Here are 100 3rd grade spelling words of the kind most eight- and nine-year-olds meet in class. Many have silent letters, like the gh in weigh and caught, or suffixes like -ful and -ly. Words such as through, enough and different are common in kids' writing and often misspelled.
The 3rd grade word list
This list also loads on our spelling Hangman page, since 3rd grade is where spelling gets noticeably trickier.
| Word | Letters | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| afraid | 6 | Feeling scared. |
| beautiful | 9 | Very pretty to look at or hear. |
| build | 5 | To put parts together to make something. |
| careful | 7 | Paying close attention to stay safe. |
| different | 9 | Not the same. |
| enough | 6 | As much as you need. |
| family | 6 | People who are related and care for each other. |
| favorite | 8 | The one you like best. |
| finally | 7 | At last, after a long time. |
| important | 9 | Something that matters a lot. |
| minute | 6 | Sixty seconds of time. |
| notice | 6 | To see or spot something. |
| often | 5 | Many times. |
| picture | 7 | A drawing, painting or photo. |
| question | 8 | Something you ask to find out. |
| really | 6 | Truly or very. |
| remember | 8 | To keep something in your mind. |
| special | 7 | Different in a good way. |
| strange | 7 | Odd or unusual. |
| through | 7 | In one side and out the other. |
| together | 8 | With each other. |
| trouble | 7 | A problem or worry. |
| weigh | 5 | To find out how heavy something is. |
| wrong | 5 | Not right. |
| young | 5 | Not old. |
| caught | 6 | Grabbed something that was moving. |
| early | 5 | Before the usual time. |
| brought | 7 | Carried something to a place. |
| country | 7 | A land with its own leaders. |
| library | 7 | A place where you borrow books. |
| able | 4 | Can do it. |
| actually | 8 | In fact. |
| address | 7 | Where you live. |
| already | 7 | Before now. |
| among | 5 | In the middle of. |
| anything | 8 | Any thing at all. |
| arrive | 6 | To get there. |
| autumn | 6 | The fall season. |
| bicycle | 7 | A two-wheeled ride. |
| breakfast | 9 | The morning meal. |
| breathe | 7 | To take in air. |
| business | 8 | Work or a company. |
| certain | 7 | Sure. |
| choose | 6 | To pick. |
| chocolate | 9 | A sweet brown treat. |
| climb | 5 | To go up. |
| clothes | 7 | What you wear. |
| company | 7 | Guests, or a business. |
| cousin | 6 | A child of your aunt or uncle. |
| daughter | 8 | A girl child. |
| decide | 6 | To make up your mind. |
| dollar | 6 | One hundred cents. |
| during | 6 | While. |
| either | 6 | One or the other. |
| everybody | 9 | All people. |
| excited | 7 | Very happy and eager. |
| fourth | 6 | Number four in order. |
| frighten | 8 | To scare. |
| guard | 5 | To protect. |
| half | 4 | One of two equal parts. |
| happiness | 9 | Feeling glad. |
| heart | 5 | It pumps your blood. |
| hour | 4 | Sixty minutes. |
| instead | 7 | In place of. |
| knife | 5 | A tool for cutting. |
| knock | 5 | To tap on a door. |
| language | 8 | Words people speak. |
| laughed | 7 | Made a happy sound. |
| lightning | 9 | A flash in a storm. |
| listen | 6 | To pay attention to sound. |
| middle | 6 | The center. |
| mistake | 7 | Something done wrong. |
| neighbor | 8 | Someone living near you. |
| nothing | 7 | Not anything. |
| ocean | 5 | A huge salt sea. |
| piece | 5 | A part of something. |
| pleasant | 8 | Nice. |
| promise | 7 | To say you will. |
| quiet | 5 | Not loud. |
| reason | 6 | Why something happens. |
| rough | 5 | Not smooth. |
| science | 7 | Learning how the world works. |
| several | 7 | More than two. |
| since | 5 | From then until now. |
| sometimes | 9 | Now and then. |
| sugar | 5 | A sweet powder. |
| sure | 4 | Certain. |
| thousand | 8 | Ten hundreds. |
| though | 6 | Even so. |
| tomorrow | 8 | The day after today. |
| tonight | 7 | This evening. |
| toward | 6 | In the direction of. |
| twelve | 6 | The number 12. |
| until | 5 | Up to the time of. |
| usually | 7 | Most of the time. |
| vegetable | 9 | A plant you eat. |
| whole | 5 | All of it. |
| women | 5 | More than one woman. |
| world | 5 | The Earth. |
| wrote | 5 | Past of write. |
The -ough and -augh family
Through, enough, brought and caught all use gh, but it sounds different in each one. In enough it sounds like f; in through, brought and caught it is silent. Kids cannot sound these out, so they learn them as whole words. Group them together and play them back to back.
Third grade practice plan
- Step 1
Listen for the ending
Is it -ful, -ly or -ough? Say the word slowly.
- Step 2
Guess the base word
In carefully, find care first, then add the ending.
- Step 3
Review the misses
Replay any word you missed later in the session.
When 3rd graders use this list
- Weekly spelling homework
- Writing journal check
- Test-prep night
- Small reading groups
- Classroom morning work
- Tutoring warm-up
Frequently asked questions
What spelling words do 3rd graders learn?
Third graders often learn words with silent letters, suffixes like -ful and -ly, and common words that break rules, like through and enough. Longer words like remember and important show up too.
Why is through so hard to spell?
Through has seven letters but only three sounds: th, r and oo. The ough part is silent or changes sound in other words. Kids memorize it as a whole word.
How do suffixes help with spelling?
A suffix is an ending added to a word, like -ful in careful. If you can spell care and know the -ful ending, you can spell careful. Spotting the base word makes long words easier.
What does weigh mean, and why the gh?
Weigh means to find out how heavy something is. The gh is silent; it is left over from an older way English was spoken. Eight and neighbor use the same pattern.
How can I help my 3rd grader remember tricky words?
Say the word, spell it aloud, write it, and use it in a sentence. Playing it in Hangman adds one more fun way to see it.
Is my 3rd grader behind if this list is hard?
Not at all; every child is different, and many of these words trip up older kids too. Practice the 2nd grade list for confidence and come back.
Which 3rd grade words are misspelled most?
Through, enough, different and beautiful trip up a lot of third graders. Each has letters you cannot hear clearly. Play those four back to back for extra practice.
What does the ending -ful mean?
The ending -ful means full of. Careful means full of care, and beautiful means full of beauty. Notice that -ful has only one l when it is used as an ending.
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