1st Grade Spelling Words, Read Aloud One List at a Time

Press Start test to hear spelling words for first graders, type each one and press Enter, or tap Next word.

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The 10 words of this list. Add or change any. For your own list, press Clear first.

For a sentence, put it after a colon: rain: The rain fell all day. Up to 40 words.

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List 1: sh

Words to learn. Read each word, cover it, write it, then check it.

  1. 1.shipThe big ship sailed across the sea.
  2. 2.shopWe went to the shop for bread.
  3. 3.shutPlease shut the door behind you.
  4. 4.shedThe rake is in the shed.
  5. 5.fishThe fish swam around the bowl.
  6. 6.dishPut the dish in the sink.
  7. 7.wishMake a wish and blow out the candles.
  8. 8.rushDo not rush through your work.
  9. 9.cashShe paid for the book with cash.
  10. 10.dashWe made a dash for the bus.

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Each word is read aloud, then used in a sentence. Type what you hear. The marks come at the end.

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Accents do not count: café may be typed as cafe, and the marks show how it is written.

Only voices built into this device are used, so the words are not sent to a speech service to be read. With no voice, a person reads the words from the last page of the test sheet.

Review test from several lists
Tick the lists to draw 10 words from

The words are mixed from the lists you tick, so a review test needs a read-aloud voice.

Next step Print the sh, ch, th and ck sound cardsPrint trace-and-write sheets for 1st grade

All 220 words

List 1: sh 10

  • cash She paid for the book with cash.
  • dash We made a dash for the bus.
  • dish Put the dish in the sink.
  • fish The fish swam around the bowl.
  • rush Do not rush through your work.
  • shed The rake is in the shed.
  • ship The big ship sailed across the sea.
  • shop We went to the shop for bread.
  • shut Please shut the door behind you.
  • wish Make a wish and blow out the candles.

List 2: ch 10

  • chat We sat down for a quick chat.
  • chest The pirate hid gold in a chest.
  • chin He has jam on his chin.
  • chip There is a chip in this cup.
  • chop Dad will chop the carrots for soup.
  • lunch I had soup for lunch.
  • pinch Add a pinch of salt to the soup.
  • ranch Horses and cows live on the ranch.
  • rich The king in the story was rich.
  • such It was such a cold day.

List 3: th 10

  • bath The dog needs a bath.
  • math We add and subtract in math.
  • path Stay on the path through the woods.
  • than A horse is bigger than a dog.
  • that I would like that one, please.
  • them I gave them each a sticker.
  • then Wash your hands, then eat.
  • thin The ice was too thin to walk on.
  • this Is this your pencil?
  • with Come and play with us.

List 4: ck 10

  • back Put the book back on the shelf.
  • duck The duck swam across the pond.
  • kick Kick the ball into the net.
  • lock Turn the key to open the lock.
  • luck Good luck on your test.
  • neck Tuck the scarf around your neck.
  • pack Did you pack your lunch?
  • rock She sat on a big flat rock.
  • sick He stayed home because he felt sick.
  • sock I lost one sock in the wash.

List 5: wh and qu 10

  • quack We heard the ducks quack.
  • quick The fox was too quick to catch.
  • quilt Grandma made a quilt for my bed.
  • quit Do not quit when it gets hard.
  • quiz We have a spelling quiz on Friday.
  • squid A squid lives in the sea.
  • whack Give the drum a good whack.
  • when Tell me when you are ready.
  • whip Whip the cream until it is thick.
  • whisk Beat the eggs with a whisk.

List 6: ff, ll, ss and zz 10

  • bell The bell rang at the end of the day.
  • buzz Bees buzz around the flowers.
  • doll She put the doll to bed.
  • fizz The bubbles fizz in the glass.
  • hill We rode our bikes down the hill.
  • kiss Mom gave me a kiss goodnight.
  • miss Do not miss the bus.
  • off Please turn off the light.
  • puff A puff of smoke came from the chimney.
  • tell Can you tell me a story?

