3rd Grade Spelling Worksheets for Sentences and ABC Order

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NameDateMade at homeroomtools.comList 1: y changes to iesWrite a sentence with each word.1.2.3.4.5.6.7.8.9.10.Spelling: write a sentencebabiesladiespuppiespenniesberriescherriesstoriescitiesfamiliescountries

10 words (List 1: y changes to ies), write a sentence, on 1 page, Letter portrait.

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The spelling lists

List 1: y changes to ies 10

  • babies Baby ends in a consonant and y, so the y changes to i before es. Not babys.
  • berries Double r, then ies. It sounds the same as buries, what a dog does with a bone.
  • cherries ch, then err, then ies. Two r's, as in berries.
  • cities Soft c at the start, as in city. The y changes to i: not citys.
  • countries ou in the first part, as in count, though it says short u. Country to countries.
  • families Three beats: fam, i, lies. The middle i is the letter left out: famlies.
  • ladies Lady to ladies. One d, because the a is long.
  • pennies Double n after the short e, then ies. One penny, two pennies.
  • puppies Puppy keeps both of its p's, then ies.
  • stories Only one r: story, stories. Not storys.
Show all 200 words (190 more)

List 2: ves and odd plurals 10

  • children Child plus ren. The usual slip swaps two letters: childern.
  • geese Goose to geese: double o changes to double e, and the silent e stays.
  • halves Silent l, as in half. Two halves make a whole.
  • knives Silent k, as in knife. The f of knife changes to v.
  • leaves Leaf to leaves: the f changes to v before es.
  • mice Mouse to mice. Soft c, then a silent e.
  • shelves One shelf, two shelves. Not shelfs.
  • teeth Tooth to teeth: double o changes to double e.
  • wolves Wolf to wolves. The l is the letter that goes missing: woves.
  • women Only one letter changes from woman, a to e, yet the first part is said wim.

List 3: au and aw 10

  • author au at the start and or at the end. Not auther.
  • awful aw, then ful with one l, as in helpful. Not awfull.
  • cause au, then se saying z. It is the last part of because.
  • crawl aw before l. Not crall.
  • draw dr, then aw at the end of the word, as in straw. Not drau.
  • haul au for pulling a heavy load. A hall, with a and double l, is a room.
  • pause au for a short stop. Paws, with aw, are an animal's feet.
  • sauce au, then a soft c and a silent e. Not sawce.
  • straw Three consonants, str, then aw.
  • yawn aw before n, as in lawn and dawn.

List 4: ea as in bread 10

  • bread ea saying short e. Bred, without the a, is the past of breed.
  • breakfast Break plus fast. Here ea says short e, not the long a it says in break.
  • feather ea, then ther, as in weather and leather.
  • head ea saying short e, as in bread. The usual slip is hed.
  • healthy Health plus y. Heal is inside it, but here ea says short e.
  • heavy ea saying short e, then vy. Not hevy.
  • instead One word, in plus stead. Not insted.
  • ready ea, then dy. Not redy.
  • sweater Sweat plus er. ea says short e.
  • weather ea for rain and sun. Whether, with wh and e, means if.

List 5: eigh and ei 10

  • eight eigh says long a, with a silent g and h. Weight, freight and eighty all have eight inside them.
  • eighteen Eight plus teen, sharing one t. Not eightteen.
  • eighty Eight plus y. There is only one t.
  • freight fr, then eight: the whole number word is inside it. Freight is goods carried by truck, train or ship.
  • neighbor eigh, then bor. The British spelling is neighbour, with our.
  • sleigh sl, then eigh. A sleigh rides over snow.
  • veil ei saying long a. A vale, with a and silent e, is a valley.
  • vein ei saying long a, with no gh. Vain, with ai, means too proud of your looks.
  • weigh w, then eigh. A way, with ay, is a path.
  • weight Weigh plus t. To wait, with ai, is to stay until something happens.

