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Year 1 spelling words and practice

Spelling practice for every year. Free, with no sign-up, and nothing kept.

In Years 1 and 2 the NSW English syllabus has children spell by sound first: hear each sound in a word and write the letters that stand for it. Then come the two-letter spellings such as sh, ch, ai and ee, the rules for ck, tch and dge, the endings s, es, ed and ing, and a few common words that follow no rule, such as said and because, learnt by heart.

60 Year 1 words below, grouped by pattern, each from Learnest's own Stage 1 questions. The device reads a word aloud, then the sentence it comes from, your child types it, and the slip shows the right spelling with the tricky part marked.

Practise the words

The Year 1 words, by pattern

Ask a grown-up to read the words: say the word, then its sentence, then the word again, while your child writes it down. The list is the answer sheet.

Short vowels with two consonants together

  1. desk Put your book on the desk.
  2. lamp Turn on the lamp to read.
  3. tent We slept in a tent.
  4. pond The ducks swim on the pond.
  5. nest The bird sat on her nest.
  6. clap We clap our hands and sing.

Two letters that make one sound: sh, ch, th, ng

  1. fish We saw a fish in the pond.
  2. chick The chick is small and yellow.
  3. moth A moth flew near the lamp.
  4. ring Mum wears a ring on her hand.
  5. king The king sat on his throne.

Double letters at the end: ll, ss, zz, ff

  1. hill We ran up the hill.
  2. kiss Mum gave me a kiss goodnight.
  3. buzz The bee gave a loud buzz.
  4. puff The train let out a puff of steam.

Long a: ai and ay

  1. paint Dad will paint the old fence.
  2. play The children play in the park.
  3. rain The rain fell all night.
  4. wait Please wait for me at the gate.
  5. day We had a fun day at the beach.

Long e: ee and ea

  1. tree A bird sits in the tall tree.
  2. leaf A leaf fell off the gum tree.
  3. teeth Brush your teeth before you go to bed.
  4. seat Find a seat on the bus.
  5. feet Noah washed the mud off his feet.
  6. sheep The farmer keeps ten sheep on the hill.

Long o and oo: oa, ow, oo

  1. soap Wash your hands with soap and water.
  2. snow It does not often snow here in winter.
  3. moon The moon was bright and round.
  4. boat
  5. pool We swam in the pool.

Long i and long u: igh, ie, ue, ew

  1. night We saw the stars at night.
  2. tie Tie your shoelace before you run.
  3. blue The sky was clear and blue.
  4. few

tch and dge after a short vowel

  1. catch Can you catch the ball for me?
  2. fetch The dog ran to fetch the stick.
  3. hedge Birds nested inside the green hedge.
  4. badge She wore a badge on her coat.
  5. bridge We walked across the old bridge.
  6. judge

ck after a short vowel, k after anything else

  1. duck The duck swam across the pond.
  2. back Put the toy back in the box.
  3. neck The giraffe has a long neck.
  4. milk Pour the milk into your cup.
  5. park We played at the local park.

Add s or es for more than one

  1. cats I can see two cats.
  2. bugs Bugs sit on the green leaf.
  3. boxes Pack the toys into two big boxes.
  4. dishes Wash the dishes after we eat.
  5. buses Three buses stopped outside the school.
  6. brushes Clean the brushes after painting.

Tricky words to remember

  1. said He said the show was fun.
  2. could We could see the beach from here.
  3. some Can I have some of your grapes?
  4. want We want to play outside after lunch.
  5. were The kids were happy at the party.
  6. gone The bus has gone, so we will walk.
  7. come Come and play with me.
  8. what What did you see today?

Questions parents ask

What spelling should a Year 1 child be able to do?

Stage 1 of the NSW English syllabus, which Year 1 follows, works on the sounds in a word, the two-letter spellings sh, ch, th and ng, the long vowel teams ai, ay, ee and ea, the ck, tch and dge rules, and the plural endings s and es. The syllabus sets patterns, not a list of words, so schools choose their own words. The words on this page come from Learnest's own Stage 1 questions and show those patterns.

How does the practice work?

Pick a pattern, or ten mixed words, and press Start. The device reads a word aloud, then the sentence it comes from, and your child types the word and presses Check. A right answer gets a tick. A wrong one shows the right spelling with the letters that differ marked, and the pattern it follows. At the end you see the score and the words to practise, and can try those again or print them.

What if the device cannot read the words aloud?

Some browsers have no voice, and a tablet with the sound off says nothing. Then a grown-up reads the words from the list on this page: say the word, the sentence, then the word again, and let your child write it. The list is the answer sheet, and it prints on a few pages, with a sheet of lines for your child at the end.

Spelling by pattern, every English day.

Ten words can show a pattern that slips, not fix it. On English days Learnest sets spelling by pattern, names the slip under a wrong answer and brings the pattern back until it holds.

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Learnest is not affiliated with ACARA, NESA, the NSW Department of Education or the Australian Maths Trust. Every word and sentence on this page is Learnest's own, from the questions it sets. None comes from a school list or a past paper.