the word “it”

it’s

The word “it’s” is a contraction of the words “it” and “is” or “it” and “has.” The word is used to confirm a statement is true. “It’s happening” or “It’s a done deal for this project.”, are example sentences using the word “it’s.”

its

The word “its” is the possessive form of the pronoun “it.” It describes the noun as “belonging to it.” The word “its” was first known used in the year 1577. “Let the law enforcement do its job.” and “The car shuts down on its own.”, are sentence examples using the word “its.” 

itself

The word “itself” is used to describe an independent subject or in its own nature. The word is used already in the 12th century. “The door mysteriously closed itself while the room was so quiet.” and  “The bird on the pond bath itself.”, are examples of the word “itself” used in the sentence.

let’s

The word “lets” is used to describe, to cause something, to do something, to give the opportunity, to introduce a request or proposal involving other people. The word “let’s” is a contraction of the words “let” and “us.” The word is already been used in the year 1567. “Let’s pretend that nothing has happened.” and ”Let’s share this cup of noodles while no one is around.”, are example sentences using the word “let’s.” 

me

The word “me” refers to the one speaking or self. I represent a first-person singular pronoun. The word “me” is used as the preposition or the object of the verb. The synonyms of “me” are, “I,” and “myself.” “Someone told me that there are free giveaways being given at the grocery store.”, is the example sentence using the word “me.”

more

The word “more” describes adding a greater number, quantity, or amount. The synonyms of the word “more” are, extra, further, higher, a lot, far, and much. The word “more” is an adjective, superlative, and more often a comparative with the words “much” or “many.” The sentence examples of the word “more” are, “The more you know, the harder it is to let go.” another one, “The company has more secrets than its products.”

most

The word “most” refers to the greatest in quantity, degree, or extent of the action. Giving percentages to the word “most” has a more than half about 60% to a 90%, and it depends on the context how it used. “He is the most handsome guy in the classroom.” describing “He” as the most handsome out of all the guys in the classroom. “The current Mayor got the most votes from the election.”, the sentence example describes that the current Mayor got the majority or most of the votes from the election.

mustn’t

The word “mustn’t” is a contraction of the words “must” and “not” defining a type of negative auxiliary to the verb. It indicates something is forbidden, questionable, or not necessary. The word “mustn’t” is first known, used in the year 1739. “We lost most of our troops in the battle, but we mustn’t get too carried away to spend the last ones.” 

my

The word “my” refers to the one speaking or self. I represent a first-person singular pronoun. The word “me” is used as the preposition or the object of the verb. The synonyms of “my” are “I,” “me,” and “myself.” “Someone in my neighborhood said that there is someone looking for me hours ago.”, are the example sentence using the word “my.”

myself

The word “myself” refers to the first person used in many constructions of sentences. The word “myself” is used by the speaker to refer to self as an object of discourse rather than as a participant in the discourse. Speaking or writing something about oneself, they use “myself” word alternatively referring to themselves. “Pretending not to know myself”, and “Engineers like myself are responsible for the building safety.”, are example sentences using the word “myself.”

no

The word “no” is used to describe a negative answer about an alternative choice or possibility. The purpose of the word “no” is to express a denial for a situation needing some answers. “We ate a no-cook meal for dinner.”, “You are no expert when it comes to handling a team.”, and “You are no longer belong to this group.”, are examples of using the word “no” in the sentence. 

nor

The word “nor” is used as a function word to introduce the other one or last member of the same category. It is used as well to negate the following clause or phrase. Most of the time, the word “nor” is used after the phrase used the word “neither.” “Neither Sheila and I would go, nor Ben.” and “The butcher isn’t going to include the liver nor the rinds.” are examples of using the word “nor” in the sentence.

not

The word “not” is used to describe a negative word or group of words, it stands as a function word. The word “not” is a logical operator that creates a statement opposing a positive statement. “Sometimes there are positive vibes, but sometimes not.” and “I was not working yesterday.” are examples of using the word “not” in the sentence.

of

The word “of” acts as a function word to indicate path, origin, cause, component or parts, or the whole part. The word “of” is used to combine two nouns if the primary noun describes the secondary noun that is being mentioned. “Let’s welcome the Prince of Egypt.” and “The answer is the sum of two numbers.” are examples of using the word “of” in the sentence.

off

The word “off” is used to indicate a place, down, position, time, or just being away from a place. The word is usually used as an adverb or a preposition, it indicates an idea of separation or disconnection. “I went off to Vegas after getting all the money.” is an example of using the word “off” to indicate a place or being away from the place. “Let’s meet at the café after I log off from work.” is an example of using the word “off” to indicate time.

on

The word “on” acts as a function word that indicates the position, proximity, location, source of attachment, source of dependence, or possession. “The ball on top of the table.” is an example of using the word “on” to indicate a position. “The patio is located on the west part of the house.” is an example of using the word “on” to indicate a location. “We are on the boat.” is an example of using the word “on” to indicate proximity. 

once

The word “once” describes a scenario or event that occurs only once or one time at least. It is used to convey an experience that only happens once, then no more. The word “once” indicates a time the subject is formerly known one time for something. “There was once a big party that caused a riot between the party-goers and the police that shut the party out.” is an example of using the word “once” to indicate a timeline. “We dated once every month because of our different working schedules.” is an example of using the word “once” to indicate a one-time occurrence.

only

The word “only” is used as an adverb, conjunction, or adjective. It indicates something among the best, alone or having no siblings. The word “only” is used as well to indicate exclusivity, the final result, or the final destination. “This is the only way to paradise.” is an example of using the word “only” to indicate the final destination. “I am the only son in the family.” is an example of no sibling or being alone using the word “only” in the sentence. “He is the only best chef in the district.” is an example of “only” used to indicate being the best.

or

The word “or” is often used as a conjunction, preposition, or noun. It is known for its first use in the 13th century as a conjunction and preposition, then later evolved to a variety of noun types in the 15th century. “John ask if you want tea or a coffee?” is an example of using the word “or” in the sentence. The word “or” is used to provide a two-selection when used as a question sentence. Using the word “or” only has to have one answer, it indicates either the first or the second one is the choice. “The first thing we can do is to ride through a plane or boat.” example of using the word “or” in the sentence.

other

The word “other” refers to something or someone that is second, different, additional, or former. It is used as an adjective, noun, pronoun, adverb, and verb. “They were just the same as the other group.” is an example of using the word “other” to refer to the other group. “The green linen is much softer other than those pink ones.” is an example of using the word “other” to identify the difference. Using the word “other” as a pronoun to refer back to something that is mentioned already in the sentence. “The other won’t be competent because of the injury.” is an example of using the word “other” as a pronoun.

ought

The word “ought” expresses a duty, responsibility, or obligation. It is morally right to do a particular thing, especially when giving or asking for advice or opinions. The word “ought” was used as early as the 12th century as an auxiliary verb, then used as a noun in 1678. “She ought to deliver it the soonest.” is an example of using the word “ought” in a sentence. “I ought to pay you my debt.” is an example of using the word “ought” in the sentence.

our

The word “our” means something related to own, and the words “us,” and “ourselves.” It indicates something that belongs or relates to the speaker, and includes other people if the sentence refers to a group or individual. “I love our house.” is an example of describing a thing owned by the subject or the ones speaking. ”Our commitment is to provide quality services for the consumer.” It describes that the word “our” as a noun shares responsibility as a group or being belonged to a company with one goal.

ours

The word “our” is a plural form of the word “our” it defines something exclusively owned or related to own self.  The word was first known used in the 14th century. “The house in the valley looks just like ours.” is an example of using the word “ours” in a sentence. “Victory is ours to keep.” is an example describing the victory as being accomplished as a group.

ourselves

The word “ourselves” is a reflexive pronoun and a first-person plural. It refers to one’s self and includes one more or people in the same related group. Typically, the word “ourselves” is the only correct other than “ourself,” but the truth is, the other word is used to refer to a singular subject. “We gather around the bonfire to keep ourselves warm.” is an example sentence using the word “ourselves” as a pronoun. “We define ourselves as the demolisher.” is an example sentence using the word “ourselves.” 

