• 120 words
  • Checked October 2026

Science Spelling Words

Twelve lists from cell to wavelength: pick a branch of science, press Start test and type each word.

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List 1: life science, short words

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

  1. 1.cellWe drew a plant cell in class.
  2. 2.rootA thick root pushed up the sidewalk.
  3. 3.preyThe hawk watched its prey from above.
  4. 4.liverThe chart showed the liver in brown.
  5. 5.nerveThe dentist pointed to a nerve on the model.
  6. 6.organThe heart is an organ on the diagram.
  7. 7.sporeWe saw a fern spore under the lens.
  8. 8.traitCurly fur is one trait of this breed.
  9. 9.larvaThe larva hatched from a tiny egg.
  10. 10.pupaThe pupa hung from a green twig.

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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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All 120 words

List 1: life science, short words 10

  • cell We drew a plant cell in class.
  • larva The larva hatched from a tiny egg.
  • liver The chart showed the liver in brown.
  • nerve The dentist pointed to a nerve on the model.
  • organ The heart is an organ on the diagram.
  • prey The hawk watched its prey from above.
  • pupa The pupa hung from a green twig.
  • root A thick root pushed up the sidewalk.
  • spore We saw a fern spore under the lens.
  • trait Curly fur is one trait of this breed.

List 2: life science, living things 10

  • algae Green algae covered the pond rocks.
  • arachnid The chart listed the spider as an arachnid.
  • crustacean A crab is a crustacean with a hard shell.
  • marsupial A kangaroo is a marsupial with a pouch.
  • nutrient We underlined the word nutrient in our notes.
  • offspring The robin fed its offspring all day.
  • plankton We looked at plankton through the microscope.
  • primate The zoo sign said the lemur is a primate.
  • reptile A lizard is a reptile in our book.
  • scavenger A vulture is a scavenger on the poster.

List 3: life science, how life changes 10

  • adaptation Thick fur is an adaptation to cold.
  • artery An artery is drawn in red here.
  • consumer We labeled the rabbit as a consumer.
  • decompose Fallen leaves decompose on the forest floor.
  • endangered The poster showed an endangered sea turtle.
  • extinct The museum had a model of an extinct bird.
  • inherit Puppies inherit fur color from their parents.
  • instinct The ducklings followed their mother by instinct.
  • neuron She built a neuron from pipe cleaners.
  • producer Our food chain began with a producer.

List 4: earth science, short words 10

  • butte A lone butte stood on the plain.
  • canyon The river carved a deep canyon.
  • core The model showed the planet's core.
  • mantle We colored the mantle orange on our model.
  • marble The statue was carved from white marble.
  • mesa A flat mesa rose above the desert.
  • mica A flake of mica sparkled in the rock.
  • river The river carried sand toward the sea.
  • shale We split a piece of gray shale.
  • silt Brown silt settled at the bottom.

List 5: earth science, land and water 10

  • bedrock The builders dug down to bedrock.
  • fossil The fossil showed the shape of a leaf.
  • granite The counter is made of polished granite.
  • landform We drew one landform on each card.
  • pumice The pumice floated in the water bowl.
  • sandstone The cliff was red sandstone.
  • topsoil Rain washed the topsoil off the slope.
  • volcano Our class built a model volcano.
  • watershed We mapped the watershed around our town.
  • wetland Herons nest in the wetland.

List 6: earth science, longer words 10

  • anemometer The anemometer spun in the strong wind.
  • biome Each group studied a different biome.
  • canopy Monkeys climbed through the forest canopy.
  • earthquake The drill taught us earthquake safety steps.
  • elevation The sign gave the trail's elevation.
  • erosion Planting grass slowed the erosion on the hill.
  • glacier The glacier looked blue in the photo.
  • humus Dark humus made the garden soil rich.
  • mineral Each mineral sat in a labeled box.
  • troposphere We labeled the troposphere on the chart.

List 7: space science, short words 10

  • axis The globe spins on a tilted axis.
  • cosmos The film was a tour of the cosmos.
  • meteor A meteor streaked across the night sky.
  • nebula The telescope showed a glowing nebula.
  • orbital The orbital path was drawn in white.
  • pulsar The speaker drew a pulsar on the board.
  • quasar The speaker explained what a quasar is.
  • rover The rover sent photos back to Earth.
  • shuttle The shuttle model stood on its tail.
  • solar The house has solar panels on its roof.