List 6: ough and gh as f 10

  • although al, with one l, plus though. One word.
  • cough ough says off here. The usual slip is cof.
  • dough ough says long o, as in though. A doe, with oe, is a female deer.
  • enough e, then nough, rhyming with rough. Not enuf.
  • laugh gh says f at the end, and the vowel is spelled au. Not laf.
  • laughter Laugh plus ter. The gh still says f.
  • rough ough says uff. A ruff, with double f, is a frilly collar.
  • though ough says long o and the gh is silent. Put an r after th and it is through.
  • through ough says oo here. Threw, with ew, is the past of throw.
  • tough ough says uff, as in rough and enough.

List 7: ought and aught 10

  • bought The past of buy, so no r.
  • brought The past of bring, so it keeps the br.
  • caught The past of catch. augh this time, not ough: not cought.
  • daughter augh, then ter. The gh is silent here, though it says f in laughter.
  • fought The past of fight. ough, not augh: not faught.
  • granddaughter Grand plus daughter, so two d's meet in the middle.
  • naughty augh, then ty. Not nauty.
  • ought The five letters that end thought, bought and fought. It means should.
  • taught The past of teach. augh, as in caught. Taut, with no gh, means pulled tight.
  • thought The past of think. ough with a silent gh, then t.

List 8: silent g 10

  • align One l, then ign. It means to put in a straight line.
  • assign Double s, then ign. Homework is an assignment.
  • campaign Camp, then aign. The g is silent before the n.
  • design De plus sign. The s says z.
  • foreign for, then eign as in reign. The usual slip is foriegn.
  • gnat Silent g at the start. A gnat is a tiny fly.
  • gnaw Silent g, then aw. To gnaw is to keep chewing, as a dog does with a bone.
  • gnome Silent g, then ome with a silent e, as in home.
  • reign A queen's reign. Rain falls and a rein steers a horse: three spellings, one sound.
  • sign Silent g before n. The i is long.

List 9: silent t 10

  • bustle Bus plus tle, with a silent t. A place that bustles is busy and noisy.
  • castle Silent t, then le. Not cassle.
  • Christmas Capital C, and ch says k. The t goes silent.
  • fasten Fast plus en. The t you hear in fast goes silent.
  • listen Silent t after s. Not lissen.
  • often Some people say the t and some keep it silent. Either way it is spelled with a t.
  • soften Soft plus en, built the same way as fasten. Not soffen.
  • thistle This plus tle. A thistle is a prickly plant with a purple flower.
  • whistle wh, then istle. The t is silent, as in castle.
  • wrestle Two silent letters: the w at the start and the t in the middle.

List 10: silent l 10

  • calm alm. Many speakers keep the l silent and others say it. Either way it is spelled with an l.
  • chalk ch, then alk as in talk.
  • folk Silent l after a long o, as in yolk. Not foke.
  • half Silent l before f. The plural is halves, in List 2.
  • palm alm, as in calm. A palm is a tree and the inside of the hand.
  • salmon Silent l: the fish is said sammon. The l was put in long ago to look like the Latin word.
  • stalk st, then alk. A stalk is the stem of a plant.
  • talk Silent l. alk says awk, as in walk and chalk.
  • walk Silent l after the a. A wok, with o, is a cooking pan.
  • yolk Silent l. The yolk is the yellow of an egg. A yoke, with silent e, joins two oxen.

List 11: silent u and h 10

  • ghost Silent h after g. The o is long, as in most.
  • guard Silent u before an a this time. The usual slip swaps them: gaurd.
  • guess A silent u after g keeps the g hard. Double s at the end.
  • guest Silent u, then est. Guessed, the past of guess, sounds the same.
  • guide Silent u, then ide with a silent e.
  • guilty Guilt plus y. Silent u after the g.
  • guitar Silent u, then i. It ends in ar, not er.
  • honest Silent h at the start, as in hour: on, est.
  • hour Silent h at the start. Our, with no h, means belonging to us.
  • rhyme Silent h after r, y saying long i, and a silent e.

List 12: le at the end 10

  • apple Double p, then le. The ending sounds like ul but is spelled le.
  • bottle Double t after the short o, then le.
  • candle Can, then dle. Not candel.
  • circle Soft c at the start and hard c before le, with ir between them.
  • jungle It starts with j, not g. ng, then le.
  • middle Double d after the short i, then le.
  • purple ur, as in turn, then ple. Not purpel.
  • puzzle Double z after the short u, then le.
  • turtle tur, then tle. Not turtel.
  • uncle Hard c, then le. Not unkle.

