[This page comprises c. 6,250 words.][End]

BASIC ENGLISH IN FANETIK 

"BASIC" (British American Scientific International Commercial) English

is a simplified version of standard English, in standard spelling, put forward in 1928 by a British scholar, Charles Kay Ogden (b. 1889, d. 1957). Basic employs a very limited wordlist (850 words in the fundamental program), with limited additions for specialized areas such as banking and science.

It gained some popularity in academic circles after Winston Churchill and Franklin Roosevelt endorsed the concept in the mid-1940s, and several hundred books and other materials have been published in Basic. Hopes that it might become an auxiliary world language have so far failed to materialize, but Basic is still taught in some places, if only for its utility in understanding the concepts behind language in general and English in particular. A discussion of the ideas behind Basic, with links to various related materials, can be found at http://web.marshallnet.com/~manor/basiceng/basiceng.html.

There are five short wordlists within Basic, each of which is alphabetized and transliterated in its own table below. After those separate tables, a merged table gives all 850 Basic words in a single alphabetical list. 

The first column of the tables gives the standard spelling (Traditional Orthography ("T.O")); the second, the Fanetik spelling; the third, the Augméntad Fanétik spelling (that is, Fanetik spelling with accent(s) to show syllabic stress: the acute accent marks the primary stress; in one case, as well, a grave accent marks secondary stress).

Note (a) that pronunciations are General American (the speech of the great preponderance of all native speakers of English) and (b) in some cases, where syllabic stress differs between noun use and verb use, or noun and adjective, that distinction is made in this wordlist even though Basic itself does not use the terms "noun", "verb" and "adjective".

You may notice that a very high proportion of these Basic words are spelled the same or nearly the same in T.O. and Fanetik. That's because Fanetik derives from the way T.O. spells many of the most frequently used words in English, and merely regularizes those conventions by eliminating exceptions (e.g., "Bo", "go", "ho", "Jo", "lo", "Mo", "no", "so", and "yo" are all pronounced with a long-O but "do" and "to" are pronounced with a long-U; so "do" and "to" are changed to du and tu); needless letters are eliminated (silent-E in "give" and "have" are dropped; double letters at the end of words like "till" and "stiff" are reduced to single); a silent-E is transposed with a single letter before it ("slope"and "rate" become sloep and raet); and so forth.

Of the 850 words in the Basic system, 129 (15%) are spelled exactly the same in Fanetik; another 256 (30%) or so differ by only one letter (shorter, longer, a transposition, etc.). So nearly half the words in the Basic wordlist are easily recognizable in Fanetik.

Since Basic is intended to be a reasonable substitute for the full English language in auxiliary international use, it is reasonable to believe that a Fanetik version of Basic English could serve very easily as a means of intercommunal and international communication, at least as regards introducing nonative speakers of English to the full language. In places like New Guinea, where over 600 languages, most of them unwritten, are spoken by different groups and Pidgin (English) is spoken as a lingua franca, Fanetik Basic might replace Pidgin and give tribal peoples a very good start toward standard English.

*

Go to the following wordlist: Things (General)  Things (Pictured  Qualities (General)  Qualities (Opposites)  Complete 850-word table.

First Group: Operations (100 words)

(Return to Index of Tables)

 Second Group: Things (400 General Words)

 

