1st Grade Spelling Words: 12 Free Lists

Last updated: September 2026 · Written by the Spelly team

Short answer: A 1st grader should be able to spell short-vowel words like cat, bed and dog, words with the digraphs sh, ch and th, words that start or end with a blend (frog, jump), simple silent e words (cake, bike), words with a plain -s or -ing ending, and a small set of common sight words like the, said and was. Below are 12 free lists of 10 words each, in the order most children learn them.

Every school moves at its own pace, and so does every child. Treat these lists as a map of first grade, not a test your child has to pass. If a list is easy, move on. If it is hard, stay there a little longer.

What children learn at this level

Many US schools follow the Common Core State Standards, or state standards built on them. For first grade, the phonics standard (RF.1.3) asks children to know the sounds of common consonant digraphs, work with regularly spelled one-syllable words, know the "final -e" and common vowel team spellings for long vowel sounds, read words with endings, and recognize common words that are spelled irregularly.

The spelling standard for first grade (L.1.2) asks children to use conventional spelling for words with common spelling patterns and for frequently occurring irregular words, and to spell words they have not been taught phonetically, by sound. In kindergarten the goal is simpler: spell simple words by sound. In second grade, children move on to more vowel teams and their first prefixes and suffixes (see 2nd grade spelling words). For an overview of every grade, see spelling words by grade.

In plain terms, first grade is the year a child moves from writing words the way they sound (kak for cake) to knowing the patterns that make them right. A phonetic attempt like that is a healthy sign at this age: it shows the child is listening for every sound. Levels vary a lot by school, curriculum and child, so your child's teacher is the best guide to where they are.

The lists, easiest to hardest

Each list sticks to one pattern, so your child can hear and see what the words have in common. Say the pattern out loud before you start ("all of these have a short a, like in apple").

Short vowels (CVC words)

Consonant, vowel, consonant: the first words most children spell. Each vowel makes its short sound.

Short a words: cat, map, bag, hat, can, sad, pan, jam, rat, tap Practice these words in Spelly ▶

Short e and short i words: bed, pet, hen, leg, ten, pig, sit, big, fin, lip Practice these words in Spelly ▶

Short o and short u words: dog, hot, top, pot, log, sun, bug, cup, mud, hut Practice these words in Spelly ▶

Short e and short i are easy to mix up, because they sound close. If pet keeps coming out as pit, practice saying the two words side by side.

Digraphs: two letters, one sound

Digraphs sh, ch and th: ship, shop, fish, dish, chip, chin, much, rich, thin, bath Practice these words in Spelly ▶

Endings ck and ng: duck, sock, back, kick, neck, ring, sing, long, king, hang Practice these words in Spelly ▶

A useful rule for the ck list: right after a short vowel, the /k/ sound at the end of a short word is usually spelled ck.

Blends: two sounds you can still hear

Beginning blends: frog, crab, stop, flag, sled, drum, clap, trip, grab, spin Practice these words in Spelly ▶

Ending blends: hand, jump, best, milk, lamp, tent, fast, desk, gift, pond Practice these words in Spelly ▶

Blends are where first graders drop letters (fog for frog, jup for jump). Ask your child to say the word slowly and count the sounds on their fingers before writing it.

Endings

Adding -s and -ing: cats, bugs, hands, jumps, sings, jumping, singing, helping, fishing, resting Practice these words in Spelly ▶

Every base word on this list stays the same when the ending goes on. Doubling a letter (running) and dropping an e (making) usually come later.

Silent e and vowel teams

Silent e with a and i: cake, game, make, name, gate, bike, kite, time, five, ride Practice these words in Spelly ▶

Silent e with o and u: home, bone, rope, nose, hope, cute, mule, tube, cube, huge Practice these words in Spelly ▶

Vowel teams ee, ea, ai and oa: see, tree, feet, green, sea, eat, rain, tail, boat, road Practice these words in Spelly ▶

A good way to show silent e: write hop, then add an e and read hope. The same trick works for kit and kite, cut and cute.

First sight words

Sight words to know by heart: the, of, said, was, you, they, have, come, some, one Practice these words in Spelly ▶

These words do not follow the patterns above, so they have to be learned as whole words. For more, see the Fry sight words or the Dolch lists in sight words by grade.

How to practice a list in a week

• Keep sessions short. About ten minutes a day works better for a six-year-old than one long session the night before a test.
• Start with the pattern. On the first day, read the list together and talk about what the words share.
• Test from memory, not by copying. Say the word, let your child write it without looking, then check it together. Copying a word looks like practice but asks very little.
• Keep the missed words. Each day, start with yesterday's mistakes and drop the words that are solid.
• Finish with a practice test. Near the end of the week, read all the words in a mixed-up order, the way the teacher will.

For more ideas, see how to help your child with spelling.

Practicing these lists in Spelly

Every list on this page has a "Practice these words in Spelly" link that opens it as a short spelling test: each word is read aloud, and your child types it. It is free, and no account is needed. Because every word is spoken, a first grader who is not reading the list yet can still practice it. If your child's school sends home its own list, you can type it into Spelly or take a photo of the worksheet, and it becomes a practice list in seconds.

Frequently asked questions

What spelling words should a 1st grader know? By the end of first grade, children are usually working toward spelling short-vowel words (cat, dog), words with sh, ch and th, words with blends (frog, jump), simple silent e words (cake, bike), words with -s and -ing endings, and common sight words like the, said and was. Schools vary, so check with your child's teacher.

How many spelling words should a 1st grader practice each week? There is no set number, and school lists vary. The lists on this page have 10 words each, which is plenty for a week. What matters more is short daily practice and testing from memory. If your child is struggling, practicing fewer words well is better than more words badly.

Is it normal for a first grader to spell words the way they sound? Yes. Spelling by sound is exactly what the first grade standards ask for when a child meets a word they have not been taught. Writing kak for cake shows your child is hearing the sounds. The patterns that make it right come with practice.

What comes after first grade spelling words? In second grade, children build on these patterns with more vowel teams, words with two syllables, and their first prefixes and suffixes. See the 2nd grade spelling words page for lists at that level.

Should my first grader learn sight words or phonics words? Both. Most of a first grader's list should be words that follow patterns, because each pattern helps with many other words. A few common sight words, like said and was, have to be learned by heart because they break the rules.

Sources

What children learn at each grade comes from the Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts: Reading: Foundational Skills, Grade 1 and Language, Grade 1, also published in the CCSSO standards document. The word lists were written for this page and checked by hand.

Related

Try Spelly free · Spelling words by grade · 2nd grade spelling words · Sight words by grade · Fry sight words

Last updated: September 2026.