Essential Spelling Words

At Netherton School we will be testing children on the essential spelling words 3-4 times each year.  It is up to them to learn these words.

The 290 words in the lists below are those that are used most often when we write.  Together they make up about 75% of most writing, so they are very important.  These words have been arranged in alphabetical order and put in lists according to how often they are used.  Because these words are used so often, it is very important that we learn to spell each one.

Work through the lists with your child.  Take your time and ensure that not only the spelling but the meaning and the ability to use the words correctly is understood and maintained over time.

Level 1 (Year 1 & 2 students)
Students who are spelling proficiently at level 1 will be able to spell some high frequency words (Lists 1-3) correctly).

Level 2 (Year 3 & 4 students)
Students who are spelling proficiently at level 2 will be able to spell most high frequency words (Lists 1-4) correctly).

Level 3 (Year 5 & 6 students)
Students who are spelling proficiently at level 3 will be able to spell most high frequency words (Lists 1-7) correctly).

Level 4 (Year 7 & 8 students)
Students who are spelling proficiently at level 4 will have few errors within high frequency words (Lists 1-9).  Year 8 students should have control over the spelling of most commonly misspelt words.

Level 5
Students who are spelling proficiently at level 5 will have few errors within high frequency words (Lists 1-Extension 1).

Essential List 1 (10 words - 25% of writing)
  1. a
  2. and
  3. I
  4. in
  5. it
  6. my
  7. the
  8. to
  9. was
  10. we
Essential List 2 (20 words - 15% of writing)

  1. at
  2. but
  3. for
  4. got
  5. had
  6. he
  7. is
  8. me
  9. of
  10. on
  11. she
  12. so
  13. that
  14. then
  15. there
  16. they
  17. up
  18. went
  19. when
  20. you
Essential List 3 (30 words - 10% of writing)
  1. about
  2. after
  3. all
  4. are
  5. as
  6. back
  7. be
  8. because
  9. came
  10. day
  11. down
  12. get
  13. go
  14. going
  15. have
  16. her
  17. his
  18. home
  19. into
  20. just
  21. like
  22. mum
  23. not
  24. one
  25. our
  26. out
  27. said
  28. some
  29. were
  30. with
Essential List 4 (50 words - 10% of writing)
  1. again
  2. an
  3. around
  4. big
  5. by
  6. can
  7. come
  8. could
  9. dad
  10. did
  11. do
  12. first
  13. food
  14. from
  15. good
  16. has
  17. him
  18. house
  19. if
  20. little
  21. next
  22. night
  23. no
  24. now
  25. off
  26. old
  27. only
  28. or
  29. other
  30. over
  31. people
  32. put
  33. ran
  34. saw
  35. school
  36. see
  37. started
  38. their
  39. them
  40. this
  41. time
  42. took
  43. two
  44. us
  45. very
  46. well
  47. what
  48. will 
  49. would
  50. your
Essential List 5 (50 words - 5% of writing)
  1. am
  2. another
  3. away
  4. bed
  5. been
  6. before
  7. best
  8. brother
  9. called
  10. car
  11. door
  12. everyone
  13. family
  14. five
  15. found
  16. friend
  17. fun
  18. heard
  19. here
  20. know
  21. last
  22. left
  23. log
  24. looked
  25. made
  26. man
  27. more
  28. morning
  29. name
  30. never
  31. once
  32. play
  33. really
  34. room
  35. something
  36. still
  37. thing
  38. think
  39. thought
  40. three
  41. through
  42. told
  43. too
  44. walked
  45. want
  46. way
  47. where
  48. which
  49. who
  50. year
Essential List 6 (70 words - 5% of writing)
  1. also
  2. always
  3. asked
  4. black
  5. boy
  6. bus
  7. cat
  8. coming
  9. cool
  10. dark
  11. decided
  12. dog
  13. eat
  14. end
  15. even
  16. every
  17. eyes
  18. fell
  19. felt
  20. find
  21. four
  22. gave
  23. getting
  24. great
  25. head
  26. hit
  27. how
  28. inside
  29. its
  30. it's
  31. I'll
  32. I'm
  33. jump
  34. knew
  35. later
  36. life
  37. live
  38. lot
  39. lunch
  40. make
  41. minutes
  42. most
  43. much
  44. nice
  45. opened
  46. outside
  47. place
  48. ready
  49. ride
  50. right
  51. run
  52. say
  53. sister
  54. sleep
  55. suddenly
  56. take
  57. tell
  58. ten
  59. top
  60. town
  61. tree
  62. turned
  63. until
  64. wanted
  65. water
  66. while
  67. why
  68. window
  69. woke
  70. yes
Essential List 7 (60 words - 3% of writing)
  1. any
  2. baby
  3. bad
  4. ball
  5. being
  6. bit
  7. boat
  8. bought
  9. camp
  10. dead
  11. died
  12. doing
  13. each
  14. ever
  15. everything
  16. face
  17. fast
  18. father
  19. few
  20. finally
  21. finished
  22. game
  23. girl
  24. gone
  25. ground
  26. guard
  27. hand
  28. happened
  29. happy
  30. help
  31. hole
  32. hot
  33. hour
  34. let
  35. look
  36. many
  37. money
  38. mother
  39. myself
  40. new
  41. parents
  42. picked
  43. playing
  44. presents
  45. road
  46. side
  47. small
  48. sometimes
  49. soon
  50. stay
  51. stop
  52. swimming
  53. tea
  54. than
  55. tried
  56. under
  57. wait
  58. won
  59. work
  60. world
Essential List 8  
  1. aloud
  2. animals
  3. August
  4. Autumn
  5. better
  6. book
  7. calendar
  8. caught
  9. children
  10. destroy
  11. city
  12. diary
  13. eight
  14. engine
  15. escape
  16. exercise
  17. February
  18. film
  19. first
  20. give
  21. half
  22. hear
  23. hoping
  24. hungry
  25. interesting
  26. January
  27. judge
  28. jumped
  29. light
  30. marae
  31. men
  32. might
  33. Mr/Mrs
  34. must
  35. peace
  36. piece
  37. read
  38. remember
  39. round
  40. safety
  41. sailor
  42. sat
  43. Saturday
  44. scissors
  45. sea
  46. should
  47. since
  48. spring
  49. stopped
  50. summer
  51. sure
  52. surprise
  53. then
  54. these
  55. tired
  56. today
  57. usually
  58. weekend
  59. writing
  60. yesterday
Essential List 9
  1. allowed
  2. Atlantic
  3. Auckland
  4. Australia
  5. awhile
  6. believe
  7. breakfast
  8. brought
  9. cannon
  10. caught
  11. centre
  12. chocolate
  13. clothes
  14. couldn't
  15. dictionary
  16. didn't
  17. different
  18. disappeared
  19. doesn't
  20. dollars
  21. don't
  22. English
  23. everybody
  24. everyday
  25. everywhere
  26. excited
  27. favourite
  28. field
  29. friends
  30. front
  31. fruit
  32. grabbed
  33. Hamilton
  34. having
  35. holidays
  36. hopped
  37. hospital
  38. instead
  39. language
  40. lightning
  41. luckily
  42. minute
  43. nearly
  44. New Zealand
  45. Pacific
  46. police
  47. present
  48. probably
  49. quiet
  50. scared
  51. second
  52. sincerely
  53. someone
  54. special
  55. stopped
  56. straight
  57. they're
  58. threw
  59. tomorrow
  60.  video
  61. wasn't
  62. watch
  63. we're
  64. weight
  65. Wellington
  66. weren't 
  67. whole
  68. won't
  69. wonderful
  70. you're
Essential List 10
  1. addition
  2. adventure
  3. alphabet
  4. Antarctica
  5. attack
  6. barrier
  7. beautiful
  8. capital
  9. central
  10. climate
  11. compare
  12. compete
  13. computer
  14. construction
  15. country
  16. courage
  17. cultivate
  18. decided
  19. defence
  20. democracy
  21. disappear
  22. edge
  23. education
  24. election
  25. encourage
  26. enrichment
  27. environment
  28. experience
  29. fraction
  30. garage
  31. geography
  32. government
  33. grammar
  34. graph
  35. honour
  36. imagination
  37. imagine
  38. instruction
  39. journey
  40. juice
  41. junior
  42. justice
  43. landscape
  44. lawyer
  45. manage
  46. material
  47. minister
  48. ministry
  49. natural
  50. nature
  51. neighbour
  52. paragraph
  53. Parliament
  54. passenger
  55. path
  56. position
  57. promise
  58. protection
  59. representative
  60. route
  61. secret
  62. senior
  63. separate
  64. separating
  65. stomach
  66. subtraction
  67. technical
  68. technology
  69. vegetation
  70. wholesale
Extension List 1

