5th Grade  Vocabulary Words

Use these 5th grade vocabulary words to enrich your students' learning, as well as their written and spoken language skills. Words appear first in alphabetical order.

Below this big list, you'll also find 100 of the words arranged in ten categories. I've created an engaging printable page that students will use and refer back to frequently throughout their fifth grade year.

5th Grade Vocabulary Words

Printable list of 200 5th Grade Vocabulary Words

Teacher's Tips: 

As a former sixth grade teacher, I know my job would have been much easier, if most of my incoming students had known these words...or even HALF of them! I realize that 200 5th grade vocabulary words is a lot to put on students all at once. So here are a few tips:

• When possible, introduce new words naturally in discussions and in reading materials
• Introduce no more than 10 new vocab words at a time to fifth graders
• Use the shorter list below, and the engaging printable page to help!
• See my guide below to more ways to use these words

Shorter List of 100 Fifth Grade Vocabulary Words

I've chosen 100 words from the big list above and arranged them in useful categories to help students quickly understand their meanings. Students can keep their own copies of the list in their desks, notebooks, lockers or at home to review frequently.   

Here's a peek at the printable page. The full version also appears below. 

Snorkeling

Sports: racquetball, croquet, snowboarding, slalom, curling, triathlon, archery, rugby, volleyball, snorkeling

Places: canal, canyon, isthmus, plateau, tundra, terraces, savanna, quarry, oasis, megalopolis

Social Studies: constitution, amendment, republic, province, naturalize, commerce, monopoly, longitude, latitude, atomic energy

Science: barometer, satellite, marsupial, plankton, wetland, deforestation, pulley, instinct, stimulus, response

Math: divisibility, congruent, axis, coordinate, probability, simplifying, rhombus, trapezoid, vertex, metric

Chomp!

Adjectives: heroic, legible, hilarious, equivalent, significant, vertical, horizontal, hostile, scarce, edible                             

Verbs: chomp, accomplish, investigate, hesitate, huddle, tremble, nudge, identify, cherish, affirm

Adverbs: curiously, merrily, anxiously, punctually, awkwardly, diligently, fervently, quizzically, jubilantly, victoriously

Papaya

People: archaeologist, cartographer, descendant, software engineer, diplomat, paralegal, geologist, electrician, historian, pioneer

Fruits: kiwi, mangoes, apricot, passionfruit, nectarine, avocados, coconut, kumquat, pomegranate, papaya

A Guide to Using These Vocab Words:

Choose from these extension activities to give your child/students extra practice with the 5th grade vocabulary words. Add more activities of your own. 

1) Find one pair of adjectives on the list with opposite meanings. Can you find another pair of words from a different category with similar meanings? How are the word pairs alike? How are they different?

2) Research the jobs of a diplomat, a cartographer and a geologist to find out what each one does, if you don't know already. Write a few sentences about which career you would choose of these three, and why. 

3) Write a sentence or two about some of these topics:

• Do you know if you are the descendant of a famous person? If so, whom? Why is this interesting to you?
• Which is your favorite fruit on the list, and why? 
• Suppose you had 9 cards each numbered from 1 to 9. If you randomly select one card with your eyes closed, is there a greater probability of selecting an odd-numbered card or an even-numbered card? Why?
• What amendment would you like to add to the U.S. Constitution? Why?
• Write a few sentences about your first time trying the slalom. Your sentences can be fiction or non-fiction.
• Write about a time that your or someone you know acted in an heroic manner. 

4) Work with a partner or family helper to write a one-page article about your favorite marsupial. Draw a picture to go with your article. 

More Fifth Grade Resources

5th grade spelling words - A gigantic list of 300 words typically included in fifth grade spelling programs. Use these for making your own spelling word games, worksheets or extra oral practice. 

5th grade lesson plans - Spelling dictation has never been so simple for teachers and parents! I've written 30 ready-to-go sentences using lots of words on the 5th grade spelling word list. Dictation lessons give students practice with listening, writing and spelling. What could be better?  After you've tried my sentences, write your own sentences using some of the words on this 5th grade vocabulary list. 

Fifth Grade Spelling Words and Activities will provide excelling spelling practice with 240 grade-level words across 12 topical units. Lots of different activities are provided to make learning enjoyable. Learn more and download free sample pages here.

5th Grade Writing Prompts, Set #1 - Tell us about your magic frog act. Tell us how to measure the number of grains of sand in a teaspoon. Tell us how to succeed in school.  Your students will enjoy responding to these fifth grade writing prompts for kids! For an extra challenge, require students to use a specific number of words from the 5th grade vocabulary list in their responses. 

First Two Letters - The first two letters to every answer in this list of brain teasers are either supplied or partially revealed. You only need to finish spelling the words. It's a challenging brain teaser activity for your fifth graders to solve on their own or with a friend. 

Fifth Grade Worksheets

My free worksheets provide more practice with my 5th grade vocabulary list and important grade-level spelling words. Teachers, use these pages to supplement your classroom instruction. Parents, print them out for your kids to get some fun extra practice with important word skills. 

At-TEN-tion!  Complete the spellings of words with the letters TEN on this fun English worksheet. This activity provides great vocabulary and spelling practice for fifth graders and other upper level students. 

 A Snowy Situation - Give students valuable spelling AND vocabulary practice with this engaging worksheet. Fifth graders will test their vocabulary and spelling skills as they read a fun story. They'll need to select the CORRECT word, and also its correct spelling! 

Opposites Unscramble 16 words, then match each on up to an opposite that's also in the list. Fun two-part activity for extra vocab practice

All Vocabulary Lists

Kindergarten Vocabulary Words - 175 engaging, empowering vocabulary words, in alphabetical order, that every kindergartner should be learning. Use our convenient printable page. A second list features 100 of the words in helpful categories such as shapes, feelings, community helpers and more

First Grade Vocabulary Words  1st graders will enjoy this great list of 175 words! Find them first in alphabetical order, then secondly, see 100 of the words in 9 popular categories including sports, people, animals, the outdoors, compound words and more! Use these words to build vocabulary skills in ESL students and every other student, too!   What about desert with a dragon, or lunch with a llama

Second Grade Vocabulary List : 100 words for 2nd grade students to learn and enjoy!  Challenge your second graders with more words to use in their speaking vocabularies.

3rd Grade Vocabulary Words - 200 words to boost your child's spoken and written language skills, arranged alphabetically! Print the complete list from the web page for best results! One hundred of the words also appear in an engaging printable, arranged by helpful topics. 

4th Grade Vocabulary List - 200 4th grade vocab words to keep your students on track all year long! Half of the words are also arranged in meaningful categories to help students with word meaning.

These are lists of spelling words that you may wish to explore with your student. 

• Fourth grade spelling words
• 4th grade spelling bee words
  
• Fifth grade spelling words
• 5th grade spelling lists
• 5th grade spelling bee words
• Sixth grade spelling words

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.

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

Visit my YouTube Channel for fun spelling practice videos!

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AnyWord Spelling Practice Series   Fun Worksheets, games & prompts that work with almost ANY spelling words!

Crossword Puzzles for Kids eBook: 20 new puzzles for grades 3-5.  Most clues written for differentiation. Learn more!

Sixth Grade Word Lists & Activities: 240 Superb words and lots of learning activities! No printer needed. Also available for fifth grade.  Learn more>>