out

The word “out” means to stay away from or not in. It is used to define a position, place, or state. “Get out” means to keep away from being in, and ”Out for lunch” means going outside the premises to take lunch somewhere. The word “out” is often used together with verbs of movements like “reach out,” “run out,” “walk out,” and “kicked out.”

over

The word “over” is used to describe something above or higher than something else. Often, it is used to cover up other instances or someone. The term “over” means more than above or higher, a new attempt or opportunity to do something after the recent one. An example of using the word “over” in a sentence. “We are going over to the next project after this one.” “The fox jumps over the sleeping dog.” is an example of the word “over” to indicate someone is above or higher.  

own

The word “own” is used to describe possession, to have, or hold as property. It is defined as well as having power or mastery. “They built their company on their own.” is an example of the word “own” used in a sentence. The synonyms of the word “own” are “admit,” “acknowledge,” and “avow.” “We hope someday we have our own home.” is an example of using the word “own” in the sentence. 

same

The word “same” describes something identical or similar to another. It is used mostly to compare the similarities of something. The word “same” resembles a relevant aspect of another subject, either as an adjective, pronoun, or adverb. “The specification of the new car is the same as my old one.” is an example of using the word “same” in a sentence.

shan’t

The word “shan’t” is known as a contraction of the words “shall” and “not.” It is first used in the year 1664, defining the meaning of the word “shan’t” as “shall not.” “Those were the things that I shan’t forget.” is an example of the word “shan’t” used in a sentence. “I shan’t ever do it again.” and “I shan’t return here in a hurry.” are examples of the word “shan’t” used in sentences.

she

The word “she” refers to a female person that either a woman, a girl, or a female animal mentioned in the sentence or paragraph. It was first used in the 12th century as a pronoun until the year 1973, developing more pronouns. “Betty prepared us some food for dinner; she really knows how to cook.” is an example of using the word “she” in a sentence. “I adopted a dog at the shelter; she was already four months old.” is an example of using the word “she” to identify a female animal.

she’d

The word “she’d” is the contraction of the words “she” and “had” or “she” and “would.” It was first known to be used in the year 1609. The word “she’d” refers to a female person, it is either a woman, girl, or female animal being mentioned. “She’d like to dance with you.” is an example of the contraction word “she would” used in the sentence. “I guess she’d left already.” is an example of the contraction word “she had” used in the sentence. 

she’ll

The word “she’ll” is a contraction of the words “she” and “will” or “she” and “shall.” It was first known to be used in the year 1590. The word “she’ll” is not often used in formal writing. “She’ll be back after her shift.” is an example of the word “she’ll” referring to the combination of “she will.” “She’ll be there tomorrow.” is an example of the word “she’ll,” referring to the combination of the word “she shall.”

she’s

The word “she’s” is the contraction words of “she” and “is” or “she” and “has.” The word was first known used in the year 1588. “She’s very into musical shows.” is an example using the combination words of “she is” for the contraction word “she’s.” “I am proud of what she’s accomplished since last year.” is an example of using the combination words of “she has” for the contraction word “she’s.”

should

The word “should” is the past tense of the word “shall.” It is typically used to suggest something  is the proper way, reasonable, or the best thing to do. Stating the word “should” in a sentence indicates that it is something recommended, but not required, to do. “They should provide the necessary documentation.” is an example of using the word “should” in a sentence. “He probably should participate in the game.” is an example sentence with the word “should.”

shouldn’t

The word “shouldn’t” is the contraction words of “should” and “not.” It is used to describe a negative, recommending not to do something, but it is not required to do or mandatory. “He shouldn’t walk around during nighttime in an unfamiliar neighborhood.” is an example of using the word “shouldn’t” in a sentence. “They shouldn’t do it because it is forbidden.” is the other example of using the word “shouldn’t” in a sentence.

so

The word “so” is an English word that is very useful in spoken language as well as even with formal writing. It is often used as a conjunction for sentences. “She believed that there is a much greener grass over the fence, so she climbed over it.” an example of the conjunction “so” word used in a sentence. “The package’s estimated time of arrival may take a week or so.” is an example of the pronoun “so” word used in a sentence.

some

The word “some” is used to specify something undetermined unit or quantity. It is a type of uncertain word used to provide answers to unverified information or is unable to provide exact details. “There are some boxes that contain bottles of champagne.” an example of using the word “some” in a sentence. The synonyms of the word “some” are “few,” “any,” “certain,” and “several.” “Some police circled to that warehouse.” is an example of using the word “some” in a sentence.

such

The word “such” is known to be used as a predeterminer singular that is followed by “a” or “as” and a count noun. The dictionary cited the word “such” is usable as a pronoun. Using the word “such” as a determiner must be followed by a count noun in plural form. “There are many cool ways to unwind, such as listening to music, reading books, and eating ice cream.” is an example of using the word “such” in a sentence. ” Such tall buildings are quite impressive.” is an example of using the word “such” in a sentence.

than

The word “than” acts as a function word to introduce or indicate the secondary member or member being taken as a basis of departure in a comparative way. “The blue one is more attractive than the gray one.” is an example of the word “than” used in a sentence. The word “than” has been questioned since the 18th century, and a being used as a preposition for about 200 years. “He is taller than me now.” is an example of using the word “than” in a sentence.

that

The word “that” is a type of determiner, but it is generally used as well as a pronoun. It indicates an idea, one mentioned, understanding from the situation, time, action, or event. The word “that” is the singular form of the plural word “those.” “Did you remember that time when I lost my wallet?” is an example of using the word “that,” associating a timeline in a sentence. The word “that” is used as well to determine a kind of thing, “That is a snake on a zigzag gutter.” The word “that” is used as a conjunction in a sentence. “I’ve been telling the whole time that he is a fraud.” is an example of using the word “that” in a sentence as a conjunction.

that’s

The word “that’s” is a contraction of the words “that” and “is” or “that” and “has.” The synonyms of the word “that’s” are “especially,” “particularly,” and “specifically.” It is a common word that is regularly used in both writing and speaking. The word “that’s” is mainly used as a determiner, a relative, and a demonstrative pronoun. ” That’s my cousin riding a black horse.” is an example of using the word “that’s” with the equivalence of “that is” in a sentence. ” That’s been an awful day.” is an example of the word “that’s” with the meaning “that has” used in a sentence.

the

The word “the” is the most common word used in writing. It is used as a determiner to denote one or more people or things mentioned. The word “the” has the quality of pointing forward or defining a phrase or clause. “He is the impostor who crashed the party last night.” is an example of the word “the” used in the sentence. ” The rally that occurred yesterday was all about the lockdown that happened in the near city.” is an example of using the word “the” in the sentence.

their

The word “their” is a type of possessor or determiner word that describes the other group, not including the speaker. Using the word “their” instead of “his” or “her” describing something that belongs to other people without indicating if it is a male or a female. The word “their” is mentioned to describe something that is related to the other party, non, including the one who’s speaking. “We found their car at the back of the alley.” is an example of using the word “their” in the sentence. “The Mayor canceled their flight to Hawaii due to the bad weather.” is an example of using the word “their” in the sentence.

theirs

The word “theirs” is a plural word in construction to indicate something that belongs to other people or a group of people, and is used without the following noun. “The dog that keeps running around our yard is theirs.” is an example of using the word “their” in the sentence. “The car we bumped in is theirs.” is an example of using the word “theirs” in the sentence.

them

The word “them” is used to describe another party or group of people, excluding the one who’s speaking. “People are very judgmental to others; they point fingers without hearing them.” is an example of using the word “them” in the sentence. The word “them” is a third-person pronoun used as the verb’s object or preposition. “I heard them laughing after I fell on the stairs.” is an example of using the word “them” in the sentence.

themselves

The word “themselves” is a plural word in construction to describe something that belongs to other people or a group of people or things as the subject of the verb. The word “themselves” is used to emphasize the people or other things that are being referred to, and is often used instead of the word “them” as the preposition or as the object of the verb. “They relaxed themselves bating in the sun.” is an example of the word using “themselves” in the sentence. “They hated themselves why they forgot to pay for their food.” is an example of using the word “themselves” in the sentence.

