Spelling and vocabulary word lists by grade

250 words with child-friendly definitions, grouped in four grade bands. These are the same lists our app uses for its spelling practice and vocabulary suggestions — written by homeschooling parents, free to use, print or copy for your own family.

How to use these lists

Do not march through alphabetically. Pick eight or ten words a week, mix a band down or up to match the child rather than the label, and retire a word once it survives three encounters: spelled right, used in a sentence, and recognised in reading. The definition matters more than the spelling — a word a child can use is learned; a word they can only spell is a trick.

Kindergarten to 2nd grade

Short, concrete words a young reader meets every day. 60 words.

brave

Willing to do something even though it feels scary.

calm

Quiet and peaceful, not upset.

clever

Quick at working things out.

curious

Wanting to know more about something.

delicious

Tasting very good.

enormous

Very, very big.

excited

Happy and full of energy about something coming up.

fragile

Easy to break, so it must be held carefully.

gentle

Soft and careful, not rough.

grumpy

In a bad mood.

hungry

Needing food; your tummy feels empty.

jolly

Cheerful and full of fun.

kind

Caring about other people and being nice to them.

lazy

Not wanting to work or move much.

loud

Making a lot of noise.

neat

Tidy and in good order.

polite

Using good manners, like please and thank you.

proud

Pleased about something good you did.

quiet

Making little or no noise.

rapid

Very fast; happening quickly.

shiny

Bright, like light is bouncing off it.

silly

Funny in a goofy way.

sleepy

Tired and ready for bed.

sticky

Holding on to whatever it touches, like honey.

strong

Able to lift or do hard things.

tiny

Very, very small.

wet

Covered in water.

wild

Living free in nature, not tame.

above

In a higher place than something else.

below

In a lower place than something else.

beside

Right next to something.

between

In the middle of two things.

early

Before the usual time.

empty

Having nothing inside.

full

Having no room left inside.

heavy

Weighing a lot, hard to lift.

light

Not weighing much, easy to lift.

often

Happening many times.

rough

Bumpy to touch, not smooth.

smooth

Flat and even to touch.

begin

To start something.

borrow

To take something for a while and give it back.

build

To make something by putting parts together.

carry

To hold something and take it somewhere.

choose

To pick the one you want.

collect

To gather things together.

discover

To find something for the first time.

explore

To look around a new place.

gather

To bring things together in one place.

imagine

To make a picture in your mind.

listen

To pay attention to a sound.

practise

To do something again and again to get better.

protect

To keep something safe.

share

To let someone else have some of what you have.

wonder

To think about something you are not sure of.

friend

Someone you like and enjoy being with.

neighbour

Someone who lives near you.

family

The people you belong to.

village

A very small town.

weather

What the sky and air are doing outside.

3rd to 5th grade

Words that start doing work: description, feeling, precision. 60 words.

abandon

To leave something behind and not come back.

ancient

Very old; from a long time ago.

anxious

Worried about something that might happen.

appreciate

To be thankful for something and see its worth.

approach

To come closer to something.

attempt

To try to do something.

cautious

Careful, because something might go wrong.

challenge

Something hard that takes effort to do.

compare

To look at two things and see how they are alike or different.

confident

Sure that you can do something.

consider

To think carefully about something.

convince

To get someone to agree with you.

courage

Being brave when something is frightening.

create

To make something new.

curious

Eager to learn or find out about something.

decision

A choice you have made.

delicate

Easily damaged; needing gentle handling.

demonstrate

To show clearly how something works.

describe

To say what something is like.

determine

To work something out for certain.

disappoint

To let someone down by not meeting their hopes.

discover

To find something that was not known before.

effort

Hard work put into something.

encourage

To give someone confidence to keep going.

enormous

Extremely large.

estimate

To make a careful guess at a number or size.

examine

To look at something closely.

familiar

Well known to you.

frequent

Happening often.

generous

Happy to give and share.

gradual

Happening slowly, a bit at a time.

grateful

Thankful for something.

hesitate

To pause because you are unsure.

honest

Telling the truth.

identify

To say exactly what or who something is.

imitate

To copy the way someone does something.

independent

Able to do things without help.

investigate

To look into something carefully to learn the truth.

nervous

Worried and a bit shaky about something.

observe

To watch carefully.

obvious

Easy to see or understand.

opinion

What you think about something, which others may disagree with.

patient

Able to wait without getting cross.

peculiar

Strange or odd.

persuade

To talk someone into doing something.

predict

To say what you think will happen next.

prepare

To get ready for something ahead of time.

previous

Coming before this one.

recall

To bring something back to mind.

reduce

To make smaller or less.

reliable

Can be counted on.

reluctant

Not wanting to do something.

remarkable

So good or unusual it is worth noticing.

responsible

Being the one who must take care of something.

similar

Almost the same.

solution

The answer to a problem.

sturdy

Strong and not easily broken.

suggest

To offer an idea for others to think about.

summary

A short account of the main points.

weary

Very tired, especially after long effort.

