Spelling words · 1st grade
1st grade Spelling Words
8 lists covering short vowels, first blends and the magic e. Every list plays as a game.
1st grade spelling word lists
| List | Words | Tip |
|---|---|---|
| Short a | cat, hat, map, bag, can, ran, sad, dad, has, jam, bat, fan | Tap each sound: c-a-t. Three sounds, three letters. |
| Short e and i | bed, red, pen, ten, wet, big, pig, sit, win, his, fish, lip | Say the word slowly and listen for the middle sound: bed vs bid. |
| Short o and u | hot, dog, box, top, mom, bus, cup, sun, run, fun, mud, hug | Mouth open wide for o (hot), relaxed for u (hut). |
| sh, ch and th | ship, shop, wish, chin, chop, much, this, that, with, bath, then, rich | Two letters, one sound. Spot the pair before you write. |
| Beginning blends | stop, frog, clap, flag, drum, grab, plan, swim, trip, spin, snap, slip | Blends keep both sounds: s-t in stop, f-r in frog. |
| -ck, -ll, -ss | back, duck, kick, rock, sock, bell, fill, doll, will, kiss, mess, puff | After a short vowel, k becomes ck and l, s, f double up. |
| Silent e (a_e, i_e) | cake, make, name, game, late, bike, like, time, ride, five, kite, home | The e at the end is silent but makes the vowel say its name. |
| Tricky heart words | the, said, was, you, they, of, one, two, come, some, what, where | These don't follow the rules. Learn the tricky part by heart. |
What 1st grade spelling covers
First grade is about hearing every sound in a short word and writing a letter for each: c-a-t, s-t-o-p. Then come digraphs like sh and ch, where two letters make one sound, and the first taste of silent e.
How to learn 1st grade spelling words
Tap a finger for each sound as you say the word: f-i-sh is three taps, so three sound-spellings. It catches missing letters before they happen.
Said, was, the, you don't play fair. Draw a heart over the tricky part (ai in said) and learn just that bit by heart.
In cake, the e is silent but reaches back over the k and makes the a say its name. Kids love acting out the jump.
Play the 1st grade spelling game
A spelling list sticks when kids pull each word out of memory again and again. The game does that sixty times in ten minutes, and nobody calls it homework.
Every word comes from the 1st grade lists
Free to play · no signup · works on phones, tablets and computers
Quick quiz: which spelling is right?
1st grade spelling FAQ
What age is 1st grade spelling for?
Ages 6–7, usually 1st grade (Year 2 in the UK).
How many spelling words should a 1st grader learn a week?
Usually 8 to 12 words, often one pattern plus two or three heart words.
What are good 1st grade spelling bee words?
Start with the hardest list above (Tricky heart words), then move to the next grade's lists. Spelling bee success is mostly patterns plus the oddballs learned by heart.
Is the spelling game really free?
Yes. The whole game plays free in your browser, with no signup, no ads and no time limit. The Spellcove app is the paid version for iPhone and iPad. It adds every word read aloud, offline play and a parent progress view.
Take the cove with you
The Spellcove app has everything you can play here, plus the parts that need a real app: every word read aloud so kids can practice alone, offline play for car rides, a parent view of which words have stuck, and the full treasure collection.
Coming soon on theApp Store