then

The word “then” is used as a noun, adjective, and adverb. It is referred to as “at that time” or “soon after that.” It describes a narration following the order of position or enumeration. “The cops followed us then pulled us over for questioning.” is an example of using the word “then” as an adverb in the sentence. “Since then, She’s been humble about our relationship.” is an example of using the word “then” as a noun in the sentence. “Tom was originally part of the then program.” is an example of using the word “then” as an adjective in the sentence.

there


The word “there” is used to describe a place “in that place” or “at that place.” The word “there” is used as an adverb, for example, “Stay away down there.” It is used as an adjective as well, “Stay right there.” The word is used interjectionally to provide contentment, approval, or sympathy, for example, “There, we have conquered it.” The word “there” is used as well as a pronoun, “Hello there,” “There shall be a moment that I’ll get over it.” 

there’s

The word “there’s” is a contraction of the words “there” and “is” or “there” and “has.” It was first used in the year 1580. The word “there’s” describes a place, either “in that place” or “at that place.” “There’s someone waiting for you at the lobby.” is an example referring to “there is” words used in the sentence. ” There’s been a rumor about a bear living in the abandoned house.” is an example sentence using the word “there’s” referring to “there has” in the sentence.

these

The word “these” is the plural form of the word “this.” The word is used at the beginning of each noun group to refer to something or someone mentioned or identified. “These people are making me angry.” is an example of using the word “these” in the sentence. The word “these” is combined with “these days” to describe the present time. “The kids these days easily get depressed in social media.” is an example of using the word “these” in the sentence.

they

The word “they” is a pronoun to describe people, animals, or things. It is often used to refer to groups of people in a general manner or groups that are not specified. The word “they” is a third-person pronoun used and the subject of a verb. ” They told us that it will just be a week.” is an example of using the word “they” to refer to an unspecified group of people. ” They played well during the game.” is an example of using the word “they” to refer to a group of players in the sentence.

they’d

The word “they’d” is a contraction of the words “they” and “had” or “they” and “would.” It was first known and used in the year 1599. The word “they’d” is a pronoun to describe people, animals, or things. It is often used to refer to groups of people in a general manner or groups that are not specified. ” They’d experience the life of being in the wilderness.” is an example of the word “they’d,” referring to the words “they had” in the sentence. ” They’d look forward to meeting you in person.” is an example of using the word “they’d” referring to the contracted words “they would” in the sentence.

they’ll

The word “they’ll” is a contraction of the words “they” and “will” or “they” and “shall.” It was first known used in the year 1567. The word “they’ll” is a pronoun to describe people, animals, or things. It is often used to refer to groups of people in a general manner or groups that are not specified. “They’ll come back later after dinner.” is an example of using the word “they’ll” with the meaning “they will” in the sentence. “They’ll accomplish what is in the contract.” is an example of using “they’ll” that meant “they shall” in the sentence.

they’re

The word “they’re” is a contraction of the words “they” and “are.” The word “they’re” is a third-person plural pronoun used as the subject of a verb. The word “they’re” is a pronoun to describe people, animals, or things. It is first known used in the year 1595. “They’re going to the Grand Canyon this weekend.” is an example of using the word “they’re” in the sentence. “The public found out what they’re doing as the court exposed their crimes in the hearing this morning.” is an example of using the word “they’re” in the sentence.

they’ve

The word “they’ve” is a contraction of the words “they” and “have.” It was first known used in the year 1611. The word is a possessive type of pronoun referring to other people, animals, or things. “They’ve managed to escape from being captured.” is an example of using the word “they’ve” in the sentence. The word “they’ve” is the spoken form of the word “they have” if the word “have” is used as an auxiliary verb. “If only they’ve noticed the paintings in the building.” is an example of using the word “they’ve” as an auxiliary verb in the sentence.

this

The word “this” is a pronoun and sometimes a determiner to introduce a person or thing in a sentence. It was first known used in the 12th century being a pronoun and adjective, in the 15th century it was known used as an adverb. Using the word “this” as an adverb describes the extent of something in the immediate context or event. “If it wasn’t for the car who barged in, I wouldn’t be in this situation.” is an example of using the word “this” as an adverb in the sentence. “This lot is my property.” as an adjective, “This is my nephew.” as a pronoun, as examples of using the word “this” in the sentence.

those

The word “those” is used to describe something that is mentioned, known, observed, or being understood. The word is the plural form of the word “that.” It is used as a determiner and as a pronoun as well. “Those are the fruits he picked yesterday.” is an example of the word “those” used as a pronoun in the sentence. “Those people are the thieves.” is an example of using the word “those” as a determiner in the sentence.

through

The word “though” means passed from one side into the other or as a completion. It is used as a function word to indicate motion or movement from a starting point until the end. The word “through” is used as a preposition, adverb, or adjective. “We have arrived through the tunnel.” the word “through” is used as an adjective, “She found a break-through for all her sadness.” the word “through” is used as an adverb in the sentence. “I was amazed by the blessing I have received through the guidance of her.” is an example of using the word “through” as a preposition in the sentence.

to

The word “to” is used to describe a motion or movement, generally an action toward a thing, place, or person. It is mostly used to indicate a direction. Commonly used as a preposition and sometimes an adverb. “The bird is close to being snapped by the crocodile.” is an example of using the word “to” as an adverb in the sentence. “The crew went back to the east for food.” is an example of using the word “to” as a preposition in the sentence.

too

The word “too” is used to describe another thing, person, or aspect that is currently being mentioned. It is referring to the same thought as “besides” and “also” or describes it as excessive as “too much.” “I love ice cream too much that I won’t share it with you.” is an example of using the word “too” as an adverb in the sentence. “The second movie was great too, but I didn’t like the ending.” is an example of using the word “too” in the sentence.

under

The word “under” is used to describe something below or below something. It is used to indicate a lower level, short of some quantity or limit. “The boat is under the bridge.” is an example of using the word “under” as an adverb in the sentence. “I was under pressure when I defended by thesis.” is an example of using the word “under” as a preposition in the sentence. 

until

The word “until” is used to describe a time that has a synonym of “up to.” It is used as a preposition or conjunction in the sentence. “The offer is open until tomorrow.” is an example of using the word “until” as a preposition in the sentence. “Never stop hustling and grinding, until you have seen the results.” is an example of the word “until” used as a conjunction in the sentence.

up

The word “up” is used to describe a higher position level or something that is above. It refers to something from low to high, or indicates being agreed to something. The word “up” is used as an adverb, adjective, verb, preposition, or noun. “The prices of the graphics card went up.” is an example of using the word “up” as an adverb in the sentence. The red balloon is up in the clouds.” is an example of using the word “up” as an adjective in the sentence.

very

The word “very” is an adverb used to describe a high degree of expression or exceedingly or extremely. Sometimes the word has used an adjective like, “I have to see it before my very eyes.” is an example of using the word “very” as an adjective in a sentence. “I appreciate their kindness very much.” is an example of using the word “very” as an adverb in the sentence.

was

The word “was” is defined as a past tense and a third-person singular of the word “be.” The word is used as an auxiliary verb and verb itself. “The parade was held late.” and “There was a mysterious shadow hovering around.” are examples of using the word “was” in the sentence. “

wasn’t

The word “wasn’t” is a contraction of the words “was” and “not.” It was first known used in the year 1653. The word “wasn’t” is used to describe a denial or contradiction or an event the did not happen or a claim that is not true. “If it wasn’t for you, I would go home already.” is an example of using the word “wasn’t” in the sentence. “The musical show wasn’t able to provide proper permits.” is an example of using the word “wasn’t” in the sentence.

we

The word “we” is used to describe a group, including the one who’s speaking. It is a plural word in construction with synonym words “our”, “ours” and “us” indicating as a possessive pronoun. “We are going to stay here tonight.” is an example of using the word “we” as a pronoun in the sentence. The word “we” was used first before the 12th century. “We continue to grasp the future, for it is coming.” is an example of using the word “we” in the sentence.

