5th Grade Spelling Words: 11 Free Lists (2026)

Last updated: September 2026 · Written by the Spelly team

Short answer: A 5th grader (ages 10 to 11) is usually learning to spell longer words by their parts: Greek and Latin roots like graph, port and spect; suffixes like -able, -ible, -ous, -ment and -ness; silent letters; vowels that are hard to hear in unstressed syllables; commonly misspelled words; and homophones and easily confused words such as whether and weather. Below are 11 free lists of 10 words each, one skill per list, ordered from easiest to hardest.

These lists are a guide, not a rule. Schools teach spelling in different orders, and children develop at different paces. If your child brings home a spelling list, that list is the best match for what their class is learning. For every grade on one page, see spelling words by grade.

What children learn at this level

By 5th grade, spelling is less about sounding words out and more about meaning. Long words are built from parts, and a child who recognizes the parts can spell words they have never seen before.

• Spell grade-level words correctly. The Common Core State Standards for grade 5 ask children to "spell grade-appropriate words correctly, consulting references as needed" (Language standard L.5.2e). Using a dictionary to check is part of the skill.
• Use roots and affixes. The same standards ask 5th graders to use "common, grade-appropriate Greek and Latin affixes and roots as clues to the meaning of a word", with photograph and photosynthesis as the examples (L.5.4b). The reading standards ask them to use "syllabication patterns, and morphology (e.g., roots and affixes)" to read unfamiliar long words (RF.5.3a).
• Keep sorting out confusable words. Correctly using "frequently confused words (e.g., to, too, two; there, their)" is a grade 4 standard (L.4.1g). In 5th grade the pairs get harder: affect and effect, principal and principle.

Silent letters, unstressed vowels and the list of words that simply have to be learned by heart are not named in the standards, but they are where 5th grade spelling tests usually lose points, so they are included here. If your child is still working through 4th grade patterns, start with our 4th grade spelling words.

5th grade spelling word lists

Each list is built on one pattern. Say the pattern out loud with your child before you start ("these all end in -ous, which means full of"), because the pattern is what carries over to new words.

Letters that are written but not said. Many are left over from how the word was once pronounced. Say the word the way it is spelled while practicing ("k-nife", "is-land"), then say it normally.

Silent letters: knife, knock, wrist, wreck, thumb, climb, doubt, listen, castle, island Practice these words in Spelly ▶

Both endings turn a word into a noun. Usually the base word stays the same (move, movement). Watch the two twists: a final y becomes i before -ness (happy, happiness), and argue drops its e in argument. Judgment is the usual US spelling.

Suffixes -ment and -ness: kindness, darkness, movement, payment, statement, excitement, happiness, loneliness, argument, judgment Practice these words in Spelly ▶

-ous means "full of" (danger, dangerous). A final e is often dropped (fame, famous), and a final y becomes i (fury, furious).

Suffix -ous: famous, nervous, joyous, dangerous, enormous, generous, curious, furious, various, mysterious Practice these words in Spelly ▶

-able is usually added to a whole word you can still see: read, wash, break, enjoy. A final e is often dropped (love, lovable; value, valuable), but it stays after a soft c or g (notice, noticeable).

Suffix -able: readable, washable, breakable, enjoyable, comfortable, reasonable, valuable, lovable, believable, noticeable Practice these words in Spelly ▶

-ible is usually added to a root that is not a word on its own: vis, poss, terr. This is a rule of thumb, not a law: flexible and sensible break it.

Suffix -ible: possible, terrible, horrible, visible, sensible, flexible, edible, invisible, incredible, responsible Practice these words in Spelly ▶

tele means far, photo means light, graph means write, scope means look at, micro means small, phone means sound, bio means life, geo means earth, and therm means heat. Once a child knows graph, it helps with every word that contains it.

Greek roots: telephone, photograph, autograph, paragraph, telescope, microscope, microphone, biology, geography, thermometer Practice these words in Spelly ▶

port means carry, spect means look, dict means say, and struct means build. Ask your child what the root means in each word: a spectator is someone who looks.

Latin roots: import, export, transport, portable, inspect, spectator, predict, dictionary, construct, structure Practice these words in Spelly ▶

Same sound, different spelling and meaning. Always give these in a sentence, because the sound alone does not tell your child which word you mean. When a test only reads the word aloud, both spellings sound right, so say the sentence yourself.