T.O.	Fanetik	Augméntad Fanétik
account	akount	akóunt
act	aakt	aakt
addition	adishan	adíshan
adjust	ajust	ajúst
advertisement	aadvertiezmant	aadvertíezmant
agreement	agreemant	agréemant
air	air	air
amount	amount	amóunt
amusement	amyuezmant	amyúezmant
animal	aanimal	áanimal
answer	aanser	áanser
apparatus	aaparaatas	aaparáatas
approval	aprueval	aprúeval
argument	orgyoomant	órgyoomant
art	ort	ort
attack	ataak	atáak
attempt	atemt / atempt	atémt / atémpt
attention	atenchan	aténchan
attraction	atraakshan	atráakshan
authority	autthorite	autthórite
back	baak	baak
balance	baalans	báalans
base	baes	baes
behavior	beehaevyer	beeháevyer
belief	bileef / beeleef	biléef / beeléef
birth	bertth	bertth
bit	bit	bit
bite	biet	biet
blood	blud	blud
blow	blo	blo
body	bode	bóde
brass	braas	braas
bread	bred	bred
breath	bretth	bretth
brother	bruther	brúther
building	bilding	bílding
burn	bern	bern
burst	berst	berst
business	biznaz	bíznaz
butter	buter	búter
canvas	kaanvas	káanvas
care	kair	kair
cause	kauz	kauz
chalk	chauk	chauk
chance	chaans	chaans
change	chaenj	chaenj
cloth	klautth	klautth
coal	koel	koel
color	kuler	kúler
competition	kompatishan	kompatíshan
comfort	kumfert	kúmfert
committee	kamite	kamíte
company	kumpane	kúmpane
comparison	kampaarisan	kampáarisan
condition	kandishan	kandíshan
connection	kanekshan	kanékshan
control	kantroel	kantróel
cook	kook	kook
copper	koper	kóper
copy	kope	kópe
cork	kaurk	kaurk
cotton	kotan	kótan
cough	kauf	kauf
country	kuntre	kúntre
cover	kuver	kúver
crack	kraak	kraak
credit	kredit	krédit
crime	kriem	kriem
crush	krush	krush
cry	kri	kri
current	kerant	kérant
curve	kerv	kerv
damage	daamaj	dáamaj
danger	daenjer	dáenjer
daughter	dauter	dáuter
day	dae	dae
death	detth	detth
debt	det	det
decision	deesizhan	deesízhan
degree	digre	digré
design	dizien	dizíen
desire	dizieyer	dizíeyer
destruction	distrukshan	distrúkshan
detail	deetail (n.) / ditail (v.)	déetail (n.) / ditáil (v.)
development	divelapmant	divélapmant
digestion	dijeschan	dijéschan
direction	direkshan	dirékshan
discovery	diskuvere	diskúvere
discussion	diskushan	diskúshan
disease	dizeez	dizéez
disgust	disgust / diskust	disgúst / diskúst
distance	distans	dístans
distribution	distribyueshan	distribyúeshan
division	divizhan	divízhan
doubt	dout	dout
drink	dringk	dringk
driving	drieving	dríeving
dust	dust	dust
earth	ertth	ertth
edge	ej	ej
education	ejookaeshan	ejookáeshan
effect	ifekt	ifékt
end	end	end
error	erer	érer
event	eevent	eevént
example	egzaampool	egzáampool
exchange	ekschaenj	ekscháenj
existence	egzistans	egzístans
expansion	ekspaanshan	ekspáanshan
experience	ekspeereeyans	ekspéereeyans
expert	ekspert	ékspert (n.) / ekspért (adj.)
fact	faakt	faakt
fall	faul	faul
family	faamle / faamile	fáamle / fáamile
father	fother	fóther
fear	feer	feer
feeling	feeling	féeling
fiction	fikshan	fíkshan
field	feeld	feeld
fight	fiet	fiet
fire	fieyer	fíeyer
flame	flaem	flaem
flight	fliet	fliet
flower	flouwer	flóuwer
