Spelling words by grade
Word list worksheet, 2nd grade spelling words, unit 1 · 1 page
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Good spelling lists are built around patterns, not random words. Edulist's lists for kindergarten through 8th grade follow the order most phonics and spelling research recommends: short vowels and consonant digraphs in the early grades, long-vowel patterns and r-controlled vowels in 1st and 2nd grade, syllable types, prefixes and suffixes in 3rd and 4th, and Latin and Greek roots in the upper grades.
Each grade has 12 to 19 weekly units of 6 to 15 words. This page shows one sample week (2nd grade, unit 1) as a printable checklist; pick a grade below for the whole year. Every unit turns into worksheets and a practice test in the generator above.
Tips for using it
- Start where your child spells about 80 to 90 percent of a pretest correctly. That's the right level.
- Ask your child to sort the week's words by pattern before practicing.
Variations
All word lists for kidsQuestions
How are spelling words chosen for each grade?
Each unit practices one pattern (like long a spelled ai and ay) with real words at that grade's reading level, plus a few high-frequency and commonly misspelled words. Later units build on earlier ones.
How many spelling words should a child learn each week?
Roughly 6 in kindergarten, 10 in 1st grade, 12 in 2nd grade and 15 from 3rd grade on. Fewer words practiced well beats a long list skimmed.
What if my child's school uses a different list?
Use theirs. Type the school list into the generator as your own words to get the same worksheets and a practice test.