• 112 words

3 Syllable Word List

Three-syllable words sorted by the syllable that carries the stress: first, second or last.

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List 1: stress first, nouns (BI-cy-cle)

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

  1. 1.bicycleLock the bicycle to the metal rack.
  2. 2.galleryThe gallery hung her painting near the door.
  3. 3.libraryThe library lends puzzles as well as books.
  4. 4.presidentThe club president rang a small bell.
  5. 5.medicineThe medicine bottle has a twist cap.
  6. 6.pyramidThe acrobats formed a human pyramid.
  7. 7.radioStatic crackled from the kitchen radio.
  8. 8.videoThe video showed a seed sprouting.
  9. 9.buffaloA buffalo grazed near the gravel road.
  10. 10.recipeGrandma's soup recipe fits on one card.
  11. 11.companyThe moving company sent a huge truck.
  12. 12.galaxyThe poster shows a spiral galaxy.
  13. 13.melodyShe hummed the melody while sweeping.
  14. 14.centuryThe lighthouse is over a century old.
  15. 15.avenueMaple trees shade the whole avenue.
  16. 16.carnivalThe carnival set up tents overnight.
  17. 17.citizenA citizen asked about the new crosswalk.
  18. 18.officerThe officer directed cars around the puddle.
  19. 19.visitorA visitor signed the guest book.
  20. 20.characterMy favorite character is the clever fox.

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All 112 words

List 1: stress first, nouns (BI-cy-cle) 20

  • avenue Maple trees shade the whole avenue.
  • bicycle Lock the bicycle to the metal rack.
  • buffalo A buffalo grazed near the gravel road.
  • carnival The carnival set up tents overnight.
  • century The lighthouse is over a century old.
  • character My favorite character is the clever fox.
  • citizen A citizen asked about the new crosswalk.
  • company The moving company sent a huge truck.
  • galaxy The poster shows a spiral galaxy.
  • gallery The gallery hung her painting near the door.
  • library The library lends puzzles as well as books.
  • medicine The medicine bottle has a twist cap.
  • melody She hummed the melody while sweeping.
  • officer The officer directed cars around the puddle.
  • president The club president rang a small bell.
  • pyramid The acrobats formed a human pyramid.
  • radio Static crackled from the kitchen radio.
  • recipe Grandma's soup recipe fits on one card.
  • video The video showed a seed sprouting.
  • visitor A visitor signed the guest book.

List 2: stress first, two words joined (GRAND-moth-er) 16

  • blueberry One blueberry stained the white tablecloth.
  • bumblebee A bumblebee buzzed inside the foxglove.
  • candlestick Wax dripped down the old candlestick.
  • dragonfly A dragonfly skimmed the still pond.
  • fingernail Chalk dust got under my fingernail.
  • gingerbread We frosted the gingerbread roof with icing.
  • grandfather Our grandfather whittles spoons from birch.
  • grandmother My grandmother knits scarves every autumn.
  • honeycomb Bees sealed the honeycomb with wax.
  • hummingbird A hummingbird sipped from the trumpet vine.
  • jellyfish A jellyfish pulsed slowly through the tank.
  • ladybug A ladybug landed on my sleeve.
  • newspaper Wrap the dishes in old newspaper.
  • sunflower Each sunflower turned toward the morning light.
  • thunderstorm The thunderstorm knocked out the streetlights.
  • waterfall Mist rose from the roaring waterfall.

List 3: stress first, verbs and adjectives (CEL-e-brate) 20

  • calculate Calculate the change from a ten-dollar bill.
  • celebrate We celebrate with noodles and a song.
  • confident He felt confident before the spelling bee.
  • curious A curious goat sniffed my backpack.
  • decorate Help me decorate the gym for the dance.
  • excellent She gave an excellent book report.
  • generous A generous neighbor shared her plums.
  • hibernate The science unit explains why animals hibernate.
  • magical Snow made the playground look magical.
  • memorize Actors memorize their lines before rehearsal.
  • multiply Multiply the rows by the seats in each.
  • organize Let's organize the markers by color.
  • plentiful Acorns were plentiful under the oak.
  • possible Is it possible to fold paper eight times?
  • powerful A powerful wave tipped the canoe.
  • recognize Would you recognize your own handwriting?
  • regular Regular practice made the song easier.
  • serious The puzzle demanded serious patience.
  • similar The two keys look similar but differ.
  • terrible A terrible squeak came from the swing.

