![blog-spelling-bee-words-list](png/blog-spelling-bee-words-list.png)
When choosing a spelling bee word list, or training students to compete in a spelling bee, we have to face a simple fact:
Spelling is more than memorization.
There isn’t a big enough list or enough time to have students recall every single word that could be thrown to them.
Instead, we have to present spelling words in a way that teaches a deeper understanding of spelling.
We’ve gathered 100+ spelling bee words and included their syllables, graphemes, phonemes, part of speech and etymology, so you make any student feel like a spelling champion!
Spelling bee word list
WORD | Grade Level | SYLLABLES | PHONEMES | GRAPHEMES | part of speech | Definition | Sentence | ETYMOLOGY |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
pitch | 3 | pitch | p, i, ch | p, i, tch | singluar noun | the level or tune of a sound | She was singing in a different pitch. | |
taken | 3 | tak/en | past verb | to have gotten a hold of; grasped | My dad has taken my game away from me. | |||
cannot | 3 | can/not | present verb | to not be able to do something | I cannot eat dessert before dinner. | |||
stayed | 3 | stayed | past verb | to have been somewhere for a short time | We stayed at a hotel when we were on holiday. | |||
denim | 3 | den/im | irregular noun | a type of material used for jeans | I like to wear denim jeans. | |||
doctor | 3 | doc/tor | singlular noun | a person that treats sick people | I went to the doctor when I was sick. | Latin | ||
gloves | 3 | gloves | plural noun | hand covers to protect hands | I put on gloves before I wash the dishes. | |||
ocean | 3 | o/cean | singular noun | a large area of water covering Earth | The ship sailed over the ocean. | Greek | ||
cadet | 3 | ca/det | singular noun | a person training in the armed forces or police | The cadet was in training to be a police officer. | French | ||
oxen | 3 | ox/en | plural noun | plural of ox, a large domestic animal kept for milk | A herd of oxen were grazing on the grass. | |||
quail | 3 | quail | kw,ai,l | qu,ai,l | irregular noun | a small brown bird | A quail was in the nest. | French |
arch | 3 | arch | ar, ch | ar, ch | singlular noun | a curved top that is held by two supports | You enter the hall through a huge arch. | Latin |
cheese | 3 | cheese | ch,ee,z | ch,ee,se | singlular noun | a food made from milk curd | I like to eat cheese and crackers. | Germanic |
teach | 3 | teach | t, ee, ch | t, ea, ch | present verb | to help someone learn how to do something | He will teach me how to play the game. | Germanic |
liver | 3 | liv/er | singlular noun | an organ in the body that cleans and filters blood | The liver is an organ that filters blood. | |||
river | 3 | riv/er | singlular noun | a natural, large stream of water | The canoe drifted up the river. | Latin | ||
story | 3 | sto/ry | singlular noun | a fictional tale shorter than a novel | My teacher reads us a story every day. | Latin | ||
thank | 3 | thank | th, a, n, k | th, a, n, k | verb | to show you are pleased by something or someone | Please thank her for all her help. | Germanic |
mammal | 3 | mam/mal | singlular noun | an animal that feeds its young with milk from the mother | A mammal feeds its young with milk. | Latin | ||
mammoth | 3 | mam/moth | singlular noun | an extinct elephant covered in long hair and curved tusks | The mammoth lived long ago and had long hair and tusks. | |||
events | 3 | e/vents | plural noun | things that are planned; social occasions or activities | There will be three events to raise money. | |||
facts | 3 | facts | f,a,c,t,s | f,a,c,t,s | plural noun | things that are proven or known to be true | The facts have been proven and are true. | |
people | 3 | peo/ple | plural noun | more than one person | Ten people came to the party. | Latin | ||
once | 3 | once | adverb | one time | I have only been to hospital once. | |||
coming | 3 | com/ing | adjective | about to happen or just beginning | We will have a lot of fun in the coming year. | |||
inside | 3 | in/side | preposition | within a container or room | I want to see what is inside the box. | |||
parents | 3 | par/ents | plural noun | plural of parent, a mother or father | My parents will not let me stay up late. | |||
guard | 4 | guard | g, ar, d | gu, ar, d | present verb | to watch or protect | The dog was set to guard the gate. | Germanic |
lamb | 4 | lamb | l,a,m | l,a,mb | singluar | a young sheep | A baby sheep is called a lamb. | |
wrap | 4 | wrap | r,a,p | wr,a,p | present | to cover by winding or folding | We will wrap the present with green paper. | |
coarse | 4 | coarse | k,or,s | c,oar,se | having a harsh or rough quality | The coarse sand was hard to walk on. | ||
geese | 4 | geese | g,ee,s | g,ee,se | plural | more than one goose | The goose flew over to the other geese in the flock. | |
