Spelling words · 3rd grade
3rd grade Spelling Words
8 lists covering prefixes, suffixes, plurals and homophones. Every list plays as a game.
3rd grade spelling word lists
| List | Words | Tip |
|---|---|---|
| ou and ow (as in cloud, cow) | cloud, shout, found, mouth, house, count, cow, town, brown, crowd, flower, power | ow often ends a word or comes before n or l; ou is usually in the middle. |
| oi and oy | coin, point, boil, soil, voice, noise, boy, toy, enjoy, royal, loyal, destroy | oy at the end (boy), oi in the middle (coin). |
| Soft c and soft g | city, circle, face, race, place, nice, gem, giant, cage, page, large, bridge | c and g go soft before e, i or y: city, gem, gym. |
| Plurals: -s, -es, -ies | boxes, wishes, classes, lunches, babies, cities, stories, puppies, keys, toys, leaves, wolves | Add -es after s, x, ch, sh. Consonant + y? Change y to i and add -es. |
| Prefixes un-, re-, dis- | unhappy, unlock, untie, redo, reread, return, dislike, disagree, discover, unfair, rewrite, unsafe | Spell the prefix, then the whole base word. Nothing gets dropped. |
| Suffixes -ful, -less, -ly, -ness | careful, helpful, hopeful, fearless, homeless, quickly, slowly, kindness, darkness, happily, sadly, useful | Add the suffix to the base word. Only y changes: happy → happily. |
| Homophones | their, there, they're, to, too, two, hear, here, write, right, know, no | Same sound, different spelling and meaning. Learn them in pairs. |
| Silent letters: kn, wr, mb | knee, knife, knock, know, write, wrong, wrist, wrap, lamb, climb, thumb, comb | The first or last letter is silent but still has to be written. |
What 3rd grade spelling covers
Third grade spelling grows longer words from parts: prefixes like un- and re-, suffixes like -ful and -ness, and the plural rules. It's also the year of homophones: their, there, they're.
How to learn 3rd grade spelling words
Unhelpful is un + help + ful. Spell each part and glue them together. Almost nothing changes at the joins.
c and g go soft before e, i or y: city, gem, gym. Before a, o or u they stay hard: cat, goat.
Here has ear in it (you hear with your ear). There has here in it, and both are places.
Play the 3rd 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 3rd grade lists
Free to play · no signup · works on phones, tablets and computers
Quick quiz: which spelling is right?
3rd grade spelling FAQ
What age is 3rd grade spelling for?
Ages 8–9, usually 3rd grade (Year 4 in the UK).
How many spelling words should a 3rd grader learn a week?
Usually 12 to 20 words, built around one or two patterns plus a few tricky words.
What are good 3rd grade spelling bee words?
Start with the hardest list above (Silent letters: kn, wr, mb), 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