List 4: stress on the second syllable (Oc-TO-ber) 20

  • another May I have another slice of melon?
  • beginning Start at the beginning of the alphabet.
  • computer The computer froze during the slideshow.
  • December The recital is planned for early December.
  • deliver Bikes deliver groceries on our street.
  • discover You may discover fossils in that cliff.
  • eleven Eleven candles crowded the small cake.
  • equator The class traced the equator in red.
  • eraser The eraser left pink crumbs on the page.
  • forever The line for tickets seemed to last forever.
  • idea Her idea saved us an hour.
  • imagine Imagine a house built entirely of ice.
  • magician A magician shuffled cards behind his back.
  • November Our scarves come out in November.
  • October Pumpkins line the steps in October.
  • opinion The editor printed my opinion on Tuesday.
  • reporter The reporter scribbled notes in the rain.
  • terrific The view from the tower was terrific.
  • together We carried the long bench together.
  • vanilla Add a spoonful of vanilla to the batter.

List 5: stress second, -tion and -sion (lo-CA-tion) 16

  • collection His rock collection fills two shoeboxes.
  • conclusion Write your conclusion in one paragraph.
  • condition The used bike was in good condition.
  • confusion The swapped name tags caused confusion.
  • connection The loose plug broke the connection.
  • discussion The discussion lasted until the bell.
  • election Posters for the class election covered the hall.
  • emotion Her voice shook with emotion.
  • eruption Ash from the eruption dusted the rooftops.
  • explosion An explosion of confetti ended the show.
  • location Mark the location with an orange cone.
  • pollution Volunteers measured pollution in the creek.
  • position Hold that position until the whistle blows.
  • reflection The lake held a reflection of the pines.
  • solution The solution was hiding in the last clue.
  • tradition Our town has a kite-flying tradition.

List 6: stress on the last syllable (kan-ga-ROO) 20

  • clarinet His clarinet squeaked on the high note.
  • disagree The judges disagree about the winner.
  • disappear Footprints disappear when the tide returns.
  • disobey The puppy did not disobey once.
  • engineer The engineer tested the bridge model.
  • introduce Please introduce your partner to the class.
  • kangaroo The kangaroo bounded across the red dirt.
  • lemonade We sold lemonade from a folding table.
  • overcome She worked to overcome her stage fright.
  • pioneer The pioneer museum displays a covered wagon.
  • rearrange We rearrange the desks every month.
  • recommend Which trail would you recommend?
  • referee The referee checked the net before kickoff.
  • represent Blue dots represent ponds on this map.
  • seventeen Seventeen kayaks lined the riverbank.
  • tambourine Shake the tambourine on every fourth beat.
  • underneath Moss grows underneath the old bridge.
  • understand Now I understand how the lock works.
  • violin She tuned the violin before the concert.
  • volunteer A volunteer handed out paper cups.

How it works

This 3 syllable word list holds 112 words in six lists. The lists go by the stressed syllable, BI-cy-cle, Oc-TO-ber, kan-ga-ROO, and every word has a sentence.

Read the full guide

3 syllable word lists by stress

Lists 1 to 3 stress the first syllable: nouns such as BI-cy-cle and LI-brar-y, joined words such as GRAND-moth-er, then verbs and adjectives such as CEL-e-brate and SE-ri-ous. Lists 4 and 5 stress the second: Oc-TO-ber, va-NIL-la, and words ending in -tion or -sion such as lo-CA-tion. List 6 stresses the last: kan-ga-ROO, vol-un-TEER.

  • The dictionary breaks computer and eraser after the consonant: com-put-er, e-ras-er. Said as com-pu-ter, the word still has three syllables.
  • Favorite, several, interest, violet and piano are left off: the dictionary also gives each a two-syllable pronunciation.

Questions and answers

What are 3 syllable words?

Words the dictionary divides into three syllables, such as bi-cy-cle, Oc-to-ber and kan-ga-roo. Short words can have three as well: i-de-a, ra-di-o, vid-e-o.

Is there a 3 syllable words worksheet?

Each list prints four ways on Letter or A4 paper: the word list with its sentences, a test sheet with numbered lines, an ABC order sheet and a missing letters sheet.

Which 3 syllable words are stressed on the last syllable?

Kangaroo, volunteer, engineer, lemonade, referee and understand are six of the 20 on List 6. Three of the 20 end in -eer, and five begin with dis- or under-.

Where is a list of 2 syllable words?

The multisyllabic word list starts with 80 two-syllable words and goes up to six syllables. The VCCV word list has two-syllable words that split between two consonants, such as rab-bit.

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