year 1 spelling homework

Spelling in Year 1 (age 5–6)

In Year 1, your child will learn about the alphabet and will learn to spell some basic words.

Read on to discover the National Curriculum expectations for spelling in Year 1, and to find out how you can support your child at home.

What your child will learn

Spelling words using the 40+ phonemes they have already learnt.

Phonics is a way of teaching children to read and spell. English is made up of around 44 different sounds. We call these sounds phonemes . Like most languages, English has a code for how we write these sounds down. Each phoneme can be represented by one or more letters. Find out more about how phonics works:

When they start primary school, children will learn to use phonics to spell words that contain these sounds. English writing sometimes represents the same sound in different ways, so they might not always get it right every time (for example, they might spell ‘name’ as ‘naim’ or ‘naym’).

For a full list of the sounds that children will learn to spell in Year 1, take a look at the National Curriculum spelling appendix .

Spelling common exception words

In some English words, the spelling of the word doesn’t appear to fit with the phonemes that children have been taught so far. These are often called ‘common exception words’ or ‘ tricky words ’. In Year 1, children will learn to spell the ones that are used most often in writing. They include:

the, a, do, to, today, of, said, says, are, were, was, is, his, has, 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

To practise spelling common exception words, download our Year 1 common exception words worksheet .

Spelling the days of the week

Your child will learn to recite and spell the days of the week: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.

Naming the letters of the alphabet

Your child will learn to:

• name the letters of the alphabet in the right order
• use letter names to distinguish between alternative spellings of the same sound (for example, to understand that ‘ c eiling’ and ‘ s ea’ use different letters to show the same ‘ss’ sound).

Adding some prefixes and suffixes to words

Suffixes are morphemes (groups of letters that mean something on their own) that are added at the end of a root or root word to change the meaning. Prefixes are morphemes added at the front of a word. Over the course of Year 1, children will learn about some of the most common prefixes and suffixes to change the tense of a word:

• using the spelling rule for adding -s or -es as the plural marker for nouns and the third person singular marker for verbs
• using the prefix un-
• using -ing , -ed , -er, and -est where no change is needed in the spelling of root words. For example, help ing , help ed , help er .

How to help at home

There are lots of ways you can help your Year 1 child with spelling. Here are our top ideas.

1. Practise phonics

Phonics is the main way your child will learn to spell at the start of primary school. You can use phonics by encouraging your child to spell a word by breaking it up into individual sounds and then matching those sounds to the letters of the alphabet.

Video: What is phonics?

Watch this fun animation to find out about phonics and understand the key aspects of learning to read using phonics.

2. Help with spelling homework

Some schools send spelling words home to learn in Year 1, while others just use phonics sessions at school to teach spelling. If words do come home as a list to learn (perhaps for a spelling test), then helping your child to learn them can be really helpful. If they are struggling to remember them, you might:

‘which letters are making the ‘ay’ sound here? Yes, it’s the ‘ai’, just like in ‘gain’ and ‘Spain’. That’s different to the ‘ay’ sound in ‘play’, isn’t it?’

• Use over-pronunciation. So for  Wednesday , encourage children to say  Wed-nes-day  as they write. There are lots of words which feature sounds that aren’t always pronounced clearly (such as words ending in -ed ), and over-emphasising these while spelling them out can help fix the spelling in your child’s memory.
• Ask your child to write down the words that they need to remember how to spell. The physical act of writing the words by hand helps to anchor the spelling in children’s memories and encourages them to think about the letters that represent the sounds in the word. Typing the words into a PC or tablet isn’t as effective.
• Focus your child’s attention on the tricky bits in a word by asking them to highlight them. For example, show them that said has ‘ai’ in the middle and ask them to write the word, and then highlight or underline this part to help them remember. Few resources are more motivating than a highlighter pen for primary-aged children!

3. Play spelling games

Video playlist: how can i help my child with spag.

Charlotte Raby offers her expert advice for helping your child develop their grammar, punctuation, and spelling skills at home.

For example, your child may have to learn ‘room took hoop foot book’. They could make up a silly sentence such as ‘The boy took his book across the room but got his foot caught in a hoop’. Why not draw illustrations to go with the sentences?

4. Find the right resources

Year 1 common exception words.

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Home » Spelling » Year 1

Spelling Year 1

Spelling Year 1 KS1. Support on spelling for kids with Super Brainy Beans. Primary homework help with worksheet downloads and online games.

