Year 4 spelling words and practice
By Year 3 the NSW English syllabus moves from sounding out to patterns: which letters can stand for a sound, where in a word they can sit, and how word parts fit together. Children in Years 3 and 4 work on long vowel teams, doubling a letter before an ending, changing y to i, plurals with es and ies, prefixes, contractions and the homophones that trip everyone.
52 Year 4 words below, grouped by pattern, each from Learnest's own Stage 2 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
Pick a pattern, or ten mixed words.
Turn the sound up. The first word plays when you press Start.
Words to practise
Every word right. Pick another pattern, or try the mixed ten again.
Email me this for later
We email you this score and the words to practise, so you can come back to them. Your email address only: nothing about your child.
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.
14 days free, then A$10 a month for one child and A$5 for each extra child. You add a card today and pay A$0. Cancel online before day 14 and you pay nothing.
This browser cannot read words aloud. 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.
The Year 4 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.
Add ed, ing, er or est: drop the e, or keep it
- washing Omar is washing the dishes after dinner.
- taller Noah is taller than his little sister.
- hoping
- baked
- largest
- smiling
- saved
- safer The park is safer with a new fence.
- nicer This apple tastes nicer than that one.
- arriving
- decided
- chasing The dog was chasing a ball across the park.
Double the last letter, or not
- camping Our family went camping by the river last summer.
- raining
- jumping The children were jumping on the trampoline.
- hopping Kangaroos were hopping across the field.
- stopped The bus stopped at the corner.
- running Sam kept running to school.
Long vowels in longer words
- afraid Leila was not afraid of the dark.
- explain Ms Ng will explain the new game.
- repeat Please repeat the question for me.
- escape The fox tried to escape from the yard.
- holiday We are going away for the holiday.
Prefixes un, re, dis and pre
- refill
- unkind It is unkind to laugh at someone.
- replay Ms Ng let us replay the game.
- disagree
- preheat
- untidy
- unwell Zara stayed home because she was unwell.
- rewrite Mr Ali asked me to rewrite the sentence.
- unusual
- disappear
- preview
- dishonest It is dishonest to copy another child's work.
Words that sound the same
- plain The kite is made of plain paper.
- wear Ms Ng asked us to wear our hats on sports day.
- meet We will meet Hana at the library after lunch.
- flour Sam baked bread with flour and water.
- wood The fence is made of wood from the old shed.
- weak Noah felt weak after being sick all week.
- whole Mia ate the whole orange by herself.
- eight Zara counted eight ducks at the pond.
- know I know the answer to that question.
- pair Felix put on a pair of clean socks.
- there Put your bag over there by the door.
- write Leila will write her name at the top of the page.
Contractions: are, have, will and not
- they're They're going to the park after school.
- they've
- you'll
- we're Pack your bags because we're leaving at eight.
- shouldn't
Questions parents ask
What spelling should a Year 4 child be able to do?
Stage 2 of the NSW English syllabus, which Year 4 follows, works on adding ed, ing, er and est to a word that ends in e, when to double a letter, long vowels in longer words, the prefixes un, re, dis and pre, homophones and contractions. 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 2 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.
14 days free, then A$10 a month for one child and A$5 for each extra child. You add a card today and pay A$0. Cancel online before day 14 and you pay nothing.
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.