• 100 words
  • Checked October 2026

Action Words Spelling List

Action verbs to spell, then their ing and ed forms, grouped by what happens to the last letters.

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List 1: ten action words to start

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

  1. 1.jumpJump over the puddle, not into it.
  2. 2.climbClimb the rope to the red mark.
  3. 3.whisperWhisper the password to the guard.
  4. 4.gallopGallop twice around the playground cones.
  5. 5.stretchStretch both arms above your head.
  6. 6.scrambleScramble up the rocks to the lookout.
  7. 7.wiggleWiggle your toes inside your boots.
  8. 8.tiptoeTiptoe across the creaky attic floor.
  9. 9.crawlCrawl under the net without touching it.
  10. 10.stompStomp twice when you hear the drum.

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All 100 words

List 1: ten action words to start 10

  • climb Climb the rope to the red mark.
  • crawl Crawl under the net without touching it.
  • gallop Gallop twice around the playground cones.
  • jump Jump over the puddle, not into it.
  • scramble Scramble up the rocks to the lookout.
  • stomp Stomp twice when you hear the drum.
  • stretch Stretch both arms above your head.
  • tiptoe Tiptoe across the creaky attic floor.
  • whisper Whisper the password to the guard.
  • wiggle Wiggle your toes inside your boots.

List 2: actions that are harder to spell 10

  • balance Balance on one foot and count slowly.
  • bounce Bounce the ball off the garage door.
  • shiver Wet swimmers shiver by the pool.
  • sprint Sprint the last lap to the tape.
  • squeeze Squeeze past the bikes in the hallway.
  • tumble Blocks tumble when the tower leans.
  • twirl Twirl the ribbon in a big circle.
  • wander Sheep wander over the green hill.
  • whistle Whistle for the dog to come back.
  • wrestle Puppies wrestle over the old sock.

List 3: just add ing or ed 10

  • climbing A goat was climbing the steep path.
  • crawled The turtle crawled toward the water.
  • galloped The zebras galloped toward the water hole.
  • jumping The frogs kept jumping off the log.
  • kicked She kicked the ball into the corner.
  • marching The band came marching past the school.
  • stretched The cat stretched and went back to sleep.
  • throwing Stop throwing snow at the window.
  • wandered We wandered around the fair until dark.
  • whispering Who is whispering in the back row?

List 4: drop the e, add ing 10

  • bouncing The kids are bouncing on the trampoline.
  • chasing Gulls were chasing the fishing boat.
  • dancing My aunt was dancing in the kitchen.
  • diving Penguins were diving off the ice shelf.
  • gliding A paper plane was gliding down the hall.
  • juggling Our teacher was juggling three erasers.
  • racing Two bikes were racing to the corner.
  • scrambling Crabs went scrambling over the wet sand.
  • skating We went skating on Friday night.
  • wiggling Stop wiggling and sit still, please.

List 5: the e is there, add d 10

  • balanced The gymnast balanced on the narrow beam.
  • hiked We hiked to the waterfall before noon.
  • juggled He juggled three beanbags without a drop.
  • smiled Grandpa smiled at the terrible joke.
  • sneezed I sneezed four times in a row.
  • squeezed Four of us squeezed onto one bench.
  • tumbled The laundry tumbled out of the basket.
  • waved The lifeguard waved us out of the deep end.
  • whistled The wind whistled through the old barn.
  • wrestled The brothers wrestled on the living room rug.

List 6: double the last letter, add ing 10

  • clapping The whole gym was clapping in time.
  • digging Dad was digging a trench for the pipes.
  • grabbing Stop grabbing the markers from my desk.
  • hopping A robin was hopping across the lawn.
  • jogging Mom goes jogging before breakfast.
  • running No running beside the pool, please.
  • skipping They went skipping down the sidewalk.
  • spinning The top kept spinning for a full minute.
  • swimming The ducks are swimming in a line.
  • tapping Someone is tapping on the window.

List 7: double the last letter, add ed 10

  • dragged We dragged the sled up the hill.
  • flipped He flipped the pancake onto the plate.
  • hugged She hugged her cousin at the airport.
  • nodded Everyone nodded when the captain spoke.
  • scrubbed We scrubbed the muddy floor twice.
  • shrugged The boy shrugged and tried again.
  • slipped My boot slipped on the icy step.
  • stopped The music stopped and everyone froze.
  • trotted The mule trotted behind the wagon.
  • tugged The toddler tugged on my sleeve.

List 8: y turns to i before ed, stays before ing 10

  • carried She carried the tray with both hands.
  • carrying Who is carrying the flag today?
  • copied He copied the dance move exactly.
  • copying The parrot keeps copying my whistle.
  • hurried The waiter hurried over with more napkins.
  • hurrying Why is everyone hurrying to the gate?
  • tidied We tidied the shelf before the bell.
  • tidying Tidying the art room took ten minutes.
  • tried I tried the handstand three times.
  • trying Keep trying until the knot comes loose.

List 9: past tense with no ed 10

  • caught The outfielder caught the fly ball barehanded.
  • crept The cat crept toward the open box.
  • flew Three geese flew over the soccer field.
  • ran The toddler ran straight for the sprinkler.
  • rode We rode our bikes to the library.
  • shook The wet dog shook itself dry.
  • slid My socks slid on the polished floor.
  • swam A turtle swam under the dock.
  • swung The acrobat swung high above the net.
  • threw She threw the beanbag into the bucket.

List 10: the ones that break the pattern 10

  • canoeing They went canoeing on the calm lake.
  • fleeing Small fish were fleeing from the shark.
  • frolicked Lambs frolicked in the spring field.
  • mimicked My brother mimicked every step I took.
  • panicked The hens panicked when the gate banged.
  • picnicked We picnicked beside the river at noon.
  • skiing Skiing downhill takes strong legs.
  • tiptoeing Stop tiptoeing around and come in.
  • tying The sailor is tying the boat to the dock.
  • zigzagged The skateboarder zigzagged down the empty street.

How it works

Hop becomes hopping, dance becomes dancing and carry becomes carried. This list has 20 action verbs to start, then 80 ing and ed forms grouped by the change, with the verbs that follow no pattern last.

Read the full guide

What happens when ing or ed is added

List 3 changes nothing: jumping, kicked. In List 4 a final e drops before ing (dance, dancing), and in List 5 only d is added (hike, hiked). Lists 6 and 7 double the last letter of a short verb: hopping, hugged. List 8 turns y into i before ed and keeps it before ing: carried, carrying. List 9 has past forms with no ed (ran, swam, threw). List 10 has the odd ones: tiptoeing keeps its e, and panic takes a k.

  • Play charades with List 1 first: act each word out, then spell it.

Questions and answers

When do you double the last letter before ing or ed?

When a verb ends in one vowel and one consonant and its last syllable is stressed: hop, hopping; shrug, shrugged. An unstressed last syllable does not double (gallop, galloped), and w, x and y never do, as in throwing.

Is it dived or dove?

Both. The American Heritage Dictionary gives dived or dove for the past tense, so neither is on these lists: the test takes one spelling. Diving, in List 4, has only one. Leaped and leapt are left out for the same reason.

Why is panicked spelled with a k?

Most verbs that end in c take ck before ed or ing: panic, panicked; mimic, mimicked; frolic, frolicked; picnic, picnicked. All four are in List 10.

How do you spell tiptoeing and canoeing?

With the e kept: tiptoe, tiptoeing; canoe, canoeing. A final silent e usually drops before ing, as in dancing, but these two keep it in the American Heritage Dictionary. Skiing has two i's, and tie changes to tying.

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