Year 1 spelling words
194 words in 6 groups.
Year 1 spelling is about linking sounds to letters: short vowel words, consonant blends and digraphs, plurals, and the first common words that break the rules.
This is our own word bank, informed by the Australian Curriculum v9.0 spelling progression, with some words from England's National Curriculum statutory lists. It is not an official list and is not endorsed by ACARA or any other education authority. Words are shown in British English spelling (colour, centre), alphabetically within each group; learners who choose American English see the American spelling automatically.
CVC words 90 words
Short consonant-vowel-consonant words such as cat or sun, where every letter makes one sound. The first step in matching sounds to letters.
- bag
- bat
- bed
- beg
- box
- bud
- bug
- bus
- cab
- cat
- cob
- cod
- cot
- cup
- cut
- dad
- dig
- dog
- dot
- fan
- fig
- fin
- fog
- fox
- fun
- hat
- hem
- hen
- hit
- hop
- hub
- hug
- hut
- jam
- jet
- jog
- jug
- kid
- kit
- lap
- leg
- lid
- log
- lot
- man
- map
- men
- mop
- mud
- net
- nod
- nut
- peg
- pen
- pet
- pig
- pin
- pit
- pod
- pot
- ram
- ran
- red
- rib
- rod
- rub
- rug
- run
- sad
- set
- sip
- sit
- sum
- sun
- tag
- tap
- ten
- tin
- top
- tub
- van
- vet
- wax
- web
- wet
- wig
- win
- yes
- yet
- zip
Tricky words 40 words
Common words that don't follow the usual sound-to-letter rules, so they have to be learned by sight and practice.
- all
- and
- are
- at
- be
- but
- can
- come
- day
- for
- go
- has
- he
- here
- in
- is
- like
- little
- look
- me
- my
- no
- of
- on
- one
- our
- put
- said
- see
- she
- the
- they
- to
- up
- was
- way
- we
- will
- with
- you
Consonant blends 21 words
Two consonant sounds side by side, each still heard, as in frog, stop or clap.
- brag
- clap
- club
- drum
- flag
- frog
- glad
- grin
- plan
- plum
- skip
- slam
- snap
- spot
- stem
- step
- stop
- swan
- swim
- trap
- trip
Digraphs 21 words
Two letters that make one new sound, as in ship, chat or thin.
- bath
- bench
- chat
- chin
- chip
- chop
- dish
- moth
- much
- pinch
- rich
- rush
- shed
- shin
- ship
- shop
- shut
- that
- thin
- this
- wish
Plurals 19 words
More than one: adding s or es, changing y to ies, and the irregular ones that change completely.
- bags
- birds
- cars
- cats
- cups
- dogs
- eggs
- hats
- hens
- mats
- nets
- pans
- pens
- pigs
- pots
- tens
- tops
- vans
- webs
Compound words 3 words
Two words joined into one, such as playground or sunflower. Spell each part, then put them together.
- catfish
- hilltop
- sandbox
Year 1 spelling questions
How many Year 1 spelling words are there?
Our Year 1 word bank has 194 words, in 6 groups such as cvc words, tricky words, consonant blends.
Is this an official Year 1 spelling list?
No. The Australian Curriculum v9.0 describes the kinds of spelling knowledge children build each year but does not publish a word list. This is our own selection, informed by that progression. It also includes some words from England's National Curriculum statutory spelling lists (Years 3 to 6). It is not produced or endorsed by ACARA or any other education authority.
Are the words spelled the American way?
This page shows the library in British English (colour, centre). Learners who choose American English when they sign up are given the American spelling (color, center) and its example sentences automatically.
How can my child practise these Year 1 words?
Every Spell Kingdom game draws from this word bank for the year the learner has chosen, and words a child misses come back more often. On the Family plan a parent can also type in this week's school list.
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Make a free account in a minute. No email address is needed, and children only ever use a nickname.