  1. acceptance
  2. ache
  3. agreement
  4. analysis
  5. application
  6. ascend
  7. associate
  8. association
  9. atmosphere
  10. audience
  11. automatic
  12. brilliant
  13. business
  14. campaign
  15. celebrate
  16. certificate
  17. circular
  18. coalition
  19. compliment
  20. conclusion
  21. conductor
  22. consequence
  23. continent
  24. council
  25. court
  26. criticise
  27. criticism
  28. cultural
  29. curious
  30. definite
  31. delicious
  32. descend
  33. dissolve
  34. ethnic
  35. existence
  36. experiment
  37. extensive
  38. extraordinary
  39. foreign
  40. forty
  41. future
  42. guitar
  43. horizon
  44. illustrate
  45. immediately
  46. inspiration
  47. instructor
  48. intelligent
  49. introduce
  50. introduction
  51. knowledge
  52. major
  53. majority
  54. manageable
  55. manufacture
  56. Maori
  57. moisture
  58. motivation
  59. navigate
  60. observation
  61. observe
  62. opportunity
  63. opposition
  64. organisation
  65. permanent
  66. photograph
  67. physical
  68. pieces
  69. poverty
  70. precious
  71. principal
  72. principle
  73. problem
  74. quality
  75. quantity
  76. receipt
  77. receive
  78. recognise
  79. reign
  80. responsibility
  81. schedule
  82. scheme
  83. serious
  84. settlement
  85. similar
  86. social
  87. source
  88. strategy
  89. success
  90. successful
  91. suitable
  92. surgery
  93. surround
  94. thoughtful
  95. thoughtfulness
  96. tough
  97. traffic
  98. trouble
  99. university
  100. wealth


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