

What are Year 1 Spellings?
Year 1 is a foundation year for spelling, in which students learn fundamental spelling patterns and exceptional words, as well as how to use split digraphs. A few of the techniques will enable the parents/trainers to help their child with Year 1 spelling at home by knowing the curriculum and using practical worksheets and exercises. We have included them in this article.
Let us learn how to implement them and train the children.
Spelling in Year 1 (from Age 5–6)
Your child will learn the alphabet and how to spell a few simple words in Year 1.
Read on to learn about the Year 1 spelling standards from the National Curriculum, as well as how you can help your kid at home.
What will your youngster learn?
Look at the National Curriculum spelling expectations for Year 1 (ages 5–6).
Using the 40+ phonemes they've already learned, they'll spell words.
Children are taught to read and spell using phonics. There are approximately 44 distinct sounds in English. These sounds are referred to as phonemes. English, like most languages, has a code for recording these sounds. One or more letters can be used to represent each phoneme. Learn more about how phonics works here.
Children will learn to spell words that contain these sounds using phonics when they enter elementary school. Because the same sound can be represented in several ways in English writing, they may not always get it properly (for example, 'name' could be spelled 'naim' or 'naym').
Spelling Common Exception Words
The spelling of several English words does not appear to correspond to the phonemes that children have been taught thus far. 'Common exception words' or 'tricky words' are terms used to describe these types of words. In Year 1, students will learn to spell the most often used words in writing. They are as follows:
today, of, said, says, are, were, was, is, I, you, your, they, be, he, me, she, we, no, go, so, by, my, here, there, where, love, come, some, one, once, ask, friend, school, put, push, pull, full, house, our
Spelling the Days of the Week
Children will learn to recite and spell all the days of the week, which are listed below:
Monday,
Tuesday,
Wednesday,
Thursday,
Friday,
Saturday, and
Sunday.
Naming the letters of the alphabet
A child will learn to:
name the letters of the alphabet in the correct order,
comprehend that 'ceiling' and 'sea' use different letters to indicate the same 'ss' sound, utilise letter names to distinguish between alternative spellings of the same sound (for example, to understand that 'ceiling' and 'sea' use different letters to represent the same 'ss' sound).
Adding Some Prefixes and Suffixes to Words
Suffixes are morphemes (groups of letters that have their own meaning) that are appended to the end of a root or root word to alter its meaning. Prefixes are morphemes that are appended to the beginning of a word. During Year 1, students will learn about some of the most common prefixes and suffixes for changing a word's tense:
Using the prefix un- with -ing, -ed, -er, and -est where no change in the spelling of root words is required, adding -s or -es as the plural marker for nouns and the third person singular marker for verbs.
Using the spelling rule for adding -s or -es as the plural marker for nouns and the third person singular marker for verbs. For instance, helping, assisting, and assisting.
How to Help Your Children at Home?
You may help your Year 1 child with spelling in a variety of ways. Here are some of the best suggestions.
1. Work on phonics
At the outset of primary school, your child will learn to spell primarily through phonics. You can use phonics to help your youngster spell a word by breaking it down into distinct sounds and then connecting those sounds to alphabet letters.
Reminding children to segment the word 'frog' into its four sounds – 'f' 'r' 'o' 'g' – may seem like a simple technique to help them with spelling, but repetition is essential if it is to become second nature.
2. Spelling Homework Help
Some schools send spelling words home for Year 1 students to master, while others rely only on phonics sessions to teach spelling. If your child receives a list of words to study (say for a spelling exam), assisting them in learning them might be really beneficial. If they're having trouble remembering them, you could:
Make connections to the phonics they've learned by drawing their attention to any patterns or clusters of letters in the words:
'Which letters make the 'ay' sound in this sentence? Yes, exactly like in 'gain' and 'Spain,' it's the 'ai'. Isn't that distinct from the 'ay' sound in 'play'?'
Use a lot of pronunciation. Encourage students to say Wed-nes-day as they write on Wednesday. Many words have sounds that aren't usually clearly articulated (such as words ending in -ed), and over-emphasizing these while writing them out will help your child remember the spelling.