Pick a level

If you find the spellings difficult in your year then try starting with spellings from the year below. It's ok to work lower than the year you are on and fill the gaps rather than struggling at your level without understanding the basics.

Take the Year 1

Check what your spelling level is with our online test.

Start Year 1 Spelling Test

Download all Year 1 spelling worksheets

Download and print out our spelling worksheets for Year 1. 430 words especially selected for kids in Year 1, KS1.

• Uses the Look, Say, Cover, Write, Check method.
• Covers all the essential words to learn in Year 1.
• Print at home.

Download Year 1 Spelling Worksheets

Learning spellings

Practice your spellings for four days then get someone to test you on the fifth day without looking at the words first.

Spell all 100 common words

Throughout Year 1 & Year 2 children are expected to learn how to spell the first 100 words which are commonly used in reading and writing.

Words with ff or ss

These words have the f or s sound, spelt ff or ss .

pu ff mi ss

Adding ing & ed

Add ing to a word to show that something is happening now.

rain + ing = rain ing dust + ing = dust ing

Add ed to a word to show that it has happened in the past.

push + ed = push ed open + ed = open ed

Words with ai & oi sound

The following words have the ai or oi sound. To remind you of the sounds visit the phonics page .

r ai n tr ai n j oi n s oi l

Words with the oa sound

Words that have the oa sound are spelt as oa , ow or oe .

g oa l sn ow t oe

Words with ee sound

The following words have the ee sound. To remind you of the sounds visit the phonics page .

m ee t w ee k m e h e

Words with igh sound

The igh sound can be found in words in different ways.

r igh t h igh I m y

Spelling Games

Words with u-e

Yoo and oo sounds in words are spelt with the split digraph u-e in words.

t u b e r u d e c u b e

Words with the oo sound

The follow words have the oo sound.

f oo d z oo f oo t

Words ending with y sound

Some words ending with the ee sound are spelt with y .

ver y sill y sunn y

Plurals adding s or es

A plural means that there is more than one of something. There are rules for added plurals to nouns. Nouns are a person or thing. For more on nouns see our Grammar page .

With most nouns just add an s to the end of the word. shop + s = shop s book + s = book s

If the noun ends with s , ss , x , sh or ch add es . bus + es = bus es church + es = church es fox + es = fox es

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Year 1 spellings

Spelling in Year 1

In Year 1 , children will be doing lots of phonics work to help them with their spelling. This phonics work will consist of looking at how different sounds are spelled in different words.

Children will go over all the phonemes (sounds) they learned in Reception. They will learn both digraphs (sounds made by two letters, such as 'ee' or 'ir') and trigraphs (sounds made by three letters, such as 'igh' and 'tch’).

They will look at how the same sounds can be made by different groups of letters , for example:

• oy and oi (as in 'toy' and 'coin')
• ai and ay (as in 'rain' and 'say')
• ir, er and ur (as in 'dirt', 'fern' and 'turn')
• ow and ou (as in 'cow' and 'round')
• ow and oe (as in 'flow' and 'toe')
• ue and ew (as in 'glue' and 'flew')
• ie and igh (as in 'pie' and 'sigh')
• or, ore and aw (as in 'for', 'more' and 'raw')
• air and are (as in 'fair' and 'dare')

They will also look at how the same groups of letters can make different sounds , for example:

• ea in 'bead' and 'bread'
• oo in 'food' and 'wood'
• ear in 'bear' and 'fear'

Learning about split digraphs in Year 1 spelling

Year 1 children will also learn about split digraphs . As mentioned earlier, a digraph is two letters that make up one sound. Sometimes, when the digraph is made up of two vowels, a consonant appears between the two vowels, splitting up the digraph. For example, the word 'bite' is made up of the sounds 'b', 'ie' and 't', however, the 't' in this word splits up the vowel digraph 'ie', so that it is spelt 'bite'.

