Easy words to spell

The Basic Spelling Vocabulary List

By: Steve Graham, Karen R. Harris, Connie Loynachan

This list was created to help teachers know which spelling words should be taught to kids in grades 1–5. The list contains 850 words that account for 80 percent of the words children use in their writing — the ones they need to be able to spell correctly.

This list was devised to help educators know which spelling words should be taught to children. The list contains 850 words that account for 80 percent of the words children use in their writing — the ones they need to be able to spell correctly.

Mastering this relatively small corpus of words yields a high rate of return. For example, the most common 1,000 words are used 13 times more frequently than the next most common 1,000 words. It also provides teachers flexibility in planning spelling instruction, providing an opportunity to give children the "basics" while supplementing with other spelling words germane to classroom activities.

Grade level for each word was determined based upon difficulty, pattern of occurrence in children's writing across grades, and grade placement on current vocabulary lists and spelling materials.

Words that children have difficulty spelling correctly are marked with an asterisk.

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Graham, S. , Harris, K.R. and Loynachan, C. (1993). The Basic Spelling Vocabulary List. Journal of Educational Research 86(6) 363-368.

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100 Easy Words for Kindergarten to Spell 2022 Kick Start

Table of Contents

Introduction

There are over 171,000 words in the English language, but for everyday speaking, a person should know around 15000 to 20000 words. Nonetheless, even fewer words are used in normal speaking, reading, and writing.
For kindergartners, it is a different story; you cannot overburden them with thousands of words. So, in this article, we will be discussing 100 uncomplicated words for them to spell and remember.
Also, It would be best to take a tour of Spelling Bee Ninja, and you will realize what your kids are missing in English.

100 Easy Words

The particular list we are talking about includes easy words for kindergarten to spell and memorize. Also, these words are selected after taking the cognitive abilities of a kindergartener into account. They are easy for you to teach them and even easier for kids to spell.

Print Table

Use this list in our spelling training  app

As usual this list is available within the SBN app, click the image below to view and download it in PDF format.

Here you have the flash cards ready to be printed and eventually cut to be used in your lessons and word games.

PDF, Flashcards and SBN formats

Here are all the available formats, the last row links to the list directly within our app, use it to take tests and with all the many featured offered by our SBN app.

How do you make them spell?

Numerous spelling exercises exist to help your children learn easy words and spell them. It would help if you take a look at the following spelling exercises:

• Make flashcards and play with words. Also, ask them to remember the previous card words.
• Play spelling bee with a group of kids and award the last one standing. This is a pretty simple spelling bee game and exercise, and it also enables them to boost their confidence with an urge to prove themselves. It works in a group where each kid is standing. Now, when a kid spells wrong, you will ask them to sit down and keep asking the spelling until there is only one left standing.
• Another great way to teach easy words to kindergarteners is to sound them out and ask them to repeat them back to you. In this way, they will learn pronunciation and spelling as well.
• Children love colors, right? So, why don’t you implement colors to the spellings? One of these techniques is called rainbow writing. You will divide the letters of the words and write each letter in a different color. Now colorful letters will be interesting to kids, and they would want to get to know them.
• This one is a pretty simple but effective technique. All you need to do is ask your kids to remember two or three words and learn their spellings. Now, after a while, you will ask them to close the book and speak the words, and they will tell you the spelling. Even if they don’t remember, you should never push them. Take a break and ask them during lunch or dinner. Patience is the key here.

While you are at it, try some of the most innovative English spelling learning apps brought to you by Spelling Bee Ninja – A rising name among English teaching online platforms.

Conclusion

We have provided you with an excellent list of kindergarten words that can be taught at home or in school. Also, you can be creative while teaching them and try to practice different ways and tricks on your kids. Don’t forget to let us know what worked best for your kindergartener. Happy Spelling!

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25 words, the writing of which confuses many

February 23, 2021Education

How to write complex words correctly and remain a literate person.

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You can listen to the article. If it's more convenient for you, turn on the podcast.

1. Traffic

In English, traffic is indeed spelled with a double consonant. However, when borrowing from a foreign language, the second letter is usually lost, which happened with the word “traffic”, so you should write it with only one “f”.

2. Future

The word "future" often gets the letter "u" by analogy with the word "next". But it is easily disassembled into the root bud- and the suffix -usch-. There is simply no place for an additional sign. If spelling is difficult, you can try to remember through the synonym "future". Still, even those who doubt very much will not raise their hand to write “the coming one”.

3. Offline

The word “offline”, like “offshore”, “offside”, which are close to it, lost a double consonant when they were entered into dictionaries, which is typical for borrowings. At the same time, if the spelling “offline” can still be explained by confusion with the original language, then the version “offline” is puzzling: in English, the word is also written without a hyphen.

Check 🧐

• TEST: Together, separate or hyphenated? Write 10 words without mistakes!

4. Rinses

If you're not talking to your washing machine, it's hard to imagine in what situation you might need the word "rinse". But just in case, it’s worth remembering that you need to correctly give out instructions with the word form “rinse”.

