This list was devised to help educators know which spelling words should be taught to children. The list contains 850 words that account for 80 percent of the words children use in their writing — the ones they need to be able to spell correctly.
Mastering this relatively small corpus of words yields a high rate of return. For example, the most common 1,000 words are used 13 times more frequently than the next most common 1,000 words. It also provides teachers flexibility in planning spelling instruction, providing an opportunity to give children the “basics” while supplementing with other spelling words germane to classroom activities.
Grade level for each word was determined based upon difficulty, pattern of occurrence in children’s writing across grades, and grade placement on current vocabulary lists and spelling materials.
Words that children have difficulty spelling correctly are marked with an asterisk.
Grade 1 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| a all am* and* at ball be bed big book box boy* but came* can* car cat come* cow dad day* did do dog* | fat for fun* get* go good* got* had* hat he* hen here him* his* home* hot I* if in* into* is it* its* let | like* look man may me* mom my* no* not of oh old on* one* out* pan pet pig play* ran rat red ride run | sat see she sit six so stop sun ten the* this to* top toy two* up us was* we* will* yes you* |
Grade 2 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| about* add after ago an* any apple are* as ask ate away baby* back bad bag base bat bee been* before* being best bike bill bird black blue boat both bring brother* brown bus buy* by cake call candy change child city clean club coat cold coming* corn could cry cup cut daddy* dear deep deer doing doll door down* dress drive drop dry duck each eat eating egg end fall far farm fast | father* feed feel feet fell* find fine* fire first* fish five fix flag floor fly food foot four fox from* full funny game gas gave girl give glad goat goes* going* gold gone grade* grass green grow hand happy hard has* have* hear* help here* hill hit hold hole hop hope* horse house* how* ice inch inside* job jump just* keep king know* lake land last late lay left leg light line little* live | lives long looking lost lot love mad made* make* many* meat men met mile milk mine miss moon more most mother* move much* must myself* nail name* need new* next nice* night nine north now* nut off* only open or* other our outside* over page park part pay pick plant playing pony post pull put rabbit rain read rest riding road rock room said* same sang saw* say school* sea seat seem seen send* | set seven sheep ship shoe show* sick side sing sky sleep small snow some* soon* spell start stay still store* story take talk tall teach tell than* thank that them* then* there* they* thing think* three time* today* told too* took train* tree truck try use very* walk want* warm wash way week well* went* were* wet what when* while* white who why wind wish with* woke wood work yellow yet your zoo |
Grade 3 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| able above afraid afternoon* again* age air airplane almost alone along* already* also always* animal another* anything* around* art aunt* balloon* bark barn basket beach bear because* become began begin behind believe* below belt better birthday* body bones born bought* bread bright broke brought* busy cabin cage camp can’t* care carry catch cattle cave children* class close* cloth coal color corner cotton cover dark desert didn’t* dinner dishes does done don’t* dragon draw dream drink early earth east eight | even ever every* everyone* everything* eyes face family* feeling felt few fight fishing flower flying follow forest forgot form found* fourth free Friday friend* front getting* given grandmother great grew ground guess* hair half having* head heard* he’s* heat hello* high himself hour hundred hurry hurt* I’d* I’ll* I’m* inches isn’t it’s* I’ve* kept kids kind kitten knew* knife lady large largest later learn leave let’s* letter* life list living lovely loving* lunch making maybe* mean merry might* | mind money* month morning* mouse mouth Mr.* Mrs.* Ms. music near nearly never news noise nothing number o’clock* often oil once* orange order own pair paint paper party* pass past penny people* person picture place plan plane please* point poor race reach reading ready real rich right* river rocket rode round rule running* salt says sending sent* seventh sew shall short shot should sight sister sitting sixth sled smoke soap someone* something* sometime* song sorry sound south space | spelling spent sport spring stairs stand state step stick stood stopped* stove street strong study such sugar summer* Sunday* supper table taken taking talking teacher* team teeth tenth that’s* their these* thinking third those thought* throw tonight* trade trick trip trying turn twelve twenty uncle under upon* wagon wait walking wasn’t watch water weather* we’re* west wheat where* which wife wild win window winter without woman* won won’t* wool word working world* would* write* wrong yard year yesterday you’re* |
Grade 4 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| across against answer* awhile* between board bottom breakfast broken build building built captain* carried caught* charge* chicken circus cities clothes* company couldn’t* country discover doctor* doesn’t dollar | during eighth* else enjoy enough everybody* example except excuse field* fifth finish following good-by* group happened* harden haven’t* heavy held hospital* idea instead* known laugh middle minute | mountain ninth ocean office parent peanut pencil picnic police pretty* prize quite* radio raise really* reason remember* return Saturday* scare second since slowly stories student sudden suit | sure* swimming* though threw* tired together* tomorrow* toward tried* trouble truly* turtle until* village visit wear we’ll whole* whose women wouldn’t* writing* written wrote yell young |
Grade 5 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| although America among arrive attention beautiful* countries course* cousin* decide | different* evening favorite finally* future happiest happiness important interest piece | planet present president principal* probably* problem receive* sentence several special | suddenly suppose* surely* surprise* they’re* through usually |
Citation
Graham, S., Harris, K.R. and Loynachan, C. (1993). The Basic Spelling Vocabulary List. Journal of Educational Research 86(6) 363-368.
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