Here are some other examples of split digraphs:

• o_e  as in 'rope'
• a_e  as in 'tape'
• e_e  as in 'theme'
• u_e  as in 'tune'

Year 1 spelling patterns

As well as their phonics learning, Year 1 children will learn spellings of words that have particular patterns, for example:

• Words ending ff, ck, zz, ll, ss such as 'fluff', 'luck', 'buzz', 'fill' and 'kiss'
• Words ending nk such as 'bunk' and 'sink'
• Words with two syllables , such as 'ticket' and 'kitchen'
• Words ending ve such as 'have' and 'live'
• Adding -es to the end of plurals and verbs, for example: 'hutch' becomes 'hutches' and 'stitch' becomes 'stitches'
• Adding -ing, -ed and -er to words, such as: 'jump' which changes to 'jumping', 'jumped' and 'jumper'
• Adding 'er' and 'est' to adjectives to make the comparative and superlative form, such as 'kind' which changes to 'kinder' and 'kindest'
• Words ending y, such as 'happy' and 'funny'
• Words containing ph or wh, such as 'telephone' and 'which'
• Adding the prefix un- to change the meaning of a word, for example: 'fit' to 'unfit'
• Compound words, which are words made up of two short words, such as 'football' and 'playground'

Year 1 exception words

Children will also be taught what are now referred to as 'common exception words' (sometimes called tricky words). These are words commonly found in the English language, but which do not follow the phonic rules that have been taught so far. Examples of these in Year 1 are: 'were', 'once', 'school', 'house'.

How spelling is taught in Year 1

Teachers will usually give children a list of spellings to learn each week at home from Y1 onwards, but lots of work is also done in the classroom to provide an early, solid groundwork in spelling. 

Teachers may encourage children to learn certain words by using them for handwriting practice. They may give the children cards to make learning spelling more interesting (for example, children may be given two parts of a compound word on two separate cards and asked to match the pairs). Fill-the-gap worksheets can also help children with their spellings; for example, a child may be given worksheets with pictures of objects and a partially written word that needs completing below.

The importance of parental help at home at this stage cannot be over-stressed. Year 1 is a crucial year for spelling, when all the vital phonics ground work is laid down ready for future years.  Ensuring that your child knows their spellings for their weekly test should be a top homework priority!

Year 1 spelling worksheets

Look through our selection of Y1 spelling worksheets to find practical activities for your child to practise their spellings learning with.

You can also download a pack of Year 1 spelling tests , designed to help your child practise common spelling patterns and tricky words.

How spelling is taught in primary school, year by year

Find out what words and spelling patterns children are taught in each year of primary school with our parents' guides:

• Spelling in Reception
• Spelling in Year 2
• Spelling in Year 3 and Year 4
• Spelling in Year 5 and Year 6

Give your child a headstart

• FREE articles & expert information
• FREE resources & activities
• FREE homework help

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Resources you can trust

Year 1 spelling word lists and template

These year 1 spelling resources come with both printable and editable spelling word lists and templates, guided by the National Curriculum. These resources are created to bolster children's spelling skills through engaging learning and memory recall activities.

What’s included?

• Free printable PDF year 1 spelling word lists — derived from both statutory and non-statutory spelling lists in the National Curriculum
• Editable year 1 spelling word lists along with a spelling template to aid children in their spelling learning journey (subscribers only)

How to use the year 1 spelling lists

The year 1 spelling word lists provide a helpful reference for expected spellings at this level as per National Curriculum recommendations. These lists can be integrated into weekly spelling tests or used for everyday practice. The lists are also ideal for homework exercises, enabling students to practice at home. The editable version allows you to personalise the lists to accommodate individual needs, emphasising difficult words or introducing new terms.

How to use the year 1 spelling words template

Save time by copying and pasting the spelling words directly from the word lists into this handy editable spelling template. The year 1 spelling words template incorporates the following sections to support children in practising and learning spellings:

• 'Look' — helps with noticing the correct spelling of the word.
• 'Say' — encourages children to verbalise the word.
• 'Cover' — enables children to conceal the correct spelling and try to spell the word from memory.
• 'Write' — children jot down the word without looking at the correct spelling.
• 'Check' — children compare their spelling with the correct one to spot any errors.

This method encourages independent learning and strengthens memory recall.

Looking for more like this?

Combine these year 1 spelling word resources with our Year 1 and 2 common exception word lists . For year 2 teachers, consider our Year 2 spelling word lists and template .

You might also find these useful:

• Spelling tips – syllables and letter strings
• Spelling strategies

Browse our entire spelling resource collection.

All reviews

Resources you might like.

Year 1 Spelling: Worksheets and Activities.