List 13: or and ar endings 10

  • actor Act plus or.
  • calendar It ends in ar. The middle vowel is e: cal, en, dar.
  • collar Double l, then ar. Not coller.
  • doctor It ends in or, though it sounds like er. Not docter.
  • dollar Doll plus ar. Not doller.
  • grammar Double m, then ar. The usual slip is grammer.
  • mirror Double r, then or. Three r's in all.
  • sugar s says sh here, and the end is ar.
  • tractor tr, then act, then or.
  • visitor Visit plus or. The s in the middle says z.

List 14: compound words 10

  • afternoon After plus noon. One word.
  • anything Any plus thing. Any starts with a, though it sounds like e.
  • birthday Birth plus day. ir, as in bird and girl.
  • everyone Every plus one. The second e of every is the letter left out: evryone.
  • homework Home plus work. Work is spelled with or, though it sounds like er.
  • notebook Note plus book. Keep the silent e of note.
  • playground Play plus ground. ou, as in round.
  • something Some plus thing. Keep the silent e of some.
  • sometimes Some plus times, with an s at the end. One word.
  • without With plus out. One word, no space.

List 15: harder contractions 10

  • couldn't Could not. The silent l of could stays in.
  • doesn't Does not. Does is spelled oes, though it sounds like uz.
  • haven't Have not. The silent e of have stays in.
  • let's Let us. The apostrophe takes the place of the u. Lets, without it, means allows.
  • that's That is. The apostrophe takes the place of the i.
  • they're They are. Their means belonging to them, and there is a place.
  • wasn't Was not. The apostrophe takes the place of the o in not.
  • we're We are. Were, with no apostrophe, is the past of are.
  • weren't Were not. The apostrophe goes between n and t, not before the n.
  • you're You are. Your, with no apostrophe, means belonging to you.

List 16: sound-alike pairs 10

  • flour Flour is what bread is baked from. our at the end.
  • flower A flower grows in a garden. ow, then er.
  • hear You hear with your ear, and ear is inside the word.
  • here Here means in this place. It is inside there and where, the other place words.
  • meat Meat is food. You eat meat, and eat is inside the word.
  • meet To meet is to come together. Double e, as in greet.
  • sail A boat has a sail. ai, as in rain.
  • sale A shop has a sale. a, then a silent e.
  • weak The opposite of strong. ea in the middle.
  • week Seven days make a week. Double e.

List 17: number words 10

  • eleven Three e's and no a: e, lev, en.
  • fifteen Five changes to fif before teen. Not fiveteen.
  • forty No u. Four and fourteen keep it and forty drops it.
  • fourteen Four plus teen. It keeps the u that forty drops.
  • hundred hun, then dred. The end is red, not erd.
  • thirteen ir, as in third and thirty, then teen.
  • thirty ir, then ty. Not thurty.
  • thousand ou, as in out, then sand. The s says z.
  • twelve tw, then elve with a silent e. Not twelv.
  • twenty tw, then en, then ty. The t in the middle is the letter left out: tweny.

List 18: learn by heart 10

  • answer Silent w in the middle. The usual slip is awnser.
  • believe i before e, and a silent e at the end. Lie is inside it.
  • build A silent u before the i. Not bild.
  • busy u says short i and s says z. Not bizzy.
  • heart ear says ar here. Hear and ear are both inside it.
  • island Silent s. Is plus land is the way to remember it.
  • ocean ce says sh here. Not oshun.
  • special ci says sh, then al. Not speshal.
  • straight str, then aigh, then t. A strait, with no gh, is a narrow strip of sea.
  • surprise The first r is the letter left out: suprise. The end is ise.

List 19: January to October 10

  • April Capital A. It ends in il, not le.
  • August Capital A. au at the start, as in author.
  • February Capital F. Many people do not say the first r, so it gets left out: Febuary.
  • January Capital J. The end is uary, four letters that get shortened: Janury.
  • July Capital J. y says long i at the end, as in fly.
  • June Capital J. u, then a silent e, as in tune.
  • March Capital M for the month. With a small m, to march is to walk in step.
  • May Capital M for the month. With a small m, may means might.
  • October Capital O. The middle letter is o, not e.
  • September Capital S. Sep, tem, ber: the t is the letter left out.