fold	foeld	foeld
food	fued	fued
force	faurs	faurs
form	faurm	faurm
friend	frend	frend
front	frunt	frunt
fruit	fruet	fruet
glass	glaas	glaas
gold	goeld	goeld
government	guvernmant	gúvernmant
grain	graen	graen
grass	graas	graas
grip	grip	grip
group	gruep	gruep
growth	groetth	groetth
guide	gied	gied
harbor	horber	hórber
harmony	hormane	hórmane
hate	haet	haet
hearing	heering	héering
heat	heet	heet
help	help	help
history	histare	hístare
hole	hoel	hoel
hope	hoep	hoep
hour	ouwer	óuwer
humor	hyuemer	hyúemer
ice	ies	ies
idea	iedeeya	iedéeya
impulse	impuls	ímpuls
increase	inkrees	ínkrees (n.) / inkrées (v.)
industry	indastre	índastre
ink	ingk	ingk
insect	insekt	ínsekt
instrument	instramant	ínstramant
insurance	inshuerans	inshúerans
interest	interest (finance) / intrast (curiosity)	ínterest (finance) / íntrast (curiosity)
invention	invenshan	invénshan
iron	ieyern	íeyern
jelly	jele	jéle
join	join	join
journey	jerne	jérne
judge	juj	juj
jump	jump	jump
kick	kik	kik
kiss	kis	kis
knowledge	nolaj	nólaj
land	laand	laand
language	laanggwaj	láanggwaj
laugh	laaf	laaf
law	lau	lau
lead	leed (to direct) / led (metal)	leed (to direct) / led (metal)
learning	lerning	lérning
leather	lether	léther
letter	leter	léter
level	leval	léval
lift	lift	lift
light	liet	liet
limit	limit	límit
linen	linan	línan
liquid	likwid	líkwid
list	list	list
look	look	look
loss	laus	laus
love	luv	luv
machine	masheen	mashéen
man	maan	maan
manager	maanajer	máanajer
mark	mork	mork
market	morkat	mórkat
mass	maas	maas
meal	meel	meel
measure	mezher	mézher
meat	meet	meet
meeting	meeting	méeting
memory	memare	mémare
metal	metal	métal
middle	midal	mídal
milk	milk	milk
mind	miend	miend
mine	mien	mien
minute	minit	mínit
mist	mist	mist
money	mune	múne
month	muntth	muntth
morning	maurning	máurning
mother	muther	múther
motion	moeshan	móeshan
mountain	mountan	móuntan
move	muev	muev
music	myuezik	myúezik
name	naem	naem
nation	naeshan	náeshan
need	need	need
news	nuez / nyuez (chiefly British)	nuez / nyuez (chiefly British)
night	niet	niet
noise	noiz	noiz
note	noet	noet
number	number	númber
observation	observaeshan	observáeshan
offer	aufer	áufer
oil	oiyal	óiyal
operation	operaeshan	operáeshan
opinion	apinyan	apínyan
order	aurder	áurder
organization	aurganizaeshan	aurganizáeshan
ornament	aurnamant	áurnamant
owner	oener	óener
page	paej	paej
pain	paen	paen
paint	paent	paent
paper	paeper	páeper
part	port	port
paste	paest	paest
payment	paemant	páemant
peace	pees	pees
person	persan	pérsan
place	plaes	plaes
plant	plaant	plaant
play	plae	plae
pleasure	plezher	plézher
point	point	point
poison	poizan	póizan
polish	polish	pólish
porter	paurter	páurter
position	pazishan	pazíshan
powder	pouder	póuder
power	pouwer	póuwer
price	pries	pries
print	print	print
process	proses	próses
produce	pradues (v.) / proedues (n.)	pradúes (v.) / próedues (n.)
profit	profit	prófit
property	properte	próperte
prose	proez	proez