5. Producer

Probably, the extra "s" is formed by analogy with the word "director". But in both Russian and English, “producer” is written without doubled consonants.

6. Come

The word has gone through many transformations. In old books, it can be found in the versions "come" and "come". Yes, and the analogy with "go" is clearly visible. However, in dictionaries it is fixed only in one form - "to come."

7. Grapefruit

No matter how much one would like to make "grapefruit" a full-fledged "fruit", this word is pronounced in the same way as in the language from which it was borrowed. Otherwise, the first part of the word would have to be Russified, but “grape fruit” does not sound very attractive.

8. Blogger

For foreign words that extort a second consonant, there is a rule: if there is a single-root word, then you should use only one letter from the double ones. A blogger maintains a blog, so he is not allowed to use extra letters.

9. Hardly

According to Fasmer's etymological dictionary, the unchanging particle "hardly" comes from the word "row", it can be used as a test word. And the “li” particle is always written separately, so do not be lazy to press the spacebar.

10. Imagine

Frankly speaking, the word “imagination” does not exist in the overwhelming majority of dictionaries and literary Russian. But it has a certain semantic connotation and can look cute in colloquial speech. At the same time, one does not need to be a linguist to sob with bloody tears from the "vybrazhuli". So check "imagination" with the word "imagination" and spare other people's eyes.

11. Ice cream

If ice cream means a calorie bomb made from milk or cream, then one “n” should always be written in this word. This noun is formed from an imperfective verb, the letter in such cases is not doubled.

Fill in the letters 🎓

• QUIZ:​ How good are you at spelling double consonants?

12.

In the Italian language, from which the name coffee with milk foam comes, the word cappuccino was generously sprinkled with consonants. But in Russian, none of them is doubled. Therefore, you can nod understandingly when once again instead of cappuccino on the menu you will meet “cappuccino” or “cappuccino”.

13. Mosaic

Whether it's a picture of tightly packed pieces of glass or a children's puzzle, forget about bunnies and write correctly: mosaic.

14. Handwriting

The insidious "d" tries to fit in here, but it has no place in the word "handwriting". Because when you sit down to write a text by hand, you do not intend to emphasize anything, but rather to underline.

15. Bulletin

“Bulletin” is a dictionary word, so you have to memorize it. The fact that it came from the Latin bulla - “ball”, “seal” can help in this.

16. Legitimacy

There are many options for manipulating the word "legitimacy", but it's better not to do this and just remember how it is spelled.

17. Realtor

It is difficult to avoid confusion with the word realtor. Office programs do not underline it in red in any spelling, the “Russian Guild of Realtors” insists on the letter “e” in its name, and even the authors of dictionaries cannot come to a consensus. And yet, in the most authoritative Russian spelling dictionary of the Russian Academy of Sciences, edited by Lopatin, the form “realtor” is fixed, it is better to stick to it.

18. Registration

The check word “register” will help you find out which letter is hidden in place of an unstressed vowel and will prevent you from writing “registration” incorrectly.

19. Gynecologist

Gynecologist is not related to the word "gene", but is very closely related to the Greek "gyneka" - "woman".

20. Gastarbeiter

Remembering how the word "guest worker" is written is simple: in German gastarbeiter consists of two parts: gast - "guest" and arbeiter - "worker".

21.

Another word from the German language, where the letters tend to get mixed up. "Colander" comes from durchschlagen, which breaks down into durch - "through", "through" and schlagen - "hit". But if the etymology does not help to remember the correct order of the letters, you can go the associative way, especially since the word is so consonant with a popular curse word.

22. Calories

The word "calorie" was borrowed from French. Calorie entered the Russian language practically unchanged, there are no double consonants in it.

23. Vinaigrette

The name of the salad comes from the French vinaigre - "vinegar", and it - from the word vin - "wine". This makes it easier to remember how to properly describe the vegetable mixture. As for the second vowel in a word, it is enough to remember that it does not coincide with the first. Then you will write "vinaigrette" without a single mistake.

24. Shopping

In English, shopping is spelled with a double consonant, and many people want to transfer the two "p" and into Russian. Fight this desire and remember that there are words with the same root, for example, a shop tour. And if they use only one "p", then in "shopping" you do not need to double the consonant.

25. Terrorist attack

The abbreviation of the phrase “terrorist act” begs for a second consonant, but you should not negotiate with him. According to the rules for the formation of abbreviations, only one of the two consonants is written in them. Therefore, it is correct to write "terrorist attack".

What words do you stumble over? Write in the comments.

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• 12 borrowed words that are easy to make mistakes
• 20 words that even literate people spell incorrectly
• “From that” or “from that”? 19 words and combinations that are easy to misspell

20 words that even literate people spell incorrectly

January 30, 2021Education

A new portion of literacy with life hacks that will help you remember all the difficult cases.

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1. Offhand

Wrong: offhand.

So it incites to divide the word into two parts, but this is a mistake. It answers the question "How?" and is an adverb, therefore it is written together. But it is easier to remember by synonyms that cannot be written separately: approximately, arbitrarily.

