I came across something interesting recently called Zipf’s Law. It’s this idea that in spoken languages, a small number of words—like “the,” “and,” or “of” in English—make up the majority of what we say and write. In fact, the most common word shows up twice as often as the second most common, three times as often as the third, and so on.

What’s cool about this is that if you focus on learning the most common words in a language, you can quickly understand a huge chunk of everyday conversations without needing to memorize thousands of words. For example, just the top 100 words in English make up nearly half of all written text. That’s pretty powerful when you think about it.

But here’s where it gets really interesting: this idea doesn’t just apply to spoken languages—it works for programming languages too. In Python, for example, you’re constantly using words like def (to define functions), if else (for decision-making), and for in (for loops). These are the “the” and “and” of Python—the essentials you keep coming back to.

The same thing happens in SwiftUI. Objects like Text, HStack, and VStack are everywhere. If you’re just starting out, focusing on these common components will make learning a lot easier and help you build things faster.

It made me think about tools like Duolingo, too. They teach you the most useful phrases first—“hello,” “I want,” “where is”—because those are the things you’ll use the most in real-life conversations. It’s all about starting with the basics that have the biggest impact.

And really, this idea shows up everywhere. Whether you’re learning to code, speak a new language, or even type, focusing on the things you use most often makes the biggest difference. It’s Zipf’s Law paired with the 80/20 rule: spend your time on the small number of things that give you the most results.

So, if you’re trying to pick up something new, ask yourself: what’s the stuff I’ll see or use the most? Whether it’s Python loops, SwiftUI stacks, or everyday phrases in Spanish, starting with the essentials is the fastest way to make progress. It’s a simple shift, but it works.

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