6th to 8th grade

Abstraction arrives. These carry essays. 60 words.

abundant

Present in large amounts; more than enough.

adequate

Enough for what is needed.

adjacent

Next to; sharing a border.

advocate

To speak up in support of something.

ambiguous

Having more than one possible meaning.

analyse

To break something down to understand how it works.

anticipate

To expect something and get ready for it.

apparent

Clear enough to see or understand.

arrogant

Thinking too highly of yourself.

assess

To judge the quality or value of something.

assume

To take something as true without proof.

benevolent

Kind and wanting to do good.

bias

A leaning towards one side that stops you judging fairly.

cite

To quote a source as evidence.

coherent

Fitting together in a way that makes sense.

compel

To force someone to do something.

complex

Made of many connected parts; not simple.

concise

Saying a lot in few words.

conclude

To decide something after weighing the evidence.

consequence

A result of an action.

contradict

To say the opposite of what was said.

credible

Believable; worth trusting.

critique

A careful judgement of something's strengths and faults.

deliberate

Done on purpose.

diminish

To make or become smaller.

distinct

Clearly different and separate.

diverse

Made up of many different kinds.

elaborate

To add more detail.

emphasise

To give something special importance.

evident

Plain to see; obvious once you look.

exaggerate

To make something sound bigger than it is.

feasible

Possible to do with the time and means you have.

hostile

Unfriendly; acting like an enemy.

hypothesis

A testable idea offered to explain something.

illustrate

To make a point clearer with an example or picture.

imply

To suggest something without saying it outright.

inevitable

Certain to happen; unavoidable.

infer

To work something out from clues rather than being told.

initiate

To start something off.

integrity

Sticking to what is right, even when nobody is watching.

interpret

To explain the meaning of something.

justify

To give good reasons for something.

legitimate

Allowed by law or rules; fair.

modify

To change something a little.

obsolete

No longer used because something better exists.

perspective

A particular way of seeing something.

plausible

Sounds reasonable and might well be true.

precise

Exact and accurate.

prominent

Standing out; easy to notice or well known.

relevant

Connected to the matter being discussed.

reluctance

Unwillingness to do something.

resilient

Able to recover quickly from difficulty.

scrutinise

To examine very closely.

significant

Important enough to matter.

skeptical

Not easily convinced; wanting proof.

subtle

So slight it is easy to miss.

sufficient

Enough for the purpose; no more is needed.

summarise

To give the main points briefly.

valid

Well founded and holding up to reason.

verify

To check that something is true.

9th to 12th grade

College-and-conversation words, worth knowing before the SAT asks. 70 words.

aberration

A departure from what is normal or expected.

abstruse

Difficult to understand; obscure.

acquiesce

To accept or agree without protest.

admonish

To warn or reprimand firmly but gently.

aesthetic

Concerned with beauty or the appreciation of it.

alleviate

To make suffering or a problem less severe.

ambivalent

Having mixed or contradictory feelings about something.

anachronism

Something placed in the wrong historical period.

antipathy

A deep-seated dislike.

arbitrary

Based on personal whim rather than reason or system.

assiduous

Showing great care and persistence.

audacious

Boldly daring, often to the point of rudeness.

austere

Severe or plain; without comfort or decoration.

banal

So lacking in originality as to be boring.

belie

To give a false impression of; to contradict.

cacophony

A harsh, jarring mixture of sounds.

candour

Honest and open speech.

capitulate

To surrender or give in to a demand.

circumspect

Cautious; considering all consequences first.

clandestine

Kept secret, usually because it is improper.

cogent

Clear, logical and convincing.

conciliatory

Intended to soothe anger and win goodwill.

copious

Abundant; plentiful.

deference

Respectful submission to another's judgement.

deleterious

Causing harm or damage.

didactic

Intended to teach, often heavy-handedly so.

disparate

So different that they cannot be compared.

dogmatic

Insisting on beliefs as true without allowing question.

ebullient

Overflowing with enthusiasm.

eclectic

Drawing ideas from a wide and varied range of sources.

egregious

Outstandingly bad; shocking.

elucidate

To make something clear by explaining it.

empirical

Based on observation or experiment rather than theory.

enervate

To drain of energy or vitality.

ephemeral

Lasting a very short time.

equivocate

To use vague language to avoid committing yourself.

erudite

Having or showing deep learning.

esoteric

Understood by only a small group with special knowledge.

exacerbate

To make a bad situation worse.

exculpate

To clear from blame.

fastidious

Very attentive to detail and hard to please.

garrulous

Excessively talkative about trivial things.

hackneyed

Worn out through overuse; unoriginal.

iconoclast

Someone who attacks cherished beliefs or institutions.

ignominious

Deserving public shame or disgrace.

impetuous

Acting suddenly, without thought for the consequences.

inchoate

Just begun and not yet fully formed.

indolent

Habitually lazy.

ineffable

Too great to be put into words.

intransigent

Refusing to change one's views or compromise.

laconic

Using very few words.

magnanimous

Generous or forgiving, especially towards a rival.

mollify

To soothe the anger of someone.

obfuscate

To deliberately make something unclear.

obsequious

Excessively eager to please or obey.

perfunctory

Done merely as a duty, with little care.

pernicious

Causing harm in a gradual, hidden way.

pragmatic

Dealing with things practically rather than theoretically.

prevaricate

To speak evasively in order to avoid the truth.

quixotic

Idealistic to an impractical degree.

recalcitrant

Stubbornly resisting authority.

reticent

Unwilling to say much about one's thoughts.

sanguine

Cheerfully optimistic, especially in a hard situation.

specious

Seeming right at first glance but actually false.

spurious

Not genuine; based on false reasoning.

taciturn

Saying little by nature; reserved.

tenuous

Very weak or slight; barely holding.

ubiquitous

Seeming to be everywhere at once.

vacillate

To waver between choices.

vociferous

Loud and forceful in expressing opinions.

In the app these words come with four practice modes, a mastery system that brings back what was missed, and suggestions that follow how each child's spelling is actually going.