List 20: months and seasons 10

  • autumn au at the start and a silent n at the end. Americans also call it fall.
  • December Capital D. Soft c, as in city: not Desember.
  • holiday It began as holy day, and the y became an i. One l.
  • minute min, then ute. The u says short i. Not minit.
  • month o says short u, as in Monday. Then nth.
  • November Capital N. It ends in ember, as September and December do.
  • season ea, then son. The s in the middle says z.
  • spring Three consonants, spr, then ing.
  • summer Double m after the short u.
  • weekend Week plus end. Double e, as in week in List 16.

How this list was compiled: Our own list of 200 words, chosen and grouped for this page, with our own hints. The grade is our suggestion: the United States has no national curriculum (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_curriculum, read 2026-09-20), so no national list sets a grade's spelling words there. England does set statutory word lists, for years 3 to 6 of school (https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5a7ccc06ed915d63cc65ce61/English_Appendix_1_-_Spelling.pdf, read 2026-09-20); this list does not follow them. Spellings are American, and every word has an entry page at https://en.wiktionary.org/ (all 200 checked on 2026-09-20). Read on 2026-09-19: plural rules (consonant and y to ies, f to ves, vowel-change plurals) at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_plurals; the sounds of ough in cough, rough, though and through at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ough_(orthography); silent t in sten and stle, silent l in salmon, talk and half, silent h in honest and hours, gh in ghost, gn, ce and ci as sh in ocean and special, and u keeping g hard at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_orthography; months capitalised and seasons not at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capitalization_in_English; and the sounds or origins of women, calm, salmon, often, February, forty, holiday, neighbour, breakfast, bury and haul at https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/ plus the word. A gnat as a small fly, not always a biting one, at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gnat, read 2026-09-20. Licence: own work

How it works

These 3rd grade spelling worksheets hold 200 words in 20 lists: y to ies plurals, silent g, t and l, ough and aught, sound-alike pairs, number words and the months. Each list opens as one page of sentence lines.

Read the full guide

Printable 3rd grade spelling words, one list to a print

The page opens on List 1 (babies, ladies, puppies and 7 more) as Write a sentence at Small (10 mm). Each word starts its own ruled line, and all 10 fit 1 page, Letter or A4. Calling these spelling worksheets for 3rd graders is our suggestion: the United States has no national curriculum, so no national list sets a grade's words.

ABC order spelling words

Under More options, set What goes on the sheet to ABC order. List 1 has three c words, two b and two p, so the order turns on the second letter. At Small it takes 2 Letter pages, with word 10 alone on the second. Turn off the Name and Date line, or choose A4, and it fits 1.

  • Skip Unscramble for Lists 15, 19 and 20: January prints small, and the apostrophe of they're becomes a tile.
  • Sort by list makes third grade spelling worksheets from 3 lists at once, 5 words each. Try List 8.
  • Neighbor is the American spelling. For grade 3 spelling words worksheets with neighbour, type List 5 in the box.

Questions and answers

Can I make 3rd grade spelling words worksheets from my own list?

Yes. Type up to 20 words of up to 16 characters in the box and they replace our list. Share link puts the typed words into the link itself, so leave student names out.

How do I save spelling worksheets for grade 3 as a PDF?

Press Print worksheet and choose Save as PDF in your browser's print window. One file holds one list: 10 words on 1 page of sentence lines. Pick the list in the Word list menu first. All 20 lists are under the tool to read.

How many ways can ough be said?

At least eight in North American English. List 6 makes worksheets for third graders spelling four of them: off in cough, uff in rough, long o in though and oo in through. In Missing letters the ough is the blank in all 8 ough words.

Do months and seasons take a capital letter?

Months do and seasons do not: November and December, but spring, summer and autumn. List 20 holds all five, and List 19 runs from January to October. Every layout but Unscramble prints the capitals.

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