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Think of spelling being a house. Much like a home, spelling needs to be learnt from bottom to top, this is what we like – the foundations of spelling. During Year 1, students will learn the basics of spelling. From tricky words to how to spot important spelling patterns, which will ultimately help them build their spelling skills throughout their education.

Year 1 Spelling:

Table of contents, spelling as part of the national curriculum..

As we are all probably aware, spelling is essential for clear communication. Therefore, it is only right for it to be a mandatory subject in school.

By the end of year one, students are expected to be able to read many different words, whether they have seen them before or not.

What Year 1 focuses on:

There are many things your Year 1 students will focus on during this year of building their spelling foundations. Some teachers might take it back and remind students what they learn back in reception. This could be phonics and the context of some words.

Students will also learn how to spell the days of the week and learn the full alphabet.

If you’re teaching spelling to your Year 1 class, you might consider exploring how the same sounds can be made with different letter groups.

• ow and oe – in ‘flow’ and ‘toe’
• ue and ew – ‘clue’ and ‘grew’
• ie and igh – ‘lie’ and ‘high’
• or, ore and aw – ‘for’, ‘shore’ and ‘saw’
• air and are – ‘pair’ and ‘care’
• oy and oi – ‘boy’ and ‘join’
• ai and ay – ‘rain’ and ‘way’
• ir, er and ur – ‘girl’, ‘where’ and ‘your’
• ow and ou – ‘down’ and ’round’

and, how the same letter groups can create different sounds:

• ea in ‘eat’ and ‘meat’
• oo in ‘moon’ and ‘pool’
• ear in ‘dear’ and ‘hear’

As well as:

Spelling patterns

Not only will students cover phonics, but also learn how some words have certain patterns which make them easier to recognise.

Spelling patterns vary, but some examples are:

• Words ending in ‘ck’ – back, black, sick…
• Adding ‘ing’ at the end of words. For example, ‘walk’ can also be ‘walking’.

Tricky words

Phonetically irregular words are completely different to sight words, as students need a longer time to decode. These are words that simply cannot be sounded out in your head. Tricky words should be learnt thoroughly.

To read more on tricky words, why not check out our blog? Click Here.

Split digraphs.

When a consonant appears between vowels, this is what we know to be a split. And a digraph is when two letters make up one sound, for example, ‘food’, ‘wood’. Thus, earning its name: split digraphs.

Examples of split digraphs are:

How spelling is taught.

Spelling is taught in many ways. However, teachers might give students a list of words to learn at home. However, most of the learning is done in the classrooms.

There are tons of opportunities to involve spelling in tasks such as reading, practising handwriting, worksheets, pictographs, and cards. A common and popular technique to learn to spell is by using the ‘look, say, cover, write and check’ method. The use of repetition helps students absorb and really get to learn the word they are trying to engage with. The ‘look, say, cover, write and check’ method is also great for those students who struggle with their spelling.

Year 1 spelling activity ideas and Emile worksheets.

On your interactive whiteboard, set up a PowerPoint with slides containing the picture of the word you are trying to spell. Ask students to tell you what letters go into spelling the word of the picture – do not write the letters in order, instead, ask students to spell the word with the letters and pictures provided.

Fill in the missing letter.

As the title suggests, prepare words on your interactive whiteboard. However, make sure you leave some letters blank. Ask students to fill out the missing letters. This is a great activity to warm up the student’s day.

Word of the day.

Pick a word for the day. These words can be from your spelling lists. Set a moment aside each day for students to look at the word in great detail. You could ask students to sound the word out, and then use it in a sentence. Then test their knowledge by asking them to spell it.

Worksheets.

Emile has prepared a kit full of all the Year 1 spelling words that are mandatory according to the national curriculum. These implement the Look, say, cover and check method. The worksheets are free to download, get your copy!

Other Years:

Spelling with Emile.

Emile also has a new learning mode on “Learning with Emile”, where students can engage with the ‘look, say, cover, write and check’ method. Why not get your FREE demo of Spelling with Emile, today? More info.

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Year 1 Spelling Homework for the year

Subject: English

Age range: 3-5

Resource type: Worksheet/Activity

Last updated

24 September 2023

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This powerpoint contains weekly spelling lists which will last the entire year for your Year 1 class. 5 spellings per week.

These spelling lists progress through the 100 Common Exception Words that your students will need to learn for year 1. My cohort is very low so they are very simple spellings and this could also be used as a homework for a Reception class as well.

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