List 8: space science, longer words 10

  • astronomer An astronomer visited our school today.
  • astronomy My sister joined the astronomy club.
  • constellation We found one constellation on the star map.
  • meteorite The museum let us touch a meteorite.
  • observatory The observatory sits on a mountain top.
  • rotation We timed one rotation of the globe.
  • satellite A weather satellite took this picture.
  • spacecraft The spacecraft landed in the ocean.
  • supernova The poster showed a bright supernova.
  • telescope The telescope stood on three legs.

List 9: matter, short words 10

  • acid The label on the bottle said acid.
  • atom We built an atom model from beads.
  • base We tested whether the soap was a base.
  • gas The balloon was filled with a light gas.
  • ion The teacher wrote the word ion.
  • iron The magnet picked up the iron nail.
  • mass We measured the mass of the rock.
  • metal The spoon is made of metal.
  • neon The sign glowed with neon light.
  • zinc The label listed zinc as an ingredient.

List 10: matter, elements 10

  • argon We found argon on the wall chart.
  • calcium Milk cartons list calcium on the label.
  • carbon The word carbon was on the quiz.
  • copper The old penny had a copper color.
  • liquid The liquid in the jar turned blue.
  • matter Everything in this box is matter.
  • mercury Old thermometers held silver mercury.
  • nitrogen The first word on our list was nitrogen.
  • plasma The lamp held a ball of glowing plasma.
  • silicon She spelled silicon without any help.

List 11: matter, forces and light 10

  • axle The toy car has a bent axle.
  • current The switch stops the current in the circuit.
  • force A push is a force we can measure.
  • laser The laser pointer made a red dot.
  • lens The lens made the ant look huge.
  • lever We used a ruler as a lever.
  • prism The prism cast colors on the wall.
  • static My sock stuck to the towel with static.
  • thermal We wore thermal gloves on the field trip.
  • voltage The battery label shows its voltage.

List 12: matter, longer words 10

  • amplitude We marked the amplitude of the wave.
  • insulator Rubber is the insulator around the wire.
  • observation Write one observation in your notebook.
  • particle A dust particle floated in the light.
  • pressure We checked the air pressure in the tire.
  • reaction The reaction made the mixture fizz.
  • reflection She saw her reflection in the pond.
  • refraction The straw looked bent because of refraction.
  • vibration I felt the vibration of the drum.
  • wavelength The diagram labeled one wavelength in red.

How it works

These 120 science words are sorted by branch: life, earth, space and matter. Each branch starts short (cell, core, axis, atom) and ends long (adaptation, troposphere, constellation, refraction). It is a spelling list and teaches no science.

Read the full guide

Scientific spelling word lists by branch

Lists 1 to 3 are life science: cell and spore, then reptile and arachnid, then adaptation and decompose. Lists 4 to 6 are earth science, from silt and mesa to troposphere and anemometer. Lists 7 and 8 are space, from axis and rover to observatory and supernova. Lists 9 to 12 are matter: atom and zinc, then calcium and nitrogen, then forces and light (lever, prism), then long words such as amplitude.

Nine words with a sound-alike

Cell and sell, prey and pray, core and corps, meteor and meatier, base and bass, metal and mettle, axle and axel, current and currant, mantle and mantel. The sentence that is read tells which one is meant.

  • Algae is a plural; the dictionary gives one of them as an alga.
  • Meteor is in List 7 and meteorite in List 8: the longer word only adds ite.

Questions and answers

Is this a list of science spelling words for kids?

Yes. The first list of each branch has short words a young speller can try (root, river, solar, gas), and the last has longer ones for older grades. No grade is fixed, and Edit this list changes any word.

What are the longest science words here?

Constellation has 13 letters; troposphere, observatory and observation have 11 each. Ten words follow with 10 letters, among them anemometer, crustacean and wavelength.

Why are boulder and rainforest missing?

The dictionary also allows bowlder and rain forest, and the test accepts one spelling only. Groundwater and feldspar are out for the same reason.

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