2. Subscription

Wrong: subscription.

For some reason here and there they offer to buy a "subscription". Indeed, the ill-fated “and” is heard in the word. There is no way to check the spelling, because the lexeme is a dictionary one. But you can remember if you pick up a paronym-rhyme with the letter "e" - the subscriber. In both cases, the letter "and" is not the place.

3. Next

Wrong: next.

The difficulty arises because the letter "u" is not heard in oral speech. To avoid making a mistake, just silently say to yourself: “I follow th means next th .

4. Future

Wrong: future.

By the same principle as above, it is easy to remember the spelling of this word: "I will be - hence the future."

5. Cardinal

Wrong: cardinal, cardinal.

Whatever variants of this word the Internet has seen, even with a double “o” at the beginning. But once and for all remember how it is spelled, the "Etymological Dictionary of the Russian Language" by Max Fasmer will help. "Cardinal" comes from the Latin word cardinalis, which means "principal". The letter "a" is written in both cases.

6. Boycott

Wrong: boycott.

The letter “o” in this word is not perceived by ear, hence all the problems. You can understand why it is still written differently from its origin. We borrowed the word from the English language, which it entered thanks to the Irish estate manager Charles Boycott (Charles Cunningham Boycott). He was too demanding, and in 1880 the land tenants refused to pay him, declaring a boycott. The man received an unflattering fame, and we - the letter "o" in this word.

7. Grand Prix

Wrong: Grand Prix, Grand Prix, Grand Prix.

For those who know French, the hyphen may seem superfluous here. And even the unnecessary "d" strives to get in the way. Because in the original it looks like this: grand prix. But in this case, the borrowed word has two roots: -Gran- and -pri- . In a foreign language, each of them can exist independently; in the Russian Grand Prix, it is a compound word. Because it is composed of two roots, and a hyphen is necessary between them.

8. Linoleum

Wrong: lenolium, linoleum, linoleum.

Poor flooring has been suffering from writing, it seems, since its inception. Unfortunately, there is no way to check the spelling. But let's turn to the original composition of linoleum, it lies in the name itself. From the Latin linum is translated as "flax", and oleum - "oil". By combining these two words, we get the only correct spelling.

9. Low visibility

Incorrect: hardly noticeable.

I really want to break the word into two parts, and this is even understandable: there are two roots here - -small- and -notice-. But then the question arises where the letter “o” came from. Everything is very simple: it is an interfix and just connects two roots, making the word complex. Therefore, we will write it together, like other compound adjectives.

10. Quintessence

Wrong: quintessence, quintessence.

Sometimes you really want to show off your knowledge and use a smart word, but it's easy to get the opposite effect in writing. However, as soon as we break the lexeme into two parts, everything falls into place. From Latin quinta essentia is translated as "fifth essence". The word "essence" is also probably familiar to you, and the "e" at the beginning is perfectly heard. Only now the doubled “s” will have to be remembered, there is no way to check it.

11. Periphery

Wrong: periphery.

Russian prefix re- is asking to appear in this word, but in fact -periphery - is the root. The history of its occurrence will help us not to make a mistake. The word comes from the Greek periphereia - circle, where per i means "around".

12. History

Wrong: history.

There is a simple rule in Russian. If the prefix ends with a consonant, and the word begins with "i", then "s" is placed between them. An example in which this is clearly heard is "under y skat”, but “by and skat”.

13. Manager

Wrong: manager.

And again, the insidious letter "u" is lost during pronunciation. But we find it in the same easy way as above: "I will start and - that means I will start and sch. "

14. Cholesterol

Wrong: cholesterol.

As with most words that are not native to our language, there are difficulties with it. Cholesterol is a special fatty substance found in bile. The origin of the word is Greek, and chol e just means "bile". In Russian, -hole- is one of the roots.

15. Incident

Wrong: incident.

This Russified foreign word is entirely the root. It is vocabulary and must be memorized. But etymology comes to our rescue again. The word comes from the Latin inc i dentis - happening. In both cases, we write "and".

16. Ingredient

Wrong: ingredient, ingredient.

A complex borrowed dictionary word that is also a whole root. With an "e" at the beginning, errors are rare, but they do occur. The main difficulty lies in the middle. To write correctly, we turn again to the Latin language. Ingredi means "to enter". Therefore, an ingredient is a component of something, that is, a part of it.

17. Cacophony

Wrong: cacophony.

You have experienced this phenomenon many times when a neighbor's child was learning to play the piano or someone was doing renovations nearby. But not many people know how to write a word correctly. To remember why “a” is written, the Greek language will help us. It contains the word kakos, translated as bad, bad. In principle, it is true - the pleasant sounds of kakos will not be called.

18. Canape

Wrong: canape.

This French word - canapé - means not only a small sandwich, but also a wide chair or sofa. How furniture became small sandwiches - history is silent. But it is known that a mistake is often made in the word.

19. Excessive

Wrong: oversized.

The extra letter "e" suggests itself, because we are used to seeing the word "through" as a preposition.

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