Make a list of the terms that your child needs to remember how to spell. The process of writing the words by hand helps children remember the spelling and encourages them to consider the letters that reflect the sounds in the word. It's not as effective to type the words onto a computer or iPad.
Ask your child to highlight the problematic parts of a word to draw their attention to them. Show them that stated contains the letter 'ai' in the middle and encourage them to write the word, then highlight or underline this section to assist them remember. For primary-aged students, few resources are more motivating than a highlighter pen!
3. Play spelling games
Playing games can assist children in learning to spell in a fun way. There are some fun and easy games. Watching those can help you to help on 'How can I teach my child with grammar, punctuation, and spelling?'
Some of the examples are given below.

Common exception words for Year 1
Traditional games like hangman, as well as online games like Word Worm, can be stimulating. It's also a lot of fun to make up silly sentences. Encourage your child to make up a silly statement using as many words from their spelling list as they can.
For example, your child may be required to learn the phrase "room took hoop foot book." They may make up a funny statement like, "The boy carried his book across the room but fell over a hoop." Why not make drawings to go along with the sentences?
4. Find the right resources
Learning to spell takes time, and understanding English's complicated spelling system takes even longer. Each child is unique; some children learn to spell quickly, while others take longer. There are numerous free spelling activities available to help students of all levels.
FAQs on Year 1 Spelling Words: Essential Spelling Words for First Graders
1. What kinds of words are typically introduced first when teaching spelling to a Year 1 student?
For Year 1 students, spelling lessons usually begin with simple, foundational words. These include:
- CVC words: These are three-letter words with a Consonant-Vowel-Consonant pattern, like 'cat', 'sun', and 'pen'. They are great for teaching basic letter sounds.
- High-frequency words: These are words that appear very often in reading, such as 'the', 'a', 'and', and 'it'. Many of these are learned as sight words.
2. What are some examples of essential spelling words for a first grader?
Essential spelling words for a first grader often include a mix of simple phonetic words and common sight words. Examples include words like 'he', 'she', 'my', 'see', 'play', 'dog', 'is', 'you', 'go', and 'like'. These words help build a strong foundation for reading and writing sentences.
3. What is the difference between a digraph and a split digraph in Year 1 phonics?
A digraph is two letters that make a single sound, like 'sh' in 'shop' or 'ch' in 'chat'. A split digraph also has two letters (usually vowels) that make one sound, but they are 'split' by a consonant. For example, in the word 'make', the 'a-e' creates the long 'a' sound, split by the letter 'k'. Another example is 'i-e' in 'like'.
4. What makes some spelling words 'tricky' or 'exception words' for Year 1 students?
Tricky words, also known as common exception words, are words that do not follow the standard phonic rules that students are learning. For a Year 1 student who is taught that 'o' makes an 'ɒ' sound (as in 'hot'), a word like 'once' or 'one' is tricky because the letters make unexpected sounds. Other examples include 'the', 'was', and 'said'.
5. Why is it important for first graders to practise using spelling words in sentences?
Using spelling words in sentences is crucial because it moves beyond simple memorisation. It helps a child understand the word's meaning and context. This practice builds vocabulary, improves reading comprehension, and shows them how words function together to express ideas, which is a key goal of learning to write.
6. How do phonics and sight words work together to help a child learn to spell?
Phonics and sight words are two different but complementary strategies. Phonics gives children the tools to 'sound out' and spell new words they encounter. Sight words, on the other hand, involve memorising common but often phonetically irregular words (like 'were' or 'who'). A good speller uses phonics for most words and their memory of sight words for the tricky ones, allowing them to write fluently.
7. What are some simple, fun ways to help a Year 1 student learn their spelling words at home?
You can make learning spellings fun and effective with simple activities. Some great methods include:
- Magnetic Letters: Building words on a fridge or magnetic board.
- Rainbow Writing: Writing each word multiple times in different colours.
- Word Hunts: Finding their spelling words in a storybook or magazine.
- Say and Write: Encouraging them to say the word, sound out the letters, and then write it down.