we’d

The word “we’d” is a contraction of the words “we” and “had” or “we” and “would” or “we” and “should.” The word “we’d” is only used when the for “had” is considered as an auxiliary verb. “We’d been looking for you.” the word “we and had” in the sentence, “We’d love to see you around.” as the words “we and would” are used in the sentence. 

we’ll

The word “we’ll” is a contraction of the word “we” and “will” or “we” and “shall.” It was known used in the year 1578 as a plural form referring to “us,” “our,” or “ours.” The word “we’ll” is used to describe a group, including the one who’s speaking. “We’ll be having a party next week.” is an example of using the contraction words “we and will” in the sentence. “The event isn’t going to start, but we’ll see.” is an example of using the contraction words “we and shall” in the sentence.

we’re

The word “we’re” is a contraction of the words “we” and “are.” It was first known used in the year 1529. The word “we’re” is a plural past tense from the verb form of “are.” We’re having a good time of the night.” is an example of using the word “we’re” in the sentence. “We don’t know whom we’re dealing with.” is an example of using the word “we’re” in the sentence. 

we’ve

The word “we’ve” is a contraction of the words “we” and “have.” It was first known used in the year 1604. The word indicates a type of possessive word. “There is something we’ve been worried about.” is an example of using the word “we’ve” in the sentence. “The particular project we’ve handle is a kind of prototype system for disaster.” is an example of using the word “we’ve” in the sentence.

were

The word “were” is the past tense plural of the word “are.” It is used to indicate as the second person for all plural forms. “The construction did not start because the manpower were used to demolish something.” is an example of using the word “were” in the sentence. Sometimes the word “were” is used instead of “was.” “They were shocked after the bush fire turns their barn into ash in just an hour.” is an example of using the word “were” in the sentence.

weren’t

The word “weren’t” is a contraction of the words “were” and “not.” It was first known used in the year 1691. The word “weren’t” is used to describe or express a contradiction or denial. “The blue team weren’t as tough as we expected.” is an example of the word “weren’t” used in the sentence. “Her parents weren’t happy about our decision.” is an example of using the word “weren’t” in the sentence.

what

The word “what” is used as an interrogative indicating something to ask about value, identity, nature, or value of an object. “What are those.” is an example of using the word “what” in the sentence. The word “what” is used as a pronoun, adverb, and an adjective. “What do you mean by that?” is an example of using the word “what” as an adverb in the sentence, and as an adjective, “What money?”

what’s

The word “what’s” is a contraction of the word “what” and “is” or “what” and “has” or “what” and “does.” What word “what’s” is a correct word used in spoken language, but it is not practiced in formal writing. “What’s his first name?” as an example, the word “what’s” means “what is” used in the sentence. “What’s she done?” as an example, the word “what’s” that mean “what has” used in the sentence. “What’s that mean?” as an example of using the word “what’s” that means “what does” in the sentence.

when

The word “when” refers to a time or an event in which something occurs. It is used as a noun, pronoun, adverb, and conjunction in a sentence. “When will you be back?” the word “when” is used as an adverb in the sentence. “Stop shooting when the buzzer hits.” the word “when” is used as a conjunction in the sentence. “You’re pregnant since when?” the word “when” is used as a pronoun in the sentence. “We are being haunted by the whens of life.” the word “when” is used as a noun in the sentence.

when’s

The word “when’s” is a contraction of words “when” and “is” or “when” and “has” or “when” and “does.” The word “when’s” refers to a time or an event in which something occurs. “When’s the premier date of the movie?” is an example of using the word “when’s” referring “when is” in the sentence. “When’s the next flight going to be?” is an example of using the word “when’s” referring “when does” in the sentence. “When’s he ever known the current policy?” is an example of using the word “when’s” referring “when has” in the sentence.

where

The word “where” is a type of question word refers to a place and is answered by the words “at,” “in,” or “to.” It is used as an adverb, conjunction, or noun. “He knows where it is.” is used as a noun in the sentence. “The film is about a nation suffering from diseases, where the leader sold them for his ambition.” is an example sentence using the word “where” as a conjunction. ” Where are the hanging plants?” is an example of using the word “where” as an adverb in the sentence.

where’s

The word “where’s” is a contraction of the words “where” and “is” or “where” and “has” or “where” and does.” The word “where’s” is a type of question word that refers to a place and answered by the words “at,” “in,” or “to.” “Where’s the parking lot?” is an example of the word “where’s” referring to “where is” in the sentence. “Where’s she been all day?” is an example of using the word “where’s” referring to “where has” in the sentence. “Where’s he gone for office?” is an example of the word “where’s” referring to “where does” in the sentence.

which

The word “which” is used to ask a question when there are two or more possible answers. It is used as an adjective, pronoun, or conjunction in a sentence. The word “which” is a function word that expresses a nonrestrictive related clause. “Which team should I sign up for?” is an example of using the word  “which” as an adjective in the sentence. “Which is best for swimming?” is an example of using the word “which” as a pronoun in the sentence. “The bush fire went to the neighbors’ barn then was put off, which is a relief the fire didn’t reach their house.” is an example of using the word “which” as a conjunction in the sentence.

while

The word “while” is used to refer to a time, occurrence, or a condition. It is used as a preposition, noun, verb, and conjunction in a sentence. “Just rest here for a while.” is an example of using the word “while” as a noun in the sentence. “You’ll never learn while you listen to me.” is an example of the word “while” used as a preposition in the sentence. “While resting the day.” is an example of using the word “while” as a verb in the sentence. “Wash the dishes while listening to music.” is an example of using the word “while” as a conjunction in the sentence.

who

The word “who” is an interrogative word used to ask a question referring to a person. It is used as a pronoun in a sentence. “Who is the President of the United States of America?” is an example of using the word “who” in the sentence. “I don’t know who you are referring to.” is an example sentence using the word “who.”

who’s

The word “who’s” is a contraction of the words “who” and “is” or “who” and “has.” The word “who’s” is an interrogative word used to ask a question referring to a person. “Who’s not around?” is an example sentence using the word “who’s” referring to “who is.” “They thought of replacing him as the manager who’s been working for them for 5 years.” is an example using the word “who’s” referring to “who has” in the sentence.

whom

The word “whom” referred to as the object form of the word “who.” Mostly, the word “whom” is used to address a person in a formal manner, often used in formal writing. The word “whom” is used when it receives the action, while “who” is used when the word is performing the action. The word has been used since the 12th century. “For whom is this gift?” is an example of using the word “whom” in the sentence. “Whom shall I fear?” is an example sentence using the word “whom.”

why

The word “why” is used to question what caused, reasons, or purpose. The word “why” is used when there are questions ask about the reason, for example, “Why didn’t the food arrived on time?” as an example sentence of using the word “why” to question the reasons. The word is used as a conjunction, noun, adverb, and interjection in the sentence. “Let me tell you why I didn’t like what you did.”

why’s

The word “why’s” is a contraction word of “why” and “is.” The word “why’s” is used to question what caused, reasons, or purpose. “Why’s everybody always talking about me?” is an example sentence using the word “why’s.” “Why’s it too short?” is an example of using the word “why’s” in the sentence.

with

The word “with” is a preposition referring to the word as accompanied by or accompanying. “He is with me” is an example of referring to as accompanying. The word “with” is used to refer what to use to do something, like, “I will wrap the box with tape” is an example of using the word to refer what to use to do something. “I had an argument with my brother.” is an example of the word “with” used to refer to opposing someone or being against. 

won’t

The word “won’t” is a contraction of the words “will” and “not.” The word describes not being able to do something or not being able to go. “The bride won’t be able to go to the ceremony due to an asthma attack.” is an example of using the word “won’t” in the sentence. “I won’t let it happen to you.” is an example sentence using the word “won’t.”

would

The word “would” is used to describe a plan or intent, it is used in auxiliary verb functions as well. It was first known used in the 12th century. “He said that he would come to the party.” is an example of using “would” in the sentence to express an intention. “Would you please tell your manager to answer my calls.” is an example of using the word “would” in the sentence to express a request voluntary compliance is expected.  