List 7: blends with l 10

  • black The cat is black with white paws.
  • clap Clap your hands to the beat.
  • club She joined the chess club.
  • flag The flag waved in the wind.
  • flip Flip the card over to check.
  • glad I am glad you came.
  • plan What is the plan for today?
  • plum I ate a ripe purple plum.
  • sled We rode the sled down the hill.
  • slip Do not slip on the wet floor.

List 8: blends with r 10

  • brick The wall is made of red brick.
  • crab We saw a crab on the beach.
  • dress She wore a blue dress to the party.
  • drop Do not drop the eggs.
  • drum He plays the drum in the band.
  • frog A green frog sat on a log.
  • from This letter is from my aunt.
  • grab Grab your coat and come outside.
  • grin She had a big grin on her face.
  • trip Our class took a trip to the zoo.

List 9: blends with s 10

  • skip We skip rope at recess.
  • smell I can smell bread baking.
  • snack We have a snack after school.
  • snap I heard the twig snap.
  • spin Spin the top and watch it go.
  • spot The dog has a spot on its back.
  • step Watch your step on the stairs.
  • stick The dog ran after the stick.
  • stop Stop at the red light.
  • swim I can swim across the pool.

List 10: nd and nt 10

  • and I like apples and pears.
  • hand Raise your hand to speak.
  • hunt The cat likes to hunt for mice.
  • plant Water the plant once a week.
  • pond Frogs live in the pond.
  • sand We built a castle in the sand.
  • send I will send you a letter.
  • tent We slept in a tent.
  • went We went to the park after lunch.
  • wind The wind blew my hat off.

List 11: st, sk and mp 10

  • ask Ask a friend for help.
  • best This is the best day of the week.
  • desk Put your paper on my desk.
  • fast A cheetah can run very fast.
  • jump How high can you jump?
  • just I just finished my book.
  • lamp Turn on the lamp so we can read.
  • last I was the last one in line.
  • must You must wear a helmet on your bike.
  • nest The bird built a nest in the tree.

List 12: ft, lt, lk, lp, ld and xt 10

  • belt He wore a belt with his pants.
  • felt I felt happy after the game.
  • gift I made a gift for my mom.
  • held She held the door open for us.
  • help Can you help me tie my shoe?
  • left Turn left at the corner.
  • melt Ice will melt in the sun.
  • milk I drink milk with my lunch.
  • next Who is next in line?
  • soft The kitten has soft fur.

List 13: ng 10

  • hang Hang your coat on the hook.
  • king The king wore a gold crown.
  • long A snake has a long body.
  • rang The phone rang two times.
  • ring She wore a ring on her finger.
  • sang The class sang a song together.
  • sing We sing a song each morning.
  • sting A bee can sting you.
  • swing Push me on the swing.
  • wing The bird hurt its wing.

List 14: nk 10

  • bank She put her coins in the bank.
  • blink You blink when dust gets in your eye.
  • honk Geese honk as they fly by.
  • junk The drawer is full of junk.
  • pink Mix red and white to make pink.
  • sank The rock sank to the bottom.
  • sink Wash your hands in the sink.
  • skunk A skunk has a white stripe.
  • tank The fish swim in a tank.
  • wink He gave me a wink and a smile.

List 15: a with silent e 10

  • cake We ate cake at the party.
  • game We played a board game after dinner.
  • gave He gave me half of his orange.
  • made I made my bed this morning.
  • make Let us make a card for her.
  • name Write your name at the top.
  • same We have the same backpack.
  • shape A square is a shape with four sides.
  • snake The snake slid under a rock.
  • take Take one and pass them on.

List 16: i with silent e 10

  • bike I ride my bike to school.
  • five I have five fingers on each hand.
  • kite The kite flew high in the sky.
  • like I like to read before bed.
  • nine Three plus six is nine.
  • ride We will ride the bus to the zoo.
  • side Write on one side of the paper.
  • smile Your smile makes me happy.
  • time What time does the bus come?
  • white Snow is cold and white.

