Vocabulary Words

My lists of vocabulary words can be used with early learners, all the way through more advanced scholars. They are an ideal resource for ESL students.

Each list of vocabulary words comes from several grade-level sources, including textbooks, dictionaries, and popular online resources. I've chosen words your students are sure to encounter. By mastering the meanings of the words on each grade-level list, students will have a "leg up" on comprehending all the content of their grade. 

Word lists can be used in many of the activities listed at the bottom of the page, and even in some of my open-ended eBooks. Start with any grade level, then move up or down, depending on the need of your students. 

Vocabulary Words : Listed by Grade Level

Kindergarten Vocabulary Words  Here's my list of 175 fun, interesting words that all kindergartners should practice to expand their vocabularies! Categories include family, animals, feelings, shapes, foods and more.  Pizza at the playground, anyone? The first list contains all 175 words in alphabetical order. The second shows 100 in the twelve interesting categories. Both lists are printable and free!

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?

2nd Grade Vocabulary Words :  Challenge your 2nd grade students with a BIG list of 200 words to use in their speaking vocabularies. Soon, they will be reading and writing these words, too! An engaging graphic groups 100 of the words into these categories: Calendar, Animals, Science, Math, Foods, Homophone Sets, Adjectives, Verbs, People and Places. Mammals and molecules in motion, oh my!

Find the complete list of words, along with teaching helps and extension activities here. 

3rd Grade Vocabulary Words  200 words arranged alphabetically to challenge your third graders! How many do they know? How many can they use in sentences? How many can they spell? Use these words frequently to enrich and boost your third graders spoken and written language. 100 of the words also appear in a handy printable, arranged in useful categories. Might you need to avoid an ambulance if you had big antlers? Find those words and more on this page!  

4th Grade Vocabulary Words - 200 words to help teach your students math, science, social studies and more! You'll find ten words in each of ten categories to interest your kids/students, plus 100 more! From earthworms to equations, this list is packed with fascinating words to help expand your child's vocabulary!

5th Grade Vocabulary Words - Mega-word list of 200 words! Some are arranged  in ten categories to engage your students in topics such as sports, adjectives, people, places, social studies, fruits and more! How about a game of hilarious racquetball on a tundra with a cartographer? 

6th Grade Vocabulary Words - Improve your students' understanding of LOTS of areas of learning by covering these 200 important words! You'll find many ways to implement these words into your everyday conversations, teaching, and learning. I've also included links to other 6th grade word lists and resources.  You might want to explain a mutineer's strategy to retrieve an amphibious vessel from the ocean. 

7th Grade Vocabulary Words - Here are 240 challenging words to stretch your upper grade students this year! Follow all the tips and extra activities listed to get the most out of this mega list of vocabulary words. From pagodas to emporiums to hatcheries, there's a place for everyone in this compelling list!

NEW! 8th Grade Vocabulary Words - Stretch your own vocabulary as well as your students' with this giant list of 250 challenging words! Lots of extension activities and additional resources are also included. Will you discover any paraphrasable paradigms or vacuous variances?

Vocabulary Activities

Word family 1st grade worksheets  Worksheet and booklet templates so your 1st graders can practice any  word family any time! These flexible worksheets help students learn, they're easy to use, they're reusable, and they're free. What could be better?

Fill-In the Family  In this story-telling worksheet, kids will identify words in the same word family within a sentence, then they will add another word from the same word family to complete the sentence. This is a great way to practice reading comprehension, vocabulary and spelling all in one engaging printable page! Best for grades 1-2.

Starts with A  How many A words do you know? Probably more than you think! This kids' printable crossword puzzle contains eighteen familiar A words. Best for grades 2-4.

Double Z Words  Will you be dazzled by this challenging kids' crossword puzzle? You'll need to find 15  ZZ words that fit the definitions.  Hint: I've just given you two of the answers! Grades 2-5.

A Snowy Situation - Give students valuable spelling AND vocabulary practice with this engaging 5th grade worksheet. Students must identify the correctly spelled word in each pair. Then they will place that word in the sentence where it makes the most sense. I've intentionally chosen frequently misspelled words as I tell a story that takes place in a snowstorm! 

Assembly Job - This 6th grade vocabulary page will challenge your students! The directions are simple. Just reassemble all 24 word parts into 12 larger words.  Try it yourself first to see just how simple it is...or isn't!

Sixth Grade Vocabulary Worksheets  This vocab practice page makes the observation, "It seems that everyone LEAVES just when it's time to rake the LEAVES." Your students will complete eighteen similar sentences by choosing the correct multiple-meaning word. Some are very challenging!

7th Grade Vocabulary and Spelling Boosters  As a teacher or a parent, you always want to keep looking for interesting ways to challenge students who are performing all levels of difficulty.  This page is filled with tips for success!

8th Grade Vocabulary and Spelling Practice  Here's a simple idea that you can use all year long! It works well in the classroom and at home. I've included complete instructions for both settings. 

9th Grade Vocabulary and Spelling Activities  Here's a simple idea for boosting 9th grade vocabulary and spelling skills that you can use anytime throughout the year, with any words. Your students can even help create the 9th grade vocabulary assignments!

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 Worksheets, Games and Prompts that work with almost ANY spelling words!

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