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The Basic Spelling Vocabulary List

By: Steven Graham, Karen R. Harris, and Connie Loynachan

This list was created to help teachers know which spelling words should be taught to kids in grades 1–5. 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 mail 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* pocket 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

Graham, S., Harris, K.R. and Loynachan, C. (1993). The Basic Spelling Vocabulary List. Journal of Educational Research 86(6) 363-368.

Comments

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Thanks very much for this information. I am tutoring a dyslexic middle school student and this will help very much.

Posted by: Debbie Babin | July 11, 2009 12:13 PM

Good Information. I use vocabletics to teach my kid. This word list will help.

Posted by: Vineet Dwivedi | July 28, 2009 04:43 AM

seriously easy. especially grade 3,4 5, and 2 and 1. did all of these in kindy. but ok for english as second language. still a little too easy actually. maybe for people who only started english

Posted by: sassy | February 06, 2012 01:12 AM

Easy Enough. You should include 6, 7, and 8th grades.

Posted by: Jacob Haapala | February 26, 2012 10:35 AM

Sorry, but what do the asterisks mean?

Posted by: Ward | March 18, 2012 11:42 PM

'Words that children have difficulty spelling correctly are marked with an asterisk.' It says it in the blurb at the top . . . .

Posted by: The Sociologist | May 22, 2012 11:22 AM

Why is "no" harder to spell 4 kids than "yes" or "ride" or "stop" (Grade 1)? I sniff a conspiracy :P I'm not teaching my kids any of the concepts >without< the asterisks, until they're older. I want my kids to be leaders, not followers!

Posted by: mel | July 03, 2012 06:26 AM

The words are working well for my grandson. I hope you aren't teaching your kids as leaders that numbers are letters. Just sayin...

Posted by: kiddingright | August 19, 2012 03:48 PM

Excellent point about numbers and letters. We must be mindful.

Posted by: lynette | August 27, 2012 09:18 AM

This list has worked well for student's in my LD class! When they write I can understand more than half of what they write!!!!

Posted by: Anonymous | October 06, 2012 11:03 AM

Now take these words and enter them into the online spelling test games @ spellingcity.com it uses your lists 50 words at a time to make fantastic games and quizes that my short attention span boy of 11 loves . Now after you have drilled on a few multiplication tables until they are somewhat confident go to multiplication.com and play action games that are excellent for fast recall games ,what a breakthrough for tough learners

Posted by: kelly lasley | December 19, 2012 12:35 PM

when you get these words go to spellingcity.com they have fantastic drill games and quizzes .You enter your own words and play fantastic entertaining reinforcement drills. My 11 year old loves them ,he learned all these words in 3 days. Now if you have multiplication trouble ,take a few tables and get a start on them ,then go to multiplication.com more fantastic high speed games . Tables learned in days. Miracles for distracted kids

Posted by: kelly lasley | December 19, 2012 12:41 PM

Are there some words missing from the Fifth Grade list? The list jumps from I (interest) to P (piece). I suspect there should be at least a few words in between.

Posted by: Miss Elaine | February 07, 2013 01:51 AM

these are easy words

Posted by: jerry | February 15, 2013 05:26 PM

I am dislexic Where can I find help to improve my spelling

Posted by: Glad | April 15, 2013 01:08 PM

I am dislexic Where can I find help to improve my spelling

Posted by: Glad | April 15, 2013 01:09 PM