wouldn’t

The word “wouldn’t” is a contraction of the words “would” and “not.” It is used to express an intention not to do it or not to commit something. “I wouldn’t waste my time looking for it.” is an example of using the word “wouldn’t” in the sentence. “The field trip wouldn’t push through because of the few numbers of participants.” is an example sentence using the word “wouldn’t.”

you

The word “you” is a pronoun identified as a second-person singular or plural in sentence construction. It is a word used to describe the one in front of the speaker or the one being addressed. The word was first known used in the 12th century. “You seem to be opposite to your siblings.” is an example of using the word “you” in the sentence.  “Everything that you should know is in that diary.” is an example sentence using the word “you.”

you’d

The word “you’d” is a contraction of the words “you” and “had” or “you” and “would.” The word “you’d” is often used, especially when the word “had” is an auxiliary verb. “You’d ask for something in return.” is an example, using the word “you’d” refers to “you had” in the sentence. ” You’d like to tell her that she isn’t going to pay for this.” is an example of the word “you’d” referring to “you would” in the sentence.

you’ll

The word “you’ll” is a contraction of the words “you” and “will” or “you” and “shall.” It was first known used in the year 1584. The word “you’ll” is a pronoun identified as a second-person singular or plural in sentence construction. “You’ll never be bored here when there are lots of entertainment to choose from.” is an example of using the word “you’ll” as “you will” in the sentence. “You’ll never cross that river again.” is an example using the word “you’ll” as “you shall” in the sentence.

you’re

The word “you’re” is a contraction of the words “you” and “are.” It was first known used in the year 1590. The word “you’re” is a pronoun second-person singular used as the plural in sentence construction. “You’re glad that your dog is health already.” is an example of using the word “you’re” in the sentence. “Everything you’re going to do is study hard.” is an example sentence using the word “you’re.”

you’ve

The word “you’ve” is a contraction of the words “you” and “have.” It was first known used in the year 1600. It is a usual-spoken word, especially when the word “have” is an auxiliary verb. “You’ve made a mistake once, and now you only got one last chance.” is an example using the word “you’ve” in the sentence. “Every decision you’ve made turns into a nightmare.” is an example sentence using the word “you’ve.”

your

The word “your” is used to describe oneself, particularly the one the speaker is talking about. It is a second person and a possessor. The word was known and used in the 12th century, it is mainly used as an adjective. “Your presence is very well appreciated.” another one, “When the plane has landed, your face explains how excited you are.” are an example of using the word “your” in the sentence.

yours

The word “yours” is the plural form of the word “your.” It is used to indicate something belongs to and used without the following noun as a pronoun equivalent. The word is first known used in the year 1526 as a pronoun. “Your pride is yours to keep.” another, “The key for the house is now yours.” are examples of using the word “yours” in the sentence.

yourself

The word “yourself” refers to oneself and being identified by the one who’s speaking, used as reflexively. The word “yourself” indicates only one person is mentioned in the sentence. The word “yourself” is used instead of the word “you” for emphasis or just to show more politeness. The word was first known used in the 14th century. “Don’t you hurt yourself.” another one, “You are not on yourself these past 2 days.” are an example of the word “yourself” used in the sentence. 

Yourselves

The word “yourselves” is used to indicate many individuals. It is used to refer to a group of persons being addressed or mentioned and as an object of a verb or preposition. ​​The word “yourselves” was first known used in the year 1523. “It is best to acknowledge yourselves being top in our organization.” another one, “Give yourselves a treat.” are an example of using the word “yourselves” in the sentence.

What are the reasons for the existence of Stop Words?

The presence of stop words starts in the algorithm of the search results page; the purpose of avoiding stop words is to save space and time in the processing of the queries through the large volume of data gathered from web crawling or indexing. These are some of the most common short functions in other search engines; the is, at, which, and on. The entire objective of the IDF is to remove some words that do not have a semantic value from the corpus; adding stopwords only gets it removed by the IDF. Furthermore, eliminating or minimizing the stopwords in documents has advantages because of the slightly less computation and a smaller number of features.

Do Stop Words change from the United States to Great Britain?

No, stop words do not change from the United States to Great Britain. They both share 570 English stopwords. Though in grammar and vocabulary, they use the words differently, like “at” in British English but in American, they used “on.” The stopwords are the same in any language, even if they are used differently in different languages.

Do Stop Words affect Search Engine Optimization?

Yes, stopwords affect Search Engine Optimization. Though, removing stopwords help with SEO, the user experience affects the overall readability of the title or the content. Search engines eliminate the words considered stopwords for efficiency. Implements the removal of stopwords has its downsides, one of which is readability. Stopwords are words that enable a sentence to be read and have meaning. These words are adverbs, prepositions, nouns, verbs, pronouns, and adjectives that express the sentences well as near a being spoken. Eliminating those words that complete a sentence makes the article content unnatural to read and the user experience is not going to be pleasant, making readers avoid it. The use of stopwords and removal of them has its balance and SEOs much know that while providing a great user experience for readers. According to research, 25% of blog articles are made up of stopwords, making the overall article irrelevant to the topic of the blog post. These words that are considered stopwords integrated into a blog article have somehow provided some context to the audience, but excessive use of these stopwords is going to impact the brand in the long run. The excessive use or implementation of stopwords in content makes it harder to find on the search engine results page. Knowing that both have advantages and disadvantages enables Search Engine Optimization professionals to take precise measures to counter these things and balance the whole idea and succeed with its overall ranking.

Do Stop Words affect User Experience?

Using stop words affects the user experience positively. It provides accurate results because it has less computation and fewer words to segment for search. Stopwords affect the user experience when the title is optimized based on the context of the article or content. The URLs of the content must not contain stop words as it affects the search result, making the URL or content title searchable. The words “is,” “be,” “do,” and “if” are a few of the stopwords that are not useful to search engines. Removing such stopwords on the URL and a few of them in the heading title makes it much more optimized to search. Ignoring the advice to remove stopwords in the titles and URLs harms the search results potentiality of the newly published articles. Though, there are many contradictions regarding the removal of stop words. More SEOs still add the said stopwords on their content because it gives more contextual information that helps with the optimal user experience than the removal of stopwords in the titles and content overall. Discussions over the usage and removal of stopwords have passed for years already. Learning about stopwords is not that critical for SEO, but it helps lessen those and provide a more optimized user experience. Reading titles that has no adverbs, prepositions, verb, nouns, or adjectives seem very unnatural. Minimizing and not completely eliminating those said stopwords helps both readers and search engines as well.

How do Content Writers use Stop Words words in English?

The content writer uses English stopwords minimally as it affects the search query. It is not pleasing to remove all the stopwords within the content, as the user experience affects the performance of the keywords. The experts agree that SEO stopwords have an influence on the rankings, as the overall ranking factor does not consider as significant. The Google search engine is always giving the best ways to provide accurate information, especially for the users or the search engine. The reason for the integration of the stopwords is primarily to remove unwanted words being filtered by the search query for efficiency. It does eat a lot of space when the stopwords are used in the search query, it makes the search slower than those without stopwords. Most URLs are minimal amount for them to be readable and understandable for the search result algorithm.  Most content writers only minimize the removal of stopwords as their goal is to provide helpful information for content writing.  Moreover, they wanted to rank the page to monetize it or just make it more open to the readers.

The following is a list of stop words that are frequently used in english language.

Where these stops words normally include prepositions, particles, interjections, unions, adverbs, pronouns, introductory words, numbers from 0 to 9 (unambiguous), other frequently used official, independent parts of speech, symbols, punctuation. Relatively recently, this list was supplemented by such commonly used on the Internet sequences of symbols as www, com, http, etc.

There are 2 views of stop words for english language: table and list. Just use the view which is the most convenient to you.

For the external usage, you can always download stop words for english as XML, TXT or JSON formats.

Updated: 01/18/2023 by

Stop words are commonly used words excluded from searches to help index and parse web pages faster. While most Internet search engines and NLP (natural language processing) utilize stop words, they do not prevent users from using them. Instead, the words are only ignored when the search results are displayed.

