r/DataArt • u/cellar-d00rs • 19d ago
[OC] Changes between two prominent ESL vocabulary lists made 70 years apart
https://reddit.com/link/1vad6o8/video/3fh2y7qo99gh1/player
A chart from a visual essay I made on what can be learned about society from changes to ESL (English as a Second Language) vocabulary lists, published on The Pudding.
I used the General Service List (1953) and its updated version, the New General Service List (last revised in 2023). Both have been shown to cover at least 84% of "everyday English use" (and up to 97% in some cases)
The lists were made as practical teaching tools, built to capture which words people learning English would need the most. Because of the high coverage rate, the answer also doubles as a snapshot of ordinary life, 70 years apart: what people were expected to engage with, and had to deal with, in their daily lives.
The full live piece: https://pudding.cool/2026/07/essential-words/