gel | 4 | gel | j,e,l | g,e,l | singluar | a thick jellylike substance | As the mixture cooled it turned into a gel. | |
gem | 4 | gem | j,e,m | g,e,m | singluar | a cut and polished stone | The precious gem sparkled in the light. | |
rye | 4 | rye | r,igh | r,ye | irregular | a type of grain used in baking | Bread made with rye tastes different to wheat. | German |
touch | 4 | touch | t, u, ch | t, ou, ch | present | to put your hand or fingers on someone or something | Do not touch the wet paint. | |
wreck | 4 | wreck | r, e, k | wr, e, ck | singluar | the remains of a ship or other vehicle | The divers enjoyed diving on the wreck. | |
quiche | 4 | quiche | k, ee, sh | qu, i, che | singluar | a pie made with eggs | We made the quiche with lots of eggs. | French |
foul | 4 | foul | f, ou, l | f, ou, l | extremely unpleasant | There was a foul smell coming from the bathroom. | ||
lure | 4 | lure | l, ure | l, ure | present | to persuade someone to do something by offering something exciting | I tried to lure the dog outside with a bone. | |
chief | 4 | chief | ch, ee, f | ch, ie, f | singluar | a person who is in charge | A new chief of police has just been appointed. | |
gnat | 5 | gnat | n, a, t | gn, a, t | singluar | a small, flying, biting insect | A gnat is a small flying insect which bites. | German |
gnaw | 5 | gnaw | n, aw | gn, aw | present | to bite or chew something repeatedly | My dog loves to gnaw on bones. | German |
quip | 5 | quip | kw, i, p | qu, i, p | singluar | a funny and clever comment | He made a quip and clever comment. | |
raise | 5 | raise | r,ai,z | r,ai,se | present | to lift up | I raise my arm to answer the question. | |
sauce | 5 | sauce | s, aw, s | s, au, ce | singluar | a thick liquid eaten with food | I love to have sauce on my pie. | |
bight | 5 | bight | b, igh, t | b, igh, t | singluar | a curve in a coastline | A curve in a coastline is called a bight. | |
thigh | 5 | thigh | th, igh | th, igh | singluar | the part of the leg above the knee | The thigh muscle is above the knee. | |
balm | 5 | balm | b, ar, m | b, al, m | singluar | a fragrant cream or liquid used to heal the skin | Dad uses a skin balm after he shaves. | |
calm | 5 | calm | c, ar, m | c, al, m | not angry, upset or excited | We have to stay calm if we hear the fire alarm. | ||
weigh | 5 | weigh | w, ai | w, eigh | present | to find out how heavy someone or something is. | I use the scales to weigh the ingredients carefully. | |
Zeus | 5 | Zeus | z,oo(long),s | z,eu,s | noun | the ruler of the gods in Greek mythology | Zeus is the ruler of the gods in Greek mythology. | |
column | 5 | col/umn | noun | one of two or more vertical sections of a printed page | Please read down the left column. | |||
zoology | 5 | zo/ol/o/gy | noun | the study of animals | She wants to study zoology and animals. | |||
corpses | 5 | cor/pses | noun | plural of corpse, a dead body | The ancient corpses were buried thousands of years ago. | |||
cities | 5 | cit/ies | noun | plural of city, a large town | London and Paris are two large cities. | |||
passage | 5 | pas/sage | noun | an alley or pathway | We took a shortcut down the side passage. | |||
including | 5 | in/clud/ing | preposition | part of a particular group or amount | Three people, including myself, are getting an award. | |||
compartment | 5 | com/part/ment | noun | a section of something larger | I keep snacks in the bottom compartment of my bag. | |||
prospector | 6 | pros/pec/tor | noun | a person who searches for valuable substances such as gold or oil | The prospector found a gold nugget. | |||
gouging | 6 | goug/ing | present verb | to make a hole through something in a rough way | The builder was gouging a hole through the wall. | |||
gourd | 6 | gourd | g,or,d | g,our,d | noun | a fruit with a hard rind often used for decoration or for making objects | We used the skin of a dried gourd to make a bowl. | |
support | 6 | sup/port | present verb | to give assistance or comfort | My teacher will support my learning. | |||
advance | 6 | ad/vance | noun | to move forward in a purposeful way | I want to advance to the next level of the game. | |||
balance | 6 | bal/ance | present verb | an even distribution of weight | The toddler lost his balance as he was trying to walk. | |||
cancelled | 6 | can/celled | past verb | for a planned event to not take place | The school sports day was cancelled because of the storm. | |||
canceled | 6 | can/celed | past verb | for a planned event to not take place | The school sports day was canceled because of the storm. | |||
clearance | 6 | clear/ance | noun | the process of removing things | There was a large boot sale after the house clearance. | |||
budget | 6 | budg/et | noun | an amount of money you have available to spend | My parents made a weekly budget for our groceries. | |||
mussels | 6 | mus/sels | noun | edible sea creatures with two black shells that close | The mussels are edible and have black shells. | |||
