4th grade spelling words
5 free lists and 186 words, grouped by spelling pattern. Hear every word, print a practice sheet, or take a test online.
-ture and -sure words
/cher/ is -ture, /zher/ is -sure
treasure, creature, measure, picture…
37 words
ph, gh, -ough, eigh words
Rare spellings: learn them as families
phone, graph, laugh, tough…
36 words
Special plurals
f becomes v before -es; some plurals change the word
leaves, wolves, mice, children…
36 words
Contractions and possessives
The apostrophe marks missing letters, or who owns something
can't, don't, it's, dog's…
39 words
Suffixes -able, -ible, -ous, -ive
Suffixes can change a word's job
dangerous, enormous, readable, visible…
38 words
What spelling words should a 4th grade student know?
Fourth grade covers rarer spellings and trickier forms: -ture and -sure, ph and -ough, special plurals, contractions and possessives, and suffixes like -able and -ous.
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.