List 17: o with silent e 10

  • bone The dog buried a bone in the yard.
  • broke The glass broke when it fell.
  • home I walk home after school.
  • hope I hope it does not rain.
  • joke Tell me a funny joke.
  • nose You smell with your nose.
  • note I left a note on the table.
  • rope Pull the rope as hard as you can.
  • stone He threw a stone into the lake.
  • those Are those your shoes by the door?

List 18: u with silent e, and these 10

  • cube A cube has six faces.
  • cute The puppy is small and cute.
  • flute The flute makes a soft, high sound.
  • huge An elephant is a huge animal.
  • mule The mule carried the bags up the hill.
  • rule The rule is to walk in the hall.
  • these Are these your crayons?
  • tube Squeeze the tube of toothpaste.
  • tune She hummed a happy tune.
  • use Use a pencil for your math.

List 19: little words with a long vowel 10

  • be I want to be a vet.
  • by Come and sit by the window.
  • go We go to school on the bus.
  • he My brother said he would help.
  • me Please pass the ball to me.
  • my This is my favorite book.
  • no There is no milk left.
  • she My sister says she likes math.
  • so I was tired, so I went to bed.
  • we Today we are going to the library.

List 20: ed and ing endings 10

  • filled He filled the cup with water.
  • fishing We went fishing at the lake.
  • helped I helped my dad wash the car.
  • kicked She kicked the ball over the fence.
  • landed The plane landed on time.
  • picked We picked apples from the tree.
  • rested We rested under a shady tree.
  • singing The birds were singing this morning.
  • telling Are you telling the truth?
  • yelled The coach yelled for us to run.

List 21: learn by heart, part 1 10

  • are Where are my shoes?
  • have I have a pencil and an eraser.
  • of I would like a glass of water.
  • said The teacher said to line up.
  • the We waved at the mail truck.
  • they My friends said they would wait.
  • to We walked to the park.
  • was It was cold this morning.
  • what What did you eat for lunch?
  • you Did you feed the cat?

List 22: learn by heart, part 2 10

  • come Can you come to my house?
  • do What do you want to play?
  • give Please give the book back to me.
  • one I have one nose and two eyes.
  • some May I have some more rice?
  • two A bike has two wheels.
  • want I want a drink of water.
  • were We were late for the bus.
  • who Who left the door open?
  • your Is this your coat?

How it works

These 1st grade spelling words come in 22 lists of 10, from sh in List 1 to silent e in Lists 15 to 18. Lists 21 and 22 hold 20 words to learn by heart, such as said and was.

Read the full guide

How this first grade spelling list is ordered

In Lists 1 to 6, sh, ch, th, ck, wh and the doubled letters of off, bell, miss and buzz make one sound. In List 5, qu makes two. Lists 7 to 12 and 14 are blends, where you hear both letters, as in flag and pink. List 13 is ng, one sound. Lists 15 to 18 add silent e, turning the kindergarten words mad, hop and cub into made, hope and cube. The grade is our suggestion: if your program teaches silent e first, start at List 15.

Testing a 1st grade spelling list on screen or on paper

A test never shows the word. The results show each missed word beside what was typed. A child still hunting for keys can write instead: choose Test sheet and press Print.

  • In List 4, ck follows a short vowel: back, neck, sick, rock, duck. List 6 doubles a letter there instead.
  • The ed ending in List 20 has three sounds, one spelling: t in helped, d in filled, id in landed.
  • These grade 1 spelling words are spelled the same in Canada. Britain says maths: change it under Edit this list.

Questions and answers

How long is this list of spelling words for 1st graders?

220 words in 22 lists of 10. Lists 1 to 18 teach one spelling pattern each, List 19 has ten little long-vowel words, List 20 adds ed and ing, and Lists 21 and 22 are learned by heart. One list a week fills 22 weeks.

Why are said, was and one in a list of words for 1st graders?

A first grader needs them in almost every sentence, and no pattern gets them right. In of, the f sounds like v. One begins with a w sound and has no w, and two has a w nobody says.

What if a student types a sound-alike word?

It is marked wrong, with a reason. Of the 220 words, 14 sound like another word: made and maid, one and won, by, buy and bye. Type too after hearing A bike has two wheels, and the results say the word sounds the same.

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