2nd grade spelling words

15 free lists and 534 words, grouped by spelling pattern. Hear every word, print a practice sheet, or take a test online.

ar and or words r changes the vowel's sound star, car, park, farm… 37 words er, ir, ur words Three spellings, one sound: learn which word uses which her, fern, bird, girl… 36 words ai and ay words ai in the middle, ay at the end rain, tail, mail, day… 37 words ee and ea words Two common spellings of long e tree, feet, seed, leaf… 37 words oa, ow, oe words oa in the middle, ow at the end boat, coat, road, snow… 37 words igh, ie, y words igh in the middle, y at the end of short words night, light, pie, tie… 35 words oo, ew, ue words oo has two sounds: moon and book look, moon, food, book… 36 words aw, au, al words aw at the end, au in the middle saw, draw, haul, ball… 38 words ow and ou words ou in the middle, ow at the end cow, town, cloud, house… 38 words oi and oy words oi in the middle, oy at the end coin, boil, boy, toy… 33 words Silent letters kn, wr, mb, gn Some letters are written but not heard knee, know, knock, knit… 30 words Three-letter blends Three consonants, all heard street, string, scrap, splash… 34 words One-syllable homophones Same sound, different meaning: the sentence decides here, their, they're, too… 35 words Doubling before -ed and -ing words One vowel, one consonant at the end: double it hopped, running, swimming, stopped… 34 words Dropping silent e words Drop the e before an ending that starts with a vowel smiled, making, riding, hoping… 37 words

What spelling words should a 2nd grade student know?

Second grade is the year of vowel teams and r-controlled vowels: ai and ay, ee and ea, ar and or. Children also meet silent letters, homophones, and the rules for adding -ed and -ing.

These lists follow the order US structured-literacy programs teach spelling, so each one builds on the last. Schools differ, so use your child's own class list first if they bring one home.

Practicing at home

  • Practice one pattern at a time, so the rule stays in view.
  • Say the word, have your child spell it from memory, then check it together.
  • Keep it short and often. A few words a day is easier to keep up than one long session.
  • Come back to the words they missed a few days later.

FOR GROWN-UPS

Sheets built around your child's tricky words

A list like these is the same for every child. With Hero Membership, Wordstone prints practice sheets from the sounds and words your child finds hard, and a certificate for each spelling unit they master.

  • Practice sheets from your child's own trickiest sounds
  • A certificate for every unit they master
  • Detailed reports and a weekly email
  • One price for the family, up to 4 children
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A sample practice sheet for a hero named BraveOtter42, with the letters ai and ou blanked out of words and sentences to fill in.
Sample practice sheet
A sample certificate of mastery for BraveOtter42, for the spelling of ai and ay.
Sample certificate