protest	proetest (n.) / pratest (v.)	próetest (n.) / pratést (v.)
pull	pool	pool
punishment	punishmant	púnishmant
purpose	perpas	pérpas
push	poosh	poosh
quality	kwolite	kwólite
question	kweschan	kwéschan
rain	raen	raen
range	raenj	raenj
rate	raet	raet
ray	rae	rae
reaction	reeyaakshan	reeyáakshan
reading	reeding	réeding
reason	reezan	réezan
record	rekerd (n.) / reekaurd (v.)	rékerd (n.) / reekáurd (v.)
regret	reegret	reegrét
relation	reelaeshan	reeláeshan
religion	reelijan	reelíjan
representative	repreezentativ	rèpreezéntativ
request	reekwest	reekwést
respect	reespekt	reespékt
rest	rest	rest
reward	reewaurd	reewáurd
rhythm	ritham	rítham
rice	ries	ries
river	river	ríver
road	roed	roed
roll	roel	roel
room	ruem	ruem
rub	rub	rub
rule	ruel	ruel
run	run	run
salt	sault	sault
sand	saand	saand
scale	skail	skail
science	sieyans	síeyans
sea	see	see
seat	seet	seet
secretary	sekratere	sékratere
selection	silekshan	silékshan
self	self	self
sense	sens	sens
servant	servant	sérvant
sex	seks	seks
shade	shaed	shaed
shake	shaek	shaek
shame	shaem	shaem
shock	shok	shok
side	sied	sied
sign	sien	sien
silk	silk	silk
silver	silver	sílver
sister	sister	síster
size	siez	siez
sky	ski	ski
sleep	sleep	sleep
slip	slip	slip
slope	sloep	sloep
smash	smaash	smaash
smell	smel	smel
smile	smieyal	smíeyal
smoke	smoek	smoek
sneeze	sneez	sneez
snow	sno	sno
soap	soep	soep
society	sasieyate	sasíeyate
son	sun	sun
song	saung	saung
sort	saurt	saurt
sound	sound	sound
soup	suep	suep
space	spaes	spaes
stage	staej	staej
start	stort	stort
statement	staetmant	stáetmant
steam	steem	steem
steel	steel	steel
step	step	step
stitch	stich	stich
stone	stoen	stoen
stop	stop	stop
story	staure	stáure
stretch	strech	strech
structure	strukcher	strúkcher
substance	substans	súbstans
sugar	shooger	shóoger
suggestion	sagjeschan	sagjéschan
summer	sumer	súmer
support	sapaurt	sapáurt
surprise	serpriez	serpríez
swim	swim	swim
system	sistam	sístam
talk	tauk	tauk
taste	taest	taest
tax	taaks	taaks
teaching	teeching	téeching
tendency	tendanse	téndanse
test	test	test
theory	ttheeyare / ttheere	tthéeyare / tthéere
thing	tthing	tthing
thought	tthaut	tthaut
thunder	tthunder	tthúnder
time	tiem	tiem
tin	tin	tin
top	top	top
touch	tuch	tuch
trade	traed	traed
transport	traanspaurt	tráanspaurt (n.) / traanspáurt (v.)
trick	trik	trik
trouble	trubool	trúbool
turn	tern	tern
twist	twist	twist
unit	yuenit	yúenit
use	yuez (v.) / yues (n.)	yuez (v.) / yues (n.)
value	vaalyu	váalyu
verse	vers	vers
vessel	vesal	vésal
view	vyu	vyu
voice	vois	vois
walk	wauk	wauk
war	waur	waur
wash	wosh	wosh
waste	waest	waest
water	wuter	wúter
wave	waev	waev
wax	waaks	waaks
way	wae	wae
weather	wether	wéther
week	week	week
weight	waet	waet
wind	wind (n.) / wiend (v.)	wind (n.) / wiend (v.)
wine	wien	wien
winter	winter	wínter
woman	wooman	wóoman
wood	wood	wood
wool	wool	wool
word	werd	werd
work	werk	werk
wound	wuend (n.) / wound (v.)	wuend (n.) / wound (v.)
writing	rieting	ríeting
year	yeer	yeer

