Spelling Words: Weekly Lists by Pattern
Here are 24 ready-made spelling lists of 10 words, each built around one phonics pattern: short a, the sh sound, silent e, ee and ea, adding -ing. They were put together by kids51 for kindergarten to 2nd grade and are not taken from any school program. Choose a list below, then play it, test it or print it.
Practice a spelling list
24 weekly spelling lists by pattern
Grade is a hint, not a rule. Every list has a typed practice test: open it in spelling practice.
Short vowels
| List | Grade | Words | Practice |
|---|---|---|---|
| Short a words | K | cat, hat, map, bag, man, ran, sad, jam, nap, fan | Play & test |
| Short e words | K | bed, red, ten, hen, pet, wet, leg, web, yes, men | Play & test |
| Short i words | K | pig, big, sit, hit, win, lid, dig, six, fix, zip | Play & test |
| Short o words | K | dog, hot, top, mop, box, fox, log, pot, job, not | Play & test |
| Short u words | K | bug, cup, sun, run, fun, mud, tub, nut, hug, bus | Play & test |
| Short vowels review | 1 | bat, net, kid, hop, cut, pen, lip, rug, van, dot | Play & test |
Digraphs
| List | Grade | Words | Practice |
|---|---|---|---|
| Digraph sh words | 1 | ship, shop, shut, shed, fish, dish, wish, cash, shell, brush | Play & test |
| Digraph ch words | 1 | chin, chop, chip, chat, rich, much, such, lunch, bench, chest | Play & test |
| Digraph th words | 1 | this, that, then, them, thin, thick, bath, math, with, moth | Play & test |
| Digraphs wh and ck | 1 | when, what, which, whip, duck, back, sock, kick, neck, luck | Play & test |
Blends
| List | Grade | Words | Practice |
|---|---|---|---|
| L-blend words | 1 | clap, flag, plan, sled, glad, flip, clock, plug, slip, black | Play & test |
| R-blend words | 1 | crab, drum, frog, grin, trip, brick, dress, grass, truck, crib | Play & test |
| S-blend words | 1 | stop, spin, snap, swim, skip, step, smell, snack, spot, still | Play & test |
| Ending blends | 1 | hand, jump, best, milk, tent, lamp, gift, pond, desk, mask | Play & test |
Silent e
| List | Grade | Words | Practice |
|---|---|---|---|
| Silent e: long a (a_e) | 1 | cake, make, game, name, gate, late, cave, lake, tape, plate | Play & test |
| Silent e: long i, o, u | 1 | bike, kite, time, ride, five, home, rope, bone, cute, tube | Play & test |
Vowel teams
| List | Grade | Words | Practice |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vowel teams ai and ay | 2 | rain, mail, tail, paint, wait, day, play, stay, gray, tray | Play & test |
| Vowel teams ee and ea | 2 | tree, feet, seed, sleep, green, sea, eat, read, team, beach | Play & test |
| Vowel teams oa and ow | 2 | boat, coat, road, soap, goat, snow, grow, slow, bowl, show | Play & test |
Bossy r (r-controlled)
| List | Grade | Words | Practice |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bossy r: ar and or | 2 | car, star, farm, park, shark, corn, fork, horn, storm, short | Play & test |
| Bossy r: er, ir, ur | 2 | her, fern, bird, girl, first, shirt, turn, burn, hurt, nurse | Play & test |
Endings: -ing and -ed
| List | Grade | Words | Practice |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adding -ing | 1 | jumping, playing, reading, singing, eating, sleeping, helping, looking, going, walking | Play & test |
| Adding -ed | 1 | jumped, played, helped, looked, walked, asked, rained, painted, wanted, called | Play & test |
| -ing and -ed: double or drop e | 2 | running, sitting, swimming, hopping, stopped, clapped, making, riding, baked, smiled | Play & test |
Print a spelling list
Seven patterns in a sensible order
- Short vowels: short a through short u, plus a review list.
- Digraphs: sh, ch, th, wh and ck.
- Blends: l-blends, r-blends, s-blends and ending blends.
- Silent e: long a, then long i, o and u.
- Vowel teams: two vowels working together, as in rain, play, feet, team, boat and snow.
- R-controlled vowels: ar and or, then er, ir and ur.
- Endings: -ing, -ed, and when to double or drop the e.
Each list has a grade hint (K, 1 or 2). Treat it as a starting point, not a limit.
Why pattern lists help
When all ten words share one pattern, your child learns one idea and uses it ten times, instead of memorizing ten unrelated words. Many teachers organize spelling this way.
The payoff shows up later: a child who can spell ship, shop and fish can usually have a good go at shelf, even though it was never on the list.
A simple weekly routine
- Monday: read the list together and underline the pattern in each word.
- Tuesday and Wednesday: five minutes of games on the list.
- Thursday: a practice test, typed on the screen or written on a printed test paper.
- Friday: a quick final check. Misses carry over to next week.
When a list is too easy or too hard
If your child spells all ten correctly on Monday, skip ahead to the next list. If more than half are wrong, go back one pattern or cut the list to five words.
It also helps to say each word slowly and listen for every sound before writing. Many spelling mistakes are really listening mistakes.
Frequently asked questions
Are these the same lists my child's school uses?
Probably not. If your child brings a list home, type or paste it into spelling practice to get the same games and test for those words.
How many spelling words should we do each week?
Each list has 10 words. For younger children, or on a busy week, five words is plenty.
Why aren't words like said and was on these lists?
Pattern lists stick to one pattern. Irregular words like said and was are on our sight word lists.
Can I print a list?
Yes. Print a numbered test paper, or a worksheet with trace-and-write, missing letters and a simple word search, all as a PDF made in your browser.
Do you have lists for 3rd grade?
Right now the lists cover kindergarten to 2nd grade. For older children, paste any list into spelling practice.