Homophones: piece, peace, allowed, aloud, weather, whether, principal, principle, stationary, stationery No practice link for this list: homophones sound the same, so say each one in a sentence and have your child write it.

These are not exact homophones, but they sound close enough to be mixed up in writing. Again, practice them in sentences: "Be quiet." "That was quite hard."

Easily confused words: quiet, quite, loose, lose, desert, dessert, accept, except, affect, effect Practice these words in Spelly ▶

In each of these words one vowel is said so lightly that it almost disappears ("sev-ral", "choc-late", "temp-rature"). Children spell what they hear, so the missing letter drops out. Saying the word slowly, every syllable, helps.

Unstressed syllables: several, camera, favorite, chocolate, different, interesting, vegetable, separate, definitely, temperature Practice these words in Spelly ▶

Words that trip up children and adults alike, because they do not follow the pattern you would expect. Point out the tricky part: the ie in friend and believe, the ei after c in receive, the one c and double s in necessary.

Commonly misspelled words: friend, because, believe, receive, beautiful, surprise, probably, business, necessary, especially Practice these words in Spelly ▶

How to practice a list in a week

One list a week is plenty. What matters most is how the practice is spread out and whether your child has to pull the words from memory.

• Day one: look at the pattern. Read the list together and find what the words share. Talk about what the root or ending means.
• Most days: a short test from memory. Say each word, use it in a sentence, and have your child write it without looking. Check together. A few minutes is enough.
• Missed words go again. Keep a short list of the words your child got wrong and start the next session with those.
• Spread it out. A few short sessions across the week work better than one long session the night before the test.

This matches a large review of study techniques by Dunlosky and colleagues (2013), which rated practice testing and spreading practice over time among the most useful ways to learn. For more ideas, see how to help your child with spelling. If your child still stumbles on very common short words, our Dolch sight words by grade lists are worth a look too.

Practice these lists in Spelly

Every list on this page has a Practice these words in Spelly link. It opens the list as a short spelling test: each word is read aloud and your child types it, checked letter by letter, with Spelly's own keyboard so autocorrect does not spell the word for them. It is free and needs no account. You can also type or photograph your child's own school list in the app. Spelly is our app, and it is for ages 6 to 12; pencil and paper work just as well with these lists. Try Spelly free.

Frequently asked questions

What spelling words should a 5th grader know? Most 5th graders are learning to spell longer words by their parts: Greek and Latin roots (photograph, transport, inspect), suffixes such as -able, -ible, -ous, -ment and -ness, silent letters (doubt, island), words with an unstressed vowel that is hard to hear (separate, chocolate), and homophones and easily confused words (whether and weather, affect and effect). The Common Core standards for grade 5 ask children to spell grade-appropriate words correctly and to use Greek and Latin roots and affixes as clues to meaning. Schools and children vary, so your child's own school list is the best guide.

How do I know whether a word ends in -able or -ible? A useful rule of thumb: if you can take the ending off and still have a whole word, it is usually -able (read, readable; comfort, comfortable). If what is left is not a word on its own, it is often -ible (visible, possible, terrible). There are exceptions, such as flexible and sensible, so the words that break the rule are worth practicing by name.

How should my child practice homophones for a spelling test? Practice each homophone inside a short sentence rather than on its own, because the sound alone does not tell a child which spelling is meant. Say the sentence, have your child write the word, then check the meaning together. Pairs like principal and principle are easier to remember with a small memory hook, such as the principal of a school being your pal.

My 5th grader still misspells words like because and friend. Should I worry? Words like because and friend do not follow the patterns children learn, so they can stay tricky long after the patterns are secure. Practice them as a short list of their own, a few minutes at a time, and test from memory. If spelling is a struggle across the board, or your child is anxious about it, talk to their teacher. The school can tell you how your child compares with the class and whether any extra support would help.

Can my child practice these 5th grade lists in Spelly for free? Yes. 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 needs no account. You can also type or photograph your child's own school list in the app.

How we made these lists

The skills come from the Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts (grade 5 Language and Reading Foundational Skills, and the grade 4 Language standard on frequently confused words). Every word was checked as a correctly spelled US English word that fits its list's pattern. The lists are ours, not an official list from any school or state.

Related

Try Spelly free · Spelling words by grade · 4th grade spelling words · Sight words by grade

Last updated: September 2026.