whether | 6 | wheth/er | conjunction | showing a choice between alternatives | I don't know whether to go to the party or not. | |||
pieces | 6 | piec/es | noun | a part of something | The pizza was cut into eight equal pieces. | |||
rhythm | 6 | rhy/thm | noun | a strong, regular and repeated movement or sound | The dancers all had great rhythm. | |||
exterminate | 6 | ex/ter/min/ate | present verb | to destroy or kill completely | Our efforts to exterminate the cockroaches have failed. | Latin | ||
quarrelling | 6 | quar/rel/ling | present verb | arguing angrily | The quarrelling students were sent to detention. | Latin | ||
possibility | 6 | pos/si/bil/i/ty | noun | a chance that something may or may not happen or exist | There is a possibility that it will snow on the weekend. | |||
chaos | 6 | cha/os | noun | complete confusion and disorder | Computer failure caused chaos at the airport. | Greek | ||
orchestra | 6 | or/ches/tra | noun | a large group of musicians who play many different instruments together and are led by a conductor | She played the violin in the school orchestra. | Greek | ||
category | 6 | cat/e/go/ry | noun | a group of people or things that are similar in some way | He competed in the race in his age category. | Latin and Greek | ||
originated | 6 | o/rig/i/nat/ed | past verb | began to exist | The waltz originated in Vienna. | |||
geography | 6 | ge/og/ra/phy | noun | the natural features of an area | In class we have been studying the geography of the local area. | Greek | ||
sapphire | 6 | sap/phire | noun | a clear bright blue gemstone | She received a sapphire ring on her sixteenth birthday. | Greek | ||
squadron | 6 | squad/ron | noun | a military unit consisting of soldiers, ships or aircraft | The squadron of bombers returned to their base. | Italian | ||
fatigue | 6 | fa/tigue | noun | extreme tiredness | She was suffering from the fatigue after the long hike. | French | ||
recruit | 6 | re/cruit | present verb | to find new people to take part in an event or join a group or team | We had to recruit more players for our team. | French | ||
whirligig | 6 | whirl/i/gig | noun | a child's toy that spins rapidly | A spinning top is an example of a whirligig. | Middle English | ||
chaperone | 7 | chap/er/one | noun | a person who goes with and is responsible for a group of young people | My father volunteered to be a chaperone at the next school dance. | French | ||
charade | 7 | cha/rade | noun | something that is done in order to pretend something is true when it is not really true | They continue the charade until it wasn't fun anymore. | French | ||
chassis | 7 | chas/sis | noun | the base frame that a car or other vehicle is built on | The chassis of the car was damaged in the accident. | French | ||
chivalry | 7 | chiv/al/ry | noun | very polite, honest and kind behaviour | I love listening to stories of knights and their chivalry. | Latin | ||
cliché | 7 | cliche | noun | a phrase that has been used so often that it is no longer original | Time flies when you are having fun is an example of a cliché. | French | ||
machinery | 7 | ma/chin/er/y | noun | machines of a particular kind or machines in general | The farm machinery is kept in the barn. | |||
peasants | 7 | peas/ants | noun | in history a person of a low social class of farm workers and owners of small farms | The land was farmed by peasants for hundreds of years. | Latin | ||
perimeter | 7 | per/rim/e/ter | noun | the outside edge of an area, surface or flat shape | Soldiers guarded the perimeter of the camp. | Greek | ||
persuade | 7 | per/suade | present verb | to cause someone to do something or believe something by asking, arguing or giving reasons | I am trying to persuade my parents to increase my pocket money. | Latin | ||
thermometer | 7 | ther/mo/me/ter | noun | a device used to measure temperature of a person's body or the air | Mum used a thermometer to see if I had a fever. | French | ||
toupee | 7 | tou/pee | noun | a small wig that is worn by a man to cover a bald spot on his head | The actor was wearing a black toupee on his head. | French | ||
camouflage | 7 | cam/ou/flage | noun | the way some animals are coloured or shaped so they can not be seen in their natural surroundings | A stick insects colour and shape helps it to hide in a tree. | French | ||
limousine | 7 | lim/ou/sine | noun | a large, expensive car often driven by a paid driver | The bride and groom hired a limousine for their wedding day. | French | ||
gargoyle | 7 | gar/goyle | noun | a stone object in the shape of the head of an ugly creature, usually seen on the roofs of old buildings | A row of gargoyles perch on the roof in front of the church. | Old French |
Need help with spelling in your class?
We’ve got you covered – check out our extensive guide on How to teach spelling or read the secret to teaching students to memorize 48,000 words.