(Return to Index of Tables)

 Third Group: Picturable Words (200)

 

T.O.	Fanetik	Augméntad Fanétik
angle	aanggal	áanggal
ant	aant	aant
apple	aapool	áapool
arch	orch	orch
arm	orm	orm
army	orme	órme
baby	baebe	báebe
bag	baag	baag
ball	baul	baul
bank	baangk	baangk
basin	baesin	báesin
basket	baaskat	báaskat
bath	baatth	baatth
bed	bed	bed
bee	bee	bee
bell	bel	bel
berry	bere	bére
bird	berd	berd
blade	blaed	blaed
board	baurd	baurd
boat	boet	boet
bone	boen	boen
book	book	book
boot	buet	buet
bottle	botal	bótal
box	boks	boks
boy	boi	boi
brain	braen	braen
brake	braek	braek
branch	braanch	braanch
brick	brik	brik
bridge	brij	brij
brush	brush	brush
bucket	bukat	búkat
bulb	bulb	bulb
button	butan	bútan
cake	kaek	kaek
camera	kaamra / kaamera	káamra / káamera
card	kord	kord
carriage	kaaraj	káaraj
cart	kort	kort
cat	kaat	kaat
chain	chaen	chaen
cheese	cheez	cheez
chest	chest	chest
chin	chin	chin
church	cherch	cherch
circle	serkal	sérkal
clock	klok	klok
cloud	kloud	kloud
coat	koet	koet
collar	koler	kóler
comb	koem	koem
cord	kaurd	kaurd
cow	kou	kou
cup	kup	kup
curtain	kertan	kértan
cushion	kooshan	kóoshan
dog	daug	daug
door	daur	daur
drain	draen	draen
drawer	draur	draur
dress	dres	dres
drop	drop	drop
ear	eer	eer
egg	eg	eg
engine	enjin	énjin
eye	ie	ie
face	faes	faes
farm	form	form
feather	fether	féther
finger	fingger	fíngger
fish	fish	fish
flag	flaag	flaag
floor	flaur	flaur
fly	fli	fli
foot	foot	foot
fork	faurk	faurk
fowl	fouwal	fóuwal
frame	fraem	fraem
garden	gordan	górdan
girl	goorl / gerl	goorl / gerl
glove	gluv	gluv
goat	goet	goet
gun	gun	gun
hair	hair	hair
hammer	haamer	háamer
hand	haand	haand
hat	haat	haat
head	hed	hed
heart	hort	hort
hook	hook	hook
horn	haurn	haurn
horse	haurs	haurs
hospital	hospital	hóspital
house	hous	hous
island	ieland	íeland
jewel	juel / juewal	juel / júewal
kettle	ketal	kétal
key	ke	ke
knee	ne	ne
knife	nief	nief
knot	not / notq	not/ notq
leaf	leef	leef
leg	leg	leg
library	liebrere	líebrere
line	lien	lien
lip	lip	lip
lock	lok	lok
map	maap	maap
match	mach	mach
monkey	mungke	múngke
moon	muen	muen
mouth	moutth	moutth
muscle	musal	músal
nail	nail	nail
neck	nek	nek
needle	needal	néedal
nerve	nerv	nerv
net	net	net
nose	noez	noez
nut	nut	nut
office	aufis	áufis
orange	oranj	óranj
oven	uvan	úvan
parcel	porsal	pórsal
pen	pen	pen
pencil	pensal	pénsal
picture	pikcher	píkcher
pig	pig	pig
pin	pin	pin
pipe	piep	piep
plane	plaen	plaen
plate	plaet	plaet
plough/plow	plou	plou
pocket	pokat	pókat
pot	pot	pot
potato	pataeto	patáeto
prison	prizan	prízan
pump	pump	pump
rail	rail	rail
rat	raat	raat
receipt	reeseet	reeséet
ring	ring	ring
rod	rod	rod
roof	ruef	ruef
root	ruet / root (dialectal)	ruet / root (dialectal)
sail	sail	sail
school	skuel	skuel
scissors	sizerz	sízerz
screw	skru	skru
seed	seed	seed
sheep	sheep	sheep
shelf	shelf	shelf
ship	ship	ship
shirt	shert	shert
shoe	shu	shu
skin	skin	skin
skirt	skert	skert
snake	snaek	snaek
sock	sok	sok
spade	spaed	spaed
sponge	spunj	spunj
spoon	spuen	spuen
spring	spring	spring
square	skwair	skwair
stamp	staamp	staamp
star	stor	stor
station	staeshan	stáeshan
stem	stem	stem
stick	stik	stik
stocking	stoking	stóking
stomach	stumak	stúmak
store	staur	staur
street	street	street
sun	sun	sun
table	taebool	táebool
tail	tail	tail
thread	tthred	tthred
three	tthre	tthre
throat	tthroet	tthroet
thumb	tthum	tthum
ticket	tikat	tíkat
toe	to(e)	to(e)
tongue	tung	tung
tooth	tuetth	tuetth
town	toun	toun
train	traen	traen
tray	trae	trae
trousers	trouzerz	tróuzerz
umbrella	umbrela	umbréla
wall	waul	waul
watch	woch	woch
wheel	hweel	hweel
whip	hwip	hwip
whistle	hwisal	hwísal
window	windo	wíndo
wing	wing	wing
wire	wieyer	wíeyer
worm	werm	werm

