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3rd Grade Spelling Words & Activities

3rd grade spelling word list

My big list 3rd grade spelling words, the myriad of worksheets, and the variety of learning activities will provide you with lots of help for this important year. Word lists are carefully selected to be on target for your third grade class or student. I've combed through dictionaries, grade-level textbooks, and other important online resources. 

Choose the classroom aids that are most pertinent to your situation from the list below. You'll find them sorted into these categories:


Seek a Word Puzzle Free -Three Word Search

NEW! Seek-a-Word Puzzles Free for Classroom Fun! This fun-filled shape holds 25 nouns from my list of third grade spelling words. How quickly can your active students find them all? This page works well at home, and with second and fourth graders, too!



Lists of 3rd Grade Spelling Words 

3rd grade girl at desk with pencil

3rd grade spelling words - 200 words that third graders learn because they will be using them this year! These words are used throughout my games, worksheets and activities. Your students will find them throughout their subject matter texts as well. 

Dolch words - Complete list of Dolch sight words for preprimer - 3rd grades. By third grade, your students need to master all of these. If they still need practice, be sure to download these lists and give your students all they help they need...NOW. 

bee surrounded by letters SPELLING

Spelling bee words for third grade - 100 words to start your classroom spelling bee practice or competition. This shorter list is arranged from easiest to most difficult. So use it for your own classroom bee, or for a study aid for your most motivated speller. If it's not challenging enough, try this list of 4th grade spelling bee words. 

Tricky Elementary Spelling Words - Students in grades 2-5 sometimes need extra practice with these 100 commonly misspelled words. Use these frequently in homework and board work to strengthen your students' spelling skills.

3rd Grade Vocabulary Word List from www.spelling-words-well.com

3rd Grade Vocabulary Words - 200 words to boost your child's spoken and written language skills, in alphabetical order! These words can challenge your best students. Use them again and again in everyday conversation.  See how many your child knows and can use fluently. 100 of the words are also arranged in meaningful categories to facilitate learning.

3rd Grade Activities - 25 spelling dictation sentences and full instructions. Use a few of these each week to provide students with extra practice in writing, spelling and using spelling words in context. 


Spelling Games

busy bee

Spelling Bee Games - Try one of my new Silent Spelling Bee variations. A fun--and quiet--twist on  a classic game! Yes, it's possible to spell silently -- with the help of some dry-erase boards, or even paper and pencil! I think you'll really like these two variations.

Another Spelling Bee Game - Students step up to victory as they help their team advance in this fun new game. If your students are preparing for a spelling bee, this is a fun way to give them extra practice in spelling aloud. Even  if your students are not headed into a big competition, it's a great way to add variety to your spelling practice routine anytime of year!

Free spelling games gameboard for "Shady Spelling"

Free spelling activities for two players - "Shady Spelling"  Printable game boards for two players. I've created game boards at three different levels based on my own graded spelling lists. Players identify correctly and incorrectly spelling words. Use the link for printable game boards and complete playing

Double the Fun - To double or not to double the final consonant when adding a suffix? This is one of the trickiest new spelling principles for third graders to learn. On this page, I explain the concepts, and present a FUN way to practice them! It's another great game for 3rd grade spelling fun! instructions. 

Find more spelling word games on my other site, Word-Game-World.com

Third Grade Worksheets for Spelling

Mystery Words worksheet

Mystery Words - Students use spelling, phonics and logic skills to uncover two mystery words on this fun worksheet! Careful reading skills are also a must in these Grade 3 worksheets. Kids love solving mysteries, so why not give them some that also build spelling and logic skills?

More Mystery Words - More fun spelling brain teasers!

third grade worksheet - crossword

Third grade worksheets - Printable activities to give your students practice with grade-level words. Contractions and calendar words are covered here. 

Find the Misspellings Crossword  Kids love to find mistakes! To complete this page, they'll need to find one misspelled word in each sentence and write it correctly in the puzzle.

Free easy crossword - Scrambled animals!

Scrambled Animals Crossword - Unscramble the names of 15 well-known animals and write them correctly into the puzzle. It's more fun than a barrel of monkeys!

AnyWord Word Play Worksheets eBook cover

AnyWord Spelling Practice Series - Flexible, customizable reproducibles that work with almost any spelling words. Use each page over and over. Three eBooks in all!

Spell to Write and Read - Ideas for custom-made worksheets so your students can use spelling words in context

Don't miss my brand-new crosswords! I've written a collection of easy crosswords, and some more difficult ones, too. 

Lesson Plans, Tips and Ideas

clock with word ANYTIME written around it

Third grade lesson plans  - Fun, easy-to-use spelling lesson plans that are flexible enough to use throughout the school year

Compound Word Wizards - Fun whole class or large-group activity for practicing compound words

Fun third grade spelling practice ideas - Great ways for kids to help each other practice writing almost any spelling words. Time saver for you!

crossword diagram for third grade spelling

Teaching third grade spelling - Fresh ideas for student-made puzzles and art with weekly spelling words. Delightful activities your students will want to do again and again!

Spelling Homework Ideas- Lots of interesting ways for kids to practice their weekly words!

Author Ann Richmond Fisher

Ann Richmond Fisher is a longtime published educational writer, a former classroom teacher and a former homeschool teacher. Ann's spelling bee resources, graded spelling word lists, spelling games, worksheets, and other language arts resources have become respected around the globe since she launched Spelling-Words-Well in 2010.

Ann is also the creator of www.word-game-world.com.

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AnyWord Spelling Practice eBooks

AnyWord Spelling Practice Series Worksheets, Games and Prompts that work with almost ANY spelling words!


Fun Spelling Worksheets cover

Fun Spelling Worksheets for Grades 1 and 2    50 All-new reproducible pages for early learners!


Gigantic 78 cover

Gigantic Spelling Bee Word Lists with definitions, sentences and languages


Spelling Bee Toolbox Gr 35

Spelling Bee Toolboxes for Grades 3/5 and 6/8   All the resources you need for a successful bee! 


monumental grade 56 cover

Monumental Spelling Bee Word Lists for grades 3/4, 5/6 and 7/8 with definitions, sentences and languages


mammoth grade 34 cover

Mammoth Spelling Bee Word Lists  for grades 3/4, 5/6 and 7/8  with sentences, definitions, and languages


Young Spellers cover

Young Spellers Spelling Bee Word List for Grades 1 & 2 only 


100 Diff Words Vol 1

100 Difficult Spelling Bee Words with Definitions, Sentences and Pronunciations, Volumes 1 and 2


600 Spelling Bee Words list

600 Spelling Bee Words & Sentences for Gr 3/5 & 6/8 Extra words & sentences at two levels