• 70 words
  • Checked October 2026

Memorial Day Spelling Words

Words for the last Monday in May, from hero and flag to cemetery and remembrance, in three levels.

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List 1: Memorial Day in ten words

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

  1. 1.honorWe honor those who died in service.
  2. 2.rememberWe remember them on this day.
  3. 3.soldierA soldier carried the folded flag.
  4. 4.wreathTwo students laid a wreath at the stone.
  5. 5.flagA small flag stood beside each grave.
  6. 6.memorialThe memorial lists every name from our town.
  7. 7.MayThe holiday is the last Monday in May.
  8. 8.paradeThe parade moved slowly down the avenue.
  9. 9.thankWe thank the families who lost someone.
  10. 10.countryThey gave their lives for their country.

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All 70 words

List 1: Memorial Day in ten words 10

  • country They gave their lives for their country.
  • flag A small flag stood beside each grave.
  • honor We honor those who died in service.
  • May The holiday is the last Monday in May.
  • memorial The memorial lists every name from our town.
  • parade The parade moved slowly down the avenue.
  • remember We remember them on this day.
  • soldier A soldier carried the folded flag.
  • thank We thank the families who lost someone.
  • wreath Two students laid a wreath at the stone.

Level 1, List 2: short words 10

  • bell A bell rang once for each name.
  • calm The morning was calm and clear.
  • hero The town named a bridge for its hero.
  • kind A kind word helps a sad neighbor.
  • quiet The crowd grew quiet all at once.
  • rose She left a red rose by his name.
  • song The choir sang one slow song.
  • stand Please stand while the names are read.
  • town Half the town gathered on the green.
  • walk We walk to the park behind the band.

Level 1, List 3: the parade 10

  • banner Two scouts held the long banner.
  • crowd The crowd took off their hats.
  • drum A single drum set the slow pace.
  • flower Each child carried one flower.
  • proud Grandma looked proud and sad at once.
  • ribbon A blue ribbon was tied to the gate.
  • street The street was closed to cars until noon.
  • trumpet One trumpet played from the hilltop.
  • uniform His old uniform still fit him.
  • wave Small flags wave along the route.

Level 2, List 4: compound words 10

  • battlefield The old battlefield is a peaceful park now.
  • headstone A name and two dates are on the headstone.
  • hillside White stones cover the green hillside.
  • homeland They left to defend their homeland.
  • keepsake His medal is a family keepsake.
  • lifetime She kept his letters for a lifetime.
  • nationwide Ceremonies take place nationwide that morning.
  • shipmate He wrote a poem for a lost shipmate.
  • sunrise Volunteers set out the flags at sunrise.
  • weekend Memorial Day closes a three-day weekend.

Level 2, List 5: those who serve 10

  • army Her great-uncle joined the army at nineteen.
  • captain The captain read the list of names aloud.
  • guard An honor guard lined the gravel path.
  • navy His grandmother was a cook in the navy.
  • nurse A nurse who served is buried here too.
  • officer An officer handed the flag to the family.
  • pilot The pilot never came back from that flight.
  • sailor A young sailor stood by the anchor.
  • service She gave thirty years of service.
  • troops The troops marched past without a sound.

Level 3, List 6: honor and remembrance 10

  • cemetery Small flags line the paths of the cemetery.
  • ceremony The ceremony began at ten sharp.
  • commemorate Towns commemorate their dead each spring.
  • dedication The dedication of the new monument drew hundreds.
  • gratitude We owe them our lasting gratitude.
  • remembrance It is a day of remembrance in every state.
  • reverence The visitors stood in quiet reverence.
  • sacrifice The mayor spoke about sacrifice.
  • solemn It was a solemn hour on the green.
  • veteran A veteran placed the first bunch of lilacs.

Level 3, List 7: customs of the day 10

  • assembly Our school held an assembly on Friday.
  • bouquet He set a bouquet against the wall.
  • bugler A bugler played the last call of the day.
  • decoration Each grave had a decoration of fresh blooms.
  • generation Each generation tells the story to the next.
  • half-staff The flag flies at half-staff until noon.
  • military The day honors the military dead.
  • observe At three we observe a moment of silence.
  • patriotism Her speech was about patriotism and loss.
  • poppies Red poppies are worn in memory of the fallen.

How it works

Memorial Day honors the members of the armed forces who died in service. Its words carry quiet traps: the silent w of wreath and the silent n of solemn.

Read the full guide

What the seven lists hold

List 1 is the day in ten words: honor, remember, soldier, wreath, memorial. Level 1, for kindergarten and 1st grade, has short words (hero, bell, calm) and the parade (flower, banner, drum). Level 2, for about 2nd to 4th grade, has compound words (sunrise, headstone, keepsake) and those who serve (army, navy, captain). Level 3, for 5th grade and up, has honor and remembrance (sacrifice, gratitude) and customs of the day (bouquet, poppies). Treat the grades as a guide.

One capital and one hyphen

May is marked wrong in lower case while Capitals count is checked; uncheck it under More options for younger spellers. Half-staff needs its hyphen: without it the results say the letters are right and to check the hyphens.

  • Cemetery has no a: its three vowel letters are all e.
  • Bouquet came from French, which is why its last syllable is spelled quet.

Questions and answers

Is it half-staff or half-mast?

Either. The American Heritage Dictionary defines half-mast and gives half-staff as another name for it. The United States flag code says half-staff: on Memorial Day the flag is flown that way until noon only, then raised to the top.

What was Memorial Day first called?

Decoration Day, after the custom of decorating the graves of soldiers with flowers; an order of 1868 made the day formal, says the National Cemetery Administration. It was kept on May 30 until 1971, and decoration is in List 7.

Why are poppies on a Memorial Day list?

A poem of 1915 spoke of poppies growing among soldiers' graves, and the American Legion took the flower as its sign of remembrance in 1920, says Wikipedia. Poppies is the plural of poppy: the y turns into ies.

Which Memorial Day words sound like another word?

Five have a common sound-alike: bell (belle), rose (rows), flower (flour), wave (waive) and troops (troupes). The sentence read with each word tells which one is meant.

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