What does the research tell us?

 

Several studies investigated the number of word families needed to comprehend both written and spoken texts.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Click here for sources.

 

This table shows how important it is for L2 learners to master at least the first 2,000-3,000 most frequent word families in a foreign language to achieve a minimum level of comprehension of spoken and written discourse.

 

A research study conducted at my institution found that students entering an intensive English program knew fewer than the first 2,000 word families.