(Return to Index of Tables)

 Fourth Group: Qualities (100 General)

 

T.O.	Fanetik	Augméntad Fanétik
able	aebool	áebool
acid	aasid	áasid
angry	aanggre	áanggre
automatic	autamaatik	autamáatik
beautiful	byuetifool	byúetifool
black	blaak	blaak
boiling	boiling / boiyaling	bóiling / bóiyaling
bright	briet	briet
broken	broekan	bróekan
brown	broun	broun
cheap	cheep	cheep
chemical	kemikal	kémikal
chief	cheef	cheef
clean	kleen	kleen
clear	kleer	kleer
common	koman	kóman
complex	kompleks (n.) / kampleks (adj.)	kómpleks (n.) / kampléks (adj.)
conscious	konchas / konshas	kónchas / kónshas
cut	kut	kut
deep	deep	deep
dependent	deependant	deepéndant
early	oorle / erle	óorle / érle
elastic	eelaastik	eeláastik
electric	eelektrik	eeléktrik
equal	eekwal	éekwal
fat	faat	faat
fertile	fertool	fértool
first	ferst	ferst
fixed	fikst	fikst
flat	flaat	flaat
free	fre	fre
frequent	freekwant (adj.) / frikwent (v.)	fréekwant (adj.) / frikwént (v.)
full	fool	fool
general	jenral / jeneral	jénral / jéneral
good	good	good
gray/grey	grae	grae
great	graet	graet
hanging	haanging	háanging
happy	haape	háape
hard	hord	hord
healthy	heltthe	héltthe
high	hi(e)	hi(e)
hollow	holo	hólo
important	impaurtant	impáurtant
kind	kiend	kiend
like	liek	liek
living	living	líving
long	laung	laung
male	mail	mail
married	maareed	máareed
material	mateereeyal	matéereeyal
medical	medikal	médikal
military	militere	mílitere
natural	naachral / naacharal	náachral / náacharal
necessary	nesasere	nésasere
new	nu / nyu (chiefly British)	nu / nyu (chiefly British)
normal	naurmal	náurmal
open	oepan	óepan
parallel	paaralel	páaralel
past	paast	paast
physical	fizikal	fízikal
political	palitikal	palítikal
poor	puer	puer
possible	posibool	pósibool
present	prezant (n. & adj.) / preezent (v.)	prézant (n. & adj.) / preezént (v.)
private	prievat	príevat
probable	probabool	próbabool
quick	kwik	kwik
quiet	kwieyat	kwieyat
read	red (adj.) / reed (v.)	red (adj.) / reed (v.)
ready	rede	réde
regular	regyooler	régyooler
responsible	reesponsibool	reespónsibool
right	riet	riet
round	round	round
same	saem	saem
second	sekand	sékand
separate	seprat / separat	séprat / séparat
serious	seereeyas	séereeyas
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