For example, if you search for «What is a motherboard?» on Computer Hope, the search engine only looks for the term «motherboard.» For examples of stop words, see the examples of common stop words section.

Examples of common stop words

• a
• an
• and
• but
• how
• in
• on
• or
• the
• what
• will

What words are not stop words?

Generally speaking, most stop words are function (filler) words, which are words with little or no meaning that help form a sentence. Content words like adjectives, nouns, and verbs are often not considered stop words. However, a programmer may choose to add common words. For example, Computer Hope may consider «computer» a stop word because it could describe any computer-related product (e.g., computer motherboard, computer video card, etc.).

Basic list of stop words

There’s no universal list of stop words that every company or programmer uses. However, as an example, below is a list of stop words often used.

a about above across after afterwards again against all almost alone along also although always am among amount an and another any anyhow anyone anything anyway anywhere are around as at back be became because become becomes been being below beside besides between beyond both but by came can cant cannot come could couldnt describe did didnt do does doesnt doing done dont due during each either else elsewhere enough etc even ever every everyone everything everywhere few for from further get give goes going had happen has hasnt have having here how however i if ill im in into is isnt it its ive just keep let like made make many may me mean might mine more most mostly much name next no nobody not nothing now of once only onto or other others otherwise our over per perhaps please put rather re really same say see seem seemed seeming seems several should show side since so some somehow someone something sometime sometimes somewhere still such take tell than that the then their them then there these they thing this those through throughout to together too try un up upon us use used uses very want was way we well were what whatever when where wherever whether which who whoever whole whom whose why will with within without wont would you your youre yours yourself

Problems that may happen with stop words

Like most solutions, using stop words is not perfect and can introduce any of the following situations.

• Removing stop words that are part of a product, company, or another name. For example, removing «really» from «really simple syndication» and becoming an invalid search for really simple syndication.
• Not removing stop words that are plural or have punctuation. For example, not removing «whats» or «what’s.»
• Removing a stop word that’s part of a misspelled word. For example, a search for «re ply» removing «re» as a stop word.
• Not removing a stop word because it is misspelled. For example, «wat is stop» becoming «wat stop» because «what» was misspelled.

Full-text search, Internet terms, Keyword, NLP, Search engine

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Not to be confused with Safeword.

Stop words are the words in a stop list (or stoplist or negative dictionary) which are filtered out (i.e. stopped) before or after processing of natural language data (text) because they are insignificant.^[1] There is no single universal list of stop words used by all natural language processing tools, nor any agreed upon rules for identifying stop words, and indeed not all tools even use such a list. Therefore, any group of words can be chosen as the stop words for a given purpose. The «general trend in [information retrieval] systems over time has been from standard use of quite large stop lists (200–300 terms) to very small stop lists (7–12 terms) to no stop list whatsoever».^[2]

History of stop words[edit]

A predecessor concept was used in creating some concordances. For example, the first Hebrew concordance, Isaac Nathan ben Kalonymus’s Me’ir Nativ, contained a one-page list of unindexed words, with nonsubstantive prepositions and conjunctions which are similar to modern stop words.^[3]

Hans Peter Luhn, one of the pioneers in information retrieval, is credited with coining the phrase and using the concept when introducing his Keyword-in-Context automatic indexing process.^[4] The phrase «stop word», which is not in Luhn’s 1959 presentation, and the associated terms «stop list» and «stoplist» appear in the literature shortly afterward.^[5]

Although it is commonly assumed that stoplists include only the most frequent words in a language, it was C.J. Van Rijsbergen who proposed the first standardized list which was not based on word frequency information. The «Van list» included 250 English words. Martin Porter’s word stemming program developed in the 1980s built on the Van list, and the Porter list is now commonly used as a default stoplist in a variety of software applications.

In 1990, Christopher Fox proposed the first general stop list based on empirical word frequency information derived from the Brown Corpus:

This paper reports an exercise in generating a stop list for general text based on the Brown corpus of 1,014,000 words drawn from a broad range of literature in English. We start with a list of tokens occurring more than 300 times in the Brown corpus. From this list of 278 words, 32 are culled on the grounds that they are too important as potential index terms. Twenty-six words are then added to the list in the belief that they may occur very frequently in certain kinds of literature. Finally, 149 words are added to the list because the finite state machine based filter in which this list is intended to be used is able to filter them at almost no cost. The final product is a list of 421 stop words that should be maximally efficient and effective in filtering the most frequently occurring and semantically neutral words in general literature in English.^[6]

In SEO terminology, stop words are the most common words that many search engines used to avoid for the purposes of saving space and time in processing of large data during crawling or indexing.

For some search engines, these are some of the most common, short function words, such as the, is, at, which, and on. In this case, stop words can cause problems when searching for phrases that include them, particularly in names such as «The Who», «The The», or «Take That». Other search engines remove some of the most common words—including lexical words, such as «want»—from a query in order to improve performance.^[7]

In recent years the SEO best practices around stop words have evolved along with the fields of machine learning and natural language processing. In February 2021, John Mueller, Webmaster Trends Analyst at Google, Tweeted the following, «I wouldn’t worry about stop words at all; write naturally. Search engines look at much, much more than individual words. «To be or not to be» just is a collection of stop words, but stop words alone don’t do it any justice.»^[8][9]

See also[edit]

• Concept mining
• Filler (linguistics)
• Function words
• Index (search engine)
• Information extraction
• Natural language processing
• Query expansion
• Stemming
• Text mining

References[edit]

External links[edit]

• List of English Stop Words (PHP array, CSV)
• Full-Text Stopwords in MySQL
• English Stop Words (CSV)
• Stop Words Indonesia Query PHP Array
• German Stop Words,German Stop Words and phrases, another list of German stop words
• Polish Stop Words
• Collection of stop words in 29 languages (archive)
• List of Hindi Stop Words

From blog titles to URL slugs, you might not realize how frequently you use SEO stop words. But, to be fair, if Google doesn’t pay much attention to them, why should you?

Research shows that 25% of blog posts are made up of stop words. However, these words have little to no relevance to the topic of the post. These are words that help you compose sentences and connect ideas together, and they don’t have much impact on Google’s search results.

But, excessive use of stop words can impact your brand in the long run. They make content harder for search engines to process which can end up negatively affecting how they index your pages.

In this post, we’ll walk you through exactly what SEO stop words are, how they can hurt — or help — your online presence, and which words are considered stop words by Google and other search engines.

We use stop words all the time, whether we’re online or in our everyday lives. These are the articles, prepositions, and phrases that connect keywords together and help us form complete, coherent sentences.

Common words like its, an, the, for, and that, are all considered stop words. While they’re important for communicating verbally, stop words typically carry little importance to SEO and are often ignored by search engines.

Let’s review some of the most common stop words in the section below.

Common SEO Stop Words

The most common SEO stop words are pronouns, articles, prepositions, and conjunctions. This includes words like a, an, the, and, it, for, or, but, in, my, your, our, and their.

When people search for something online, search engines like Google omit these words in their results because they don’t relate to the keywords in the search. So, rather than looking up content that’s related to these words, Google removes them altogether and prioritizes the keywords.

So, the next time you’re trying to hit a word count when writing a blog post, try filling that open space with keywords rather than filler copy that doesn’t improve your SEO.

While it would be great to load up your content with only meaningful keywords, the reality is that stop words are needed for every type of copy. After all, even if you rank highly on Google, it won’t mean much if your content is incomprehensible or doesn’t resonate with your audience.

Are Stop Words Beneficial for SEO?

There’s a time and place for SEO stop words. First and foremost, stop words help the reader understand the content. It can be confusing to read titles and subheaders without stop words.

You also might find instances where stop words help you differentiate between two topics. For example, you can search ‘flamingos’ and you’ll see information about beautiful, bright pink birds. Add ‘the’ to the front, and you’ll be directed to YouTube to listen to the band, The Flamingos. This tiny, three-letter stop word makes a world of a difference in this case.

In the next section, let’s look at some other times when you should be paying attention to stop words to optimize your content’s search ranking.

Removing Stop Words

Should you be removing stop words from all of your content?

Like anything else, it depends on how you’re using them. If your titles, headings, URL slugs, and keywords make sense without them, then it can be beneficial to remove them.

SEO Stop Words in Titles

If your titles don’t make sense when you take out those articles or prepositions, then it’s best to leave them be. After all, you want your audience to actually click and read your content. If the most prominent parts — including the title — don’t make sense, the website could come off as unprofessional or even spammy.

It usually makes the most sense to leave stop words in titles and headings, as these are wayfinding elements for users navigating your content. Just keep in mind that the optimal character count for titles is 50-60 characters, as search engines cut off longer titles, which could omit important information for the visitor. If you have lengthy stop words in your title, consider rewriting them to balance brevity and clarity.

Stop Words in URL Slugs

When it comes to URL slugs, stop words typically don’t have much significance in SEO. They’re relevant, however, if they make your URL slug particularly long. Google ranks URLs based on their length, and longer URLs typically rank lower than shorter ones — as outlined by the chart below.

Image Source

Stop Words as Keywords

As we touched on in the last section, there are some times when stop words are crucial to keywording because they differentiate a proper noun from something else. For example, if you searched “Jets New York” you’d probably get a list of flights coming in and out of New York City. But, if you searched, “The New York Jets,” you would get content about the professional football team instead.

Now that we’re familiar with what stop words are and when we should use them, let’s look at a broader list of stopwords that you should be aware of when creating and optimizing content.

75 Stop Words in SEO

There are many, many more stop words out there, but here’s a list of some of the most common stop words to be mindful of when creating content online.

Using SEO Stop Words

SEO stop words are important if you want to create a strong SEO strategy and rank highly on search engines like Google. Overusing them can hinder your ranking, but avoiding them altogether will make your content confusing and unclear. By understanding what stop words are and which words qualify as stop words, you can craft content that works to your brand’s advantage.

For more ways to rank higher on search engines, read these SEO tips.

Stop words are the most frequent words in a body of text that, in many cases, can be removed without detracting from the overall message. These words are often removed during natural language processing to improve search and other analytical efficiencies.

There is no universal list of stop words and contextual relevancy should never be disregarded. That’s to say—the most common words in a medical text are likely far different from the most common terms in sports literature.

Building a domain-specific stops words list can prove beneficial in nearly every NLP application. Functionally, it’s useful to have a core collection of stop words to start with.

What are Stop Words

Stop words are words that are so common to languages that removing them doesn’t affect the overall message enough to lose meaning. As such, Natural Language Processing (NLP) programs often disregard these terms as a means to improve contextual relevancy and performance. After all, fewer words to process mean less processing time.

This concept has become so popular, and useful, that every NLP pipeline I’ve ever worked with has some form of stop words filtering process. One of the commonest use cases is for search engines.

By removing frivolous terms, search queries can be done much faster and with greater relevancy. For example: searching for “what are stop words” is pretty similar to “stop words.”

Google thinks they’re so similar that they return the same Wikipedia and Stanford.edu articles for both terms. The application is clear enough, but the question of which words to remove arises.

Stop Word Lists

Not all stop word lists are created equally. Lists that are effective in one topical domain are ineffective (or maybe irrelevant) in others. However, even vastly different topical domains still share many similar words.

Words like the, of, to, in, a, and that are all common connective tissue within the English language, irrespective of topical domain. That’s to say—authors are likely to use these words regardless of what is being discussed.

With that in mind, one can appreciate how a common stop words list can offer utility. A list of common common words can serve well as a base to build more encompassing domain-specific filters. Let’s consider two-word frequency distributions from two very different sources:

1.Scientific Journal Article (biology)

The article Efflux pump inhibitors for bacterial pathogens: From bench to bedside was published in the February 2019 issue of the Indian Journal of Medical Research (R).

It contains phrases like “the characterization of many efflux pumps in Gram-positive bacteria,” “MC-207,110 [phenylalanyl arginyl β-naphthylamide (PAβN)], a peptidomimetic EPI, was the first to be discovered in 2001,” and “yridopyrimidine analogues D2 and D13-9001 have been reported as MexAB-OprM-specific pump inhibitor in MexABoverexpressing P. aeruginosa under both in vitro and in vivo conditions.”

Clearly—a very unique domain of discussion. Check out the frequency distribution of words:

# Top 10 most frequency words in Biology-domain text
('the', 315)
('of', 271)
('and', 162)
('to', 136)
('in', 105)
('a', 98)
('efflux', 86)
('s.', 78)
('that', 68)
('as', 65)

2.RFC for TCP Protocol (networking)

The first Request for Comments for Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) was made public in September 1981 (R). It would serve as the foundation for defining the most utilized transport-layer protocol in the modern web—while undergoing many revisions throughout the years.

This document contains phrases like “The sequence number of the first data octet in this segment (except when SYN is present). If SYN is present the sequence number is the initial sequence number (ISN) and the first data octet is ISN+1,” and “Among the variables stored in the TCB are the local and remote socket numbers, the security and
precedence of the connection, pointers to the user’s send and receive
buffers, pointers to the retransmit queue and to the current segment.”

Again—clearly a unique domain of discussion. Check out the frequency distribution of words from this text:

# Top 10 most frequency words in Networking-domain
('the', 1323)
('to', 460)
('a', 451)
('is', 415)
('of', 409)
('and', 332)
('in', 295)
('tcp', 219)
('be', 194)
('sequence', 162)

Note: Both of the above examples were minimally processed by normalizing whitespace, lowercasing text, and truncating to equal lengths.

The Use of Stop Words

The examples above illustrate how even vastly different text domains can have remarkably similar common terms. Of the 20 terms (10 from each source) there are only three that stand out as domain-specific: tcp, sequence, and efflux.

For applications of Natural Language Processing (NLP) it is almost always useful to take some measure to filter out stop words. Not only does it decrease processing time (fewer words) but also helps to make domain-specific differences more apparent.

Let’s consider the above examples again, this time with stop words being filtered before frequency analysis.

1.Sccientific Journal Article with Stop Words Removed

# Top 10 most frequency terms after removal of stop words
('efflux', 86)
('s.', 78)
('aureus', 65)
('nora', 57)
('epis', 42)
('antibiotics', 40)
('pumps', 40)
('ciprofloxacin', 37)
('pump', 32)
('norfloxacin,', 29)

2.RFC for TCP Protocol with Stop Words Removed

# Top 10 most frequency terms after removal of stop words
('tcp', 219)
('sequence', 162)
('data', 151)
('connection', 143)
('segment', 141)
('control', 130)
('number', 94)
('1981transmission', 87)
('user', 83)
('send', 79)

We can see that things take on remarkably different forms here. These frequency distributions really speak to the differences in domain-specific language used in each document.

Stop Word Lists

Modern NLP pipelines often consist of fairly involved preprocessing pipelines—often with domain-specific considerations.  One shared aspect of most pipelines I’ve developed or worked with is the application of stop word filtering at some point. Stemming and punctuation removal can be extremely useful as well.

All things considered, I still place basic stop word filtering among the most beneficial preprocessing steps. I recommend anyone serious about applied NLP develop personalized stop word lists catered to the domain in which work is being done. However, there are some popular stop word lists that can help get you started.

NLTK Stop Words

Python’s Natural Language Took Kit is arguably the most popular natural language processing library. It features lots of corpora (NLP reference texts) and easy APIs for common NLP tasks such as tokenizing, stemming, tagging, and classifying a wide range of text in a wide range of languages. Among the many useful NLTK features is the list of common stop words provided:

from nltk.corpus import stopwords

# Load language-specific stop words
stopwords.words('english')

['i', 'me', 'my', 'myself', 'we', 'our', 'ours', 'ourselves', 'you', 'your', 'yours', 'yourself', 'yourselves', 'he', 'him', 'his', 'himself', 'she', 'her', 'hers', 'herself', 'it', 'its', 'itself', 'they', 'them', 'their', 'theirs', 'themselves', 'what', 'which', 'who', 'whom', 'this', 'that', 'these', 'those', 'am', 'is', 'are', 'was', 'were', 'be', 'been', 'being', 'have', 'has', 'had', 'having', 'do', 'does', 'did', 'doing', 'a', 'an', 'the', 'and', 'but', 'if', 'or', 'because', 'as', 'until', 'while', 'of', 'at', 'by', 'for', 'with', 'about', 'against', 'between', 'into', 'through', 'during', 'before', 'after', 'above', 'below', 'to', 'from', 'up', 'down', 'in', 'out', 'on', 'off', 'over', 'under', 'again', 'further', 'then', 'once', 'here', 'there', 'when', 'where', 'why', 'how', 'all', 'any', 'both', 'each', 'few', 'more', 'most', 'other', 'some', 'such', 'no', 'nor', 'not', 'only', 'own', 'same', 'so', 'than', 'too', 'very', 's', 't', 'can', 'will', 'just', 'don', 'should', 'now']

PostgreSQL Stop Words

PostgreSQL is one of the most popular open-source database systems. It’s been around for more than 30 years, is supported by almost every major cloud provider, language framework, and programming language, and offers enterprise-grade relational operations (R)

As most database frameworks are, PostgreSQL is commonly used for textual searches. Users often include common words like and, that, the, a, with, and other similar stop words in their searches.

By excluding these terms, database queries can quickly become more performant. As one might imagine, the PostgreSQL framework comes with its own handy list of internal stop words for just such application:

# Postgres Stop Words
# C:Program FilesPostgreSQL{VERSION}sharetsearch_dataenglish.stop

['i', 'me', 'my', 'myself', 'we', 'our', 'ours', 'ourselves', 'you', 'your', 'yours', 'yourself', 'yourselves', 'he', 'him', 'his', 'himself', 'she', 'her', 'hers', 'herself', 'it', 'its', 'itself', 'they', 'them', 'their', 'theirs', 'themselves', 'what', 'which', 'who', 'whom', 'this', 'that', 'these', 'those', 'am', 'is', 'are', 'was', 'were', 'be', 'been', 'being', 'have', 'has', 'had', 'having', 'do', 'does', 'did', 'doing', 'a', 'an', 'the', 'and', 'but', 'if', 'or', 'because', 'as', 'until', 'while', 'of', 'at', 'by', 'for', 'with', 'about', 'against', 'between', 'into', 'through', 'during', 'before', 'after', 'above', 'below', 'to', 'from', 'up', 'down', 'in', 'out', 'on', 'off', 'over', 'under', 'again', 'further', 'then', 'once', 'here', 'there', 'when', 'where', 'why', 'how', 'all', 'any', 'both', 'each', 'few', 'more', 'most', 'other', 'some', 'such', 'no', 'nor', 'not', 'only', 'own', 'same', 'so', 'than', 'too', 'very', 's', 't', 'can', 'will', 'just', 'don', 'should', 'now']

You’d have to be quite bored to notice, but these are the same lists—albeit in a different order. At the time of writing, I didn’t realize these two lists were identical. I wasn’t going to include redundant lists, but feel emphasizing two gigantic systems using such a simple list does well to illustrate the power of basic stop word filtering.

SpaCY Stop Words

SpaCy is billed as the “Industrial Strength Natural Language Processing” library. It also happens to be my favorite NLP library—and one of my favorite Python libraries period. It’s built from the ground-up for performance, has exasperatingly sensible object models, and churns through 1,000,000 words before most other libraries can even load their language models.

SpaCy is no exception to the use of stop words.

from spacy.lang.en.stop_words import STOP_WORDS

# The following list was generated from the SpaCy stop words file.
# It contains a slightly more dynamic approach than simple word lists.
['may', 'sometime', 'next', '‘ve', 'various', 'about', 'toward', 'others', 'of', 'behind', 'be', 'keep', 'less', 'amongst', 'beforehand', 'in', 'whoever', 'some', 'seemed', 'throughout', 'been', 'are', 'side', 'top', 'myself', 'anything', 'which', 'if', 'formerly', 'above', 'due', 'together', 'after', 'himself', 'last', "'re", 'how', 'out', 'please', 'being', 'on', 'five', 'call', 'anyhow', 'former', 'his', 'few', 'i', "'m", 'without', 'he', 'unless', 'ours', 'whether', 'six', 'almost', 'already', 'within', 'doing', '’ve', "n't", 'is', 'neither', 'during', 'will', 'yours', 'rather', 'all', 'have', 'whereupon', 'had', 'although', 'front', 'go', 'nine', 'n‘t', 'always', 'somehow', 'should', 'just', 'n’t', 'noone', 'whole', 'your', 'none', 'again', 'move', 'fifty', '’ll', 'cannot', 'a', 'did', 'when', 'beyond', 'except', 'nowhere', 'done', 'until', 'themselves', 'through', 'besides', 'ca', 'down', 'whereafter', 'its', 'since', 'take', "'ve", 'give', 'around', 'him', 'twelve', 'anyone', 'very', 'by', 'wherein', 'up', 'else', 'once', 'yourself', 'even', 'seem', 'whose', 'ten', 'latterly', 'we', 'not', 'name', 'forty', 'beside', 'her', '‘s', 'seeming', 'who', 'third', 'there', 'per', 'herein', 'nor', '’m', 'indeed', 'every', 'hereafter', 'part', 'three', 'thereafter', 'these', 'used', 'mine', 'does', 'mostly', 'more', 'so', 'me', 'could', 'it', 'our', 'everything', 'off', 'hundred', 'least', 'ourselves', 'see', 'and', 'same', 'becomes', 'twenty', 'upon', 'put', 'wherever', 'enough', 'own', 'across', 'most', 'under', 'though', 'well', 'becoming', 'below', 'anywhere', 'namely', 'everyone', 'over', 'otherwise', 'seems', '‘m', 'any', 'my', 'where', 'were', 'serious', 'therefore', 'to', '‘d', 'against', 'was', 'whatever', 'sometimes', '’s', 'but', 'either', 'hereby', 'full', 'do', 'become', "'s", 'perhaps', 'hers', '’d', 'however', 'meanwhile', 'that', 'four', 'hereupon', 'many', 'whence', 'might', 'into', 'amount', 'as', 'along', 'then', 'them', 'or', 'hence', 'only', 'for', 'she', 'anyway', 'whither', "'ll", 'elsewhere', 'also', 'both', 'can', 'show', 'quite', 'alone', 'here', 'too', 'empty', 'those', 'much', "'d", 'they', 'sixty', 'regarding', 'two', 'became', 'towards', 'thus', 'bottom', 'between', 'nothing', 'back', 'other', 'fifteen', '’re', 'eight', 'another', 'such', 'thru', 'among', 'has', 'before', 'get', 'why', 'ever', 'nevertheless', 'eleven', 'make', 'latter', 'thereby', 'yet', 'onto', 'us', 'something', 'what', 'often', 'itself', 'because', 'further', 'several', 'an', 'really', 'first', 'their', 'you', 'now', 'everywhere', 'someone', 'one', '‘re', 'at', 'using', 'thence', 'say', 'somewhere', 'nobody', 'thereupon', 'from', 'never', 'whenever', 'am', 're', 'whereas', 'would', 'afterwards', 'via', 'whereby', 'than', 'made', 'no', 'yourselves', 'herself', 'each', 'therein', '‘ll', 'moreover', 'whom', 'the', 'while', 'with', 'this', 'must', 'still']

SpaCy’s STOP_WORDS list is 199 words longer than the NLTK list. This is accounted for by words like further, although, meanwhile, and whereas. While these words might seem comparatively complex next to words like as, I, we, and us—none really offer much contextual benefit.

Final Thoughts

Stop words natural language processing efficiency textual domains. That sentence has zero stop words and still conveys some sense of what this article was about. Stop words are like the connective tissue of a language—they hold things together but, if viewed in their absence, one generally can still discern what’s going on.

In the application of Natural Language Processing, the filtering of stop words often equates to decreased processing times and increased relevancy. I’d encourage everyone working on NLP projects to take time to carefully develop